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Milk

Easton's Bible Dictionary

1

Hebrew halabh, “new milk”, milk in its fresh state (Judg 4:19). It is frequently mentioned in connection with honey (Exod 3:8; 13:5; Josh 5:6; Isa 7:15, 22; Jer 11:5). Sheep (Deut 32:14) and goats (Prov 27:27) and camels (Gen 32:15), as well as cows, are made to give their milk for the use of man. Milk is used figuratively as a sign of abundance (Gen 49:12; Ezek 25:4; Joel 3:18). It is also a symbol of the rudiments of doctrine (1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12, 13), and of the unadulterated word of God (1 Pet 2:2).

2

Heb. hem’ah, always rendered “butter” in the Authorized Version. It means “butter,” but also more frequently “cream,” or perhaps, as some think, “curdled milk,” such as that which Abraham set before the angels (Gen 18:8), and which Jael gave to Sisera (Judg 5:25). In this state milk was used by travellers (2 Sam 17:29). If kept long enough, it acquired a slightly intoxicating or soporific power.

This Hebrew word is also sometimes used for milk in general (Deut 32:14; Job 20:17).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

milk (chalabh; gala; Latin lac (2 Esdras 2:19; 8:10)): The fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young. The word is used in the Bible of that of human beings (Isa 28:9) as well as of that of the lower animals (Exod 23:19). As a food it ranked next in importance to bread (Ecclesiasticus 39:26). Palestine is frequently described as a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Exod 3:8; Exod 3:17; Num 13:27; Deut 6:3; Josh 5:6; Jer 11:5; Ezek 20:6; Ezek 20:15). Milk was among the first things set before the weary traveler (Gen 18:8). In fact, it was considered a luxury (Judg 5:25; Song 5:1). The people used the milk of kine and also that of sheep (Deut 32:14), and especially that of goats (Prov 27:27). It was received in pails ('atinim, Job 21:24), and kept in leather bottles (no'dh, Judg 4:19), where it turned sour quickly in the warm climate of Palestine before being poured out thickly like a melting substance (nathakh; compare Job 10:10). Cheese of various kinds was made from it (gebhinah and charitse he-chalabh, literally, "cuts of milk"); or the curds (chem'ah) were eaten with bread, and possibly also made into butter by churning (Prov 30:33). See FOOD, II. It is possible that milk was used for seething other substances; at least the Israelites were strictly forbidden to seethe a kid in its mother's milk (Exod 23:19; Exod 34:26; Deut 14:21), and by a very general interpretation of these passages Jews have come to abstain from the use of mixtures of meat and milk of all kinds.

Figuratively the word is used

(1) of abundance (Gen 49:12);

(2) of a loved one's charms (Song 4:11);

(3) of blessings (Isa 55:1; Joel 3:18);

(4) of the (spiritual) food of immature people (1 Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12; Heb 5:13);

(5) of purity (1 Pet 2:2).

Nathan Isaacs

Kilde: Easton's Bible Dictionary (M.G. Easton, 1897) og International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (red. James Orr, 1915/1939), public domain. Translated into Danish with AI and not yet proofread (fully or partially). Links to people and places: Theographic Bible Metadata (CC BY-SA 4.0).