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HONEY.—The appreciation of honey by the Hebrews from the earliest times, and its abundance in Canaan, are evident from the oft-recurring description of that country as a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’ (Exo_3:8; Exo_3:17 onwards). In the absence of any mention of bee-keeping in OT, it is almost certain that this proverbial expression has reference to the honey of the wild bee (see Bee). The latter had its nest in the clefts of rocks, hence the ‘honey out of the rock’ of Deu_32:13, in hollow tree-trunks (1Sa_14:26, but the Heb. text is here in disorder), and even, on occasion, in the skeleton of an animal (Jdg_14:8 ff.). In later times, as is evident from the Mishna, bee-keeping was widely practised by the Jews. The hives were of straw or wicker-work. Before removing the combs the bee-keepers stupefied the bees with the fumes of charcoal and cow-dung, burnt in front of the hives.
In Bible times honey was not only relished by itself (cf. Sir_11:3 ‘the bee is little, but her fruit is the chief of sweet things’), and as an accompaniment to other food (Mat_3:4, Mar_1:6 ‘locusts and wild honey,’ Luk_24:42, AV [Note: Authorized Version.] with fish), but was also largely used in the making of ‘bakemeats’ and all sorts of sweet cakes (Exo_16:31), sugar being then, of course, unknown. Although it formed part of the first-fruits presented at the sanctuary, honey was excluded from the altar, owing to its liability to fermentation.
Honey for domestic use was kept in earthen jars (1Ki_14:3 EV [Note: English Version.] ‘cruse’), in which, doubtless, it was also put for transport (Gen_43:11) and export (Eze_27:17). Many scholars, however, would identify the ‘honey’ of the two passages last cited with the grape syrup (the Arab. [Note: Arabic.] dibs, equivalent of the Heb. debash, ‘honey’) of ‘Honey’ in EBi [Note: Encyclopædia Biblica.] col. 2105). Indisputable evidence of the manufacture of dibs in early times, however, is still lacking.
In addition to the proverbial expression of fertility above quoted, honey, in virtue of its sweetness, is frequently employed in simile and metaphor in Heb. literature; see Psa_19:10; Psa_119:103, Pro_16:24; Pro_24:13 f., Son_4:11; Son_5:1, Sir_24:20; Sir_49:1 etc.
A. R. S. Kennedy.