Seven Species

Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.  

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land —

a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 

a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 

a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing…

 Deuteronomy 8:6-9

你要谨守耶和华─你神的诫命，遵行他的道，敬畏他。

因为耶和华─你神领你进入美地，

那地有河，有泉，有源，从山谷中流出水来。

那地有小麦、大麦、葡萄树、无花果树、石榴树、橄榄树，和蜜。

你在那地不缺食物，一无所缺。

 申命記8:6-9

The Seven Species ( Seven Kinds ) are seven agricultural products that are listed in the Bible as being special products of the Land of Israel.  They were the staple foods of the Jewish in the Promised Land during biblical times.

Wheat

Emmer wheat ( Triticum dicocum ), a tetraploid hybrid, was first cultivated in the Fertile

Crescent at around 10,000 BC.  However, emmer wheat require time-consuming pounding or roasting to remove its husk. 

During the Iron Age ( 1,300 – 600 BC ), durum wheat ( Triticum durum ), another tetraploid hybrid become the dominant cultivated species.  Durum wheat yield higer, easily detached from chaff, and easily hulled.  However, it was difficult to grind to obtain fine flour, thus was seldom use for making bread.   

After the Greek conquest ( circa 300 BC ), common wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), a hexaploid hybrid, replace the durum wheat as the primary wheat crop.  As did usage of wheat flour for bread-making, replacing barley and durum wheat.

Wheat is harvested around the time of Shavuot ( Festival of Weeks ) ( Exo 34:22 ) ( Christian : Pentecost ) in the month of Sivan.  20,000 cors of wheat were sent to Hiram king of Tyre year after year, in exchange of cedar and juniper logs King Solomon wanted for building the Temple ( 1Kings 5:11 ). 

Barley

Barley is Hordeum vulgare L., a self-pollinating, annual, diploid grass species with 14 chromosomes.    The wild ancestor of today’s domesticated barley is Hordeum vulgare spontaneum, grown abundantly throughout the Fertile Crescent.

Barley is made into bread ( Judges 7:13, 2Kings 4:42, Ezekiel 4:12, John 6:9-13 ), used in soups and stews.  Barley was considered cheaper by half of the finest wheat flour. ( 2Kings 7:18 )

The 7^th plague was that of hail, which destroyed the then blooming flax and headed barley ( Exo 9:31 ).  The event took place just prior to the first Passover, which falls in the spring month of Nisan.  Barley and wheat were both sowed in autumn, yet barley matured faster and would be harvested sooner.  Thus the bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread would have been barley.

Gideon dreamed of a barley bread tumbled into the Midianites camp ( Judges 7:13 ), Elisha fed a hundred men with twenty loaves of barley bread ( 2Kings 4:42 ), and Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves of barley bread and two small fish ( John 6:9 ).

Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread is celebrated during the onset of barley harvest, in April

Vines ( Grapes )

The grapes are most probably Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine native to the Mediterranean and Central Asia.  

Today’s cultivated grape include American species V. labrusca, V. riparia, V. rotundifoia, and Asian species V. amurensis.

Grapes are deciduous woody vines.  The fruit is a berry, grows in clusters of 15 to 300, colour ranging from crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, to pink.

Grape are propagated via cuttings, clefting, and layering.   Vineyards are planted on fertile hill , fenced with watchtower, and in-house winepress ( Isa 5:1-2, Mat 21:33 ), harvested together with olive in October, during Feast of Tabernacles.

Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid.  Freshly pressed grape juice with 7-23% of solid content ( pomace ) is called as “must” ( H : tirosh, G : gleukos ).  The juice is often sold fresh or fermented, and made into wine ( H : yayin, G :methusma ) , brandy ( H : shekar, G : sikera ) or vinegar ( H : chomets, G : oxos ).   Dried grapes are called “raisin”.

Fig

The common fig is Ficus carica, a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region.

Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs and vines, occupying a wide variety of ecological niches.  Specific identification can be difficult, but figs as a group are relatively easy to recognized.  Many have aerial roots, latex-producing, tri-veined, paired stipules or circular stipule scar, and syconium fruit.

Fig fruit is a false fruit.  The flowers and seeds grow together to form a single mass, called a multiple fruit.  Each fruit can contain up to several hundred to several thousand seeds.  The syconium often has a bulbous shape with a small opening at the outward end to allow access to pollinators.

Common fig plants are gynodioecious, meaning female individuals coexist with hermaphroditic individuals ( flowers with both male & female parts ) in the population.   The female individuals produce the ‘edible figs’, while the hermaphroditic individuals produce the ‘inedible figs’ or ‘caprifigs’.

Propagation is done by seeds, cuttings, air-layering or grafting.

Another fig species mentioned in the Bible is sycamore fig ( Amo 7:14 ), Ficus sycomorus, which was also used for food, but much inferior ( Jer 24 ) and cheaper, often eaten by the poor .  At Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore fig tree to see Jesus as he passed by ( Luke 19:4 ).

Pomegranates

Pomegranate is the fruit of Punica granatum, originated from the middle East.  It has been cultivated since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean region. 

It is a deciduous shrub.  The fruit is a berry, rounded hexagonal shaped, with thick reddish skin.  Seeds varies from 200 to 1400 seeds, embedded in astringent pulp, with colour ranging from white to red or purple.

Pomegranate taste differs depending on the variety and its ripeness.  A desirable taste would be sweet with little bit of sour.  It is often consume fresh, made into juice or used in cooking.  The aril can be dried and used as an acidic agent in food preparation.

 The Bible describes the robe of the ephod embroiled with pomegranates ( Exo 28:33-34 ).   The capitals of the 2 pillars ( Jakin and Boaz ) in front of Solomon’s Temple were engraved with pomegranates ( 1Kings 7:13-22 ).

When Israel spies were sent to explore Canaan, the Promised Land, they brought back grapes, pomegranates and figs ( Num 13 ).

Olive

Olive is the fruit of Olea europaea, native to the costal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin.

Olive tree is an evergreen tree.  The fruit is a drupe.  Olive has been cultivated for olive oil, fine wood ( 1Kings 6:23, 6:32-33 ), olive leaf and the olive fruit.

Olive tree grows well on mineral soil with good drainage.  They tolerate drought well.  Olives grow slowly but can live for several centuries.   Propagation is via cuttings, layers, or grafting, and sometime from seed.  Olive trees are regularly pruned for better fruiting.  Harvesting is done in the winter, during the celebration of Feast of Tabernacles.

Olive are rarely eaten fresh.  They are naturally bitter and unpalatable due to oleuropein and phenolic comounds.  Curing with brine, lye, salt, or fresh water make them more palatable.

Olive oil is produced by grinding whole olive and extracting the oil by mechanical or chemical means.  Olive oil is commonly used in cooking ( 1Kings 17:7-16 ), offering to God ( Exo 29:2, 29:23, 29:40 ; Lev 2:1-7, 6:14-18, 7:11-12, 8:26, etc ), anointing oil ( Exo 30:22-29 ), tithe ( Neh 10:37-39 ),  anoint kings ( 1Sam 10:1 ),  medicine or as fuel for traditional oil lamps ( Exo 23:11. 25:6,  27:20, 35:8, 35:28, 39:37 etc ).

When Noah send out a dove to check out the flood, it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf ! ( Gen 8:11 )

Honey ( Dates )

Date palm is Phoenix dactylifera, a palm tree originated from around the Persian Gulf.

Date palm has been cultivated for its edible sweet fruit since ancient times.  The fruit is known as a date.

Date palm is dioecious, having separate male and female plants.  It can be easily grown from seeds, but the dates are often smaller and poorer quality, hence most commercial plantation use cuttings for propagation.  Date palms fruit after 4 to 8 years after planting, and remain yielding for up to 10 years.

Fresh dates or dried dates are eaten directly.  Chopped dates are added into dough to make date nut bread.  It can also be processed to produce sweetened syrup ( palm date honey ), alcohol or vinegar.

The Temple was decorated with engraftment with date palms motives ( 1Kings 6:29,32,35 , 7:36 ; 2Chronicles 3:5 ; Ezekiel 40:16,22,26,31,34,37, 41:18-20, 25-26 ).  The leave fronds were used to make roofs ( Nehemiah 8:15 ), used during Feast of Tabernacles ( Lev 23:40 ), and Jesus triumphal entrance into Jerusalem ( John 12:13 ).

Date palms were symbol of righteousness ( Psalm 92:12 ), beauty ( Songs 7:7 ), and victory ( Rev 7:9 ).   

Ingrafted Branches of Olives

Bible says …

In Romans 11:16-21, the apostle Paul ( 5 – 67 AD ) talks about grafting of olive.

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“if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.” ²²Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. ²³And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

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What is Grafting ?

Grafting is a propagation technique of inserting a shoot from a desirable source ( scion ) into another tree ( stock ) of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree. ( www.biology-online.org )

.A successful grafting requires a vascular cambium connection taken place between the stock and scion.

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Purpose of Grafting

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Grafting is very important in domestication of agricultural crops.

Planting of crop from seed takes longer time to mature. Often, plants planted from seed do not produce same desired quality of fruit.

.Thus, grafting of desired scion on rooted stock result in faster yield of expected crop quality. The rootstock continues to provide nutrient from the soil through vascular xylem.

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History of Grafting

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The exact origin of grafting of plants is unknown. The practice of grafting should have occurred independently, though no necessary the same time, in several parts of the world.

The earliest grating is believed to have originated from observation of the natural union of twig of closely growing trees.

The Chinese were thought to have practiced grafting as early as 2000 B.C.., but no records to support the claim. The earliest documented record was 《汜胜之书》, published in sometime between 32 BC – 7 AD , by 汜胜之, of Han Dynasty, which documented technique of grafting in gourd cultivation.

Greek philosopher Aristotle ( 354-322 BC ) and Theophrastus ( 371 – 287 BC ) wrote about grafting too. Theophrastus wrote Enquiry into Plants, and On the Cause of Plants, about his observations on plants physiology.

Roman naturalist Gaius Plinius Sedundus ( 23 – 79 AD) wrote on his encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia, of grafting.

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Commentary

The Wiersbe Bible Commentary : The Complete New Testament

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The olive tree ( Rom 11:16b-24). This is a symbol of the nation of Israel ( Jer 11:16-17; Hos 14:4-6 ). Please keep in mind that Paul was not discussing the relationship of individual believers to God, but the place of Israel in the plan of God. The roots of the tree support the tree; again, this was a symbol of the patriarch who founded the nation. God made His covenants with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He cannot deny them or change them. Thus it is God’s promise to Abraham that sustains Israel even today.

Many of the Jewish people did not believe. Paul pictured them as branches broken off the tree. But he saw an amazing thing taking place : other branches were grafted into the tree to share in the life of the tree. These branches were the Gentiles. In Romans 11:24, Paul described this “grafting in” as “contrary to nature.” Usually a cultivated branch is grafted into a wild tree and shares its life without producing its poor fruit. But in this case, it was the ‘wild branch’ ( the Gentiles ) that was grafted into the good tree ! “Salvation is of the Jews” ( John 4:22 )

To say that the olive tree, with its natural and grafted branches, is a picture of the church would be a great mistake. In the church, ‘there is no difference”; believers are “all one in Christ Jesus” ( Gal.3:28 ). God does not look on the member of Christ’s body and se them as Jews or Gentiles. The olive tree illustrates the relationship between Jew and Gentiles in the program of God. The ‘breaking off of the branch” is the equivalent of “the fall” (Rom 11:11 ), “the diminishing” ( Rom 11:12 ), and the “casting away” ( Rom 11:15 ). To read into this illustration the matter of eternal destiny f the individual believer is to abuse the truth Paul was seeking to communicate.

Paul warned the Gentiles that they were obligated to Israel, and therefore they dared not boast of their new spiritual position ( Rom 11:18-21 ). The Gentiles entered into God’s plan because of faith, and not because of anything good they had done. Paul was discussing the Gentiles collectively, and not the individual experience of one believer or another.

It is worth noting that, according to Bible prophecy, the professing Gentile church will be “cut off” because of apostasy. First Timothy 4 and 2 Timothy 3, along with 2 Thessalonians 2, all indicate that professing church in the last days will depart from the faith. There is no hope for the apostate church, but there is hope for apostate Israel ! Why ? Because of the roots of the olive tree. God will keep His promises to the patriarchs, but God will break off the Gentiles because of their unbelief.

No mater how far Israel may stray from the truth of God, the roots are still good. God is still the “God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” ( Ex 3:6; Matt 22:23 ). He will keep His promises to these patriarchs. This means that the olive tree will flourish again !