1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

"Corn" in the Old Testament

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by Pastor_Bob, Nov 1, 2016.

Top Posters
  1. Pastor_Bob

    Pastor_Bob Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2002
    Messages:
    3,960
    Likes Received:
    228
    Faith:
    Baptist
    A book I am reading on Bible customs makes the following statement:
    There seems to be a couple of different Hebrew words for "corn" in the Old Testament: "dagan" and "shibbol," the latter being used to describe the ears of corn in Joseph's dream.

    Do either of these refer to the corn with which we are familiar here in the United States (sweet corn)?
     
    #1 Pastor_Bob, Nov 1, 2016
  2. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2005
    Messages:
    20,080
    Likes Received:
    3,491
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Corn, as we use the word in the US, does not occur naturally. It is a hybrid created by man. It was indigenous to and found only in the New World so would not have existed in Eurasia in Old Testament times.

    It was developed in what is now Mexico several thousand years ago from wild grass called teosinte.

    Corn as we know it cannot survive unless planted and cultivated my man.
     
    #2 TCassidy, Nov 1, 2016
    • Informative Informative x 2
    • Like Like x 1
    • Useful Useful x 1
  3. robycop3

    robycop3 Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Jul 31, 2000
    Messages:
    14,396
    Likes Received:
    672
    Faith:
    Baptist
    "Back in the day", almost any grain was called "corn".

    The first mention in Scripture I can find of corn as we know it is in Gen. 41:5.
     
    #3 robycop3, Nov 2, 2016
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. rlvaughn

    rlvaughn Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2001
    Messages:
    10,544
    Likes Received:
    1,558
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Pastor Bob, I realize yours is mainly an Old Testament question. Nevertheless, I'd point to John 12:24 in the King James Bible as perhaps the best illustration that corn is used to mean grain generically, and not a specific type of grain? "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

    Ruth chapter 2 also provides a good illustration that corn is used for the grain of barley and wheat (cf. also 1:22 and 3:2, 7, 15, 17).
     
    #4 rlvaughn, Nov 2, 2016
    • Useful Useful x 1
  5. Rob_BW

    Rob_BW Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2015
    Messages:
    4,324
    Likes Received:
    1,246
    Faith:
    Baptist
    The old Oxford dictionary spells it out nicely:

    Corn
    1 British: The chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats.

    ‘fields of corn’

    1. 1.1The grain of a cereal crop.

    2. 1.2

      North American, Australian, and New Zealand term for maize
    https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/corn
     
    #5 Rob_BW, Nov 2, 2016
  6. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
    Administrator

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2005
    Messages:
    20,080
    Likes Received:
    3,491
    Faith:
    Baptist
    How does "seven heads of grain" equate to maize? שִׁבֹּלֶת = shibbôleth = a "growing out" from a branch or stalk.

    Again, maize (what we Americans call "corn") is a New World crop that was not "discovered" by Eurasian explorers until the late 15th century AD.
     
    #6 TCassidy, Nov 2, 2016
  7. Martin Marprelate

    Martin Marprelate Well-Known Member
    Site Supporter

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2010
    Messages:
    8,909
    Likes Received:
    2,128
    Faith:
    Baptist
    #7 Martin Marprelate, Nov 2, 2016
  8. Pastor_Bob

    Pastor_Bob Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2002
    Messages:
    3,960
    Likes Received:
    228
    Faith:
    Baptist
    Thank you, these have been very helpful.
     
    #8 Pastor_Bob, Nov 2, 2016
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Loading...