the Week of Proper 6 / Ordinary 11
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Chinese Union (Simplified)
以赛亚书 28:25
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- InternationalParallel Translations
他犁平了地面,不就撒種小茴香,播種大茴香,按行列種小麥,在指定的地方種大麥,在田邊種粗麥嗎?
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
in the principal: etc. or, the wheat in the principal place, and the barley in the appointed place. rye. or, spelt. Exodus 9:31, Exodus 9:32, Ezekiel 4:9
place: Heb. border
Reciprocal: Genesis 47:23 - here is seed Job 28:5 - out of it
Gill's Notes on the Bible
When he hath made plain the face thereof,.... By harrowing it, after it is ploughed:
doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin; in sowing them in the ground, prepared for them; the former of these does not seem to be the same we so call, but something else. The Septuagint version calls it the little "melanthion" c, the same with the "nigella" d of the Latins, and is sometimes called "gith" e, as in the Vulgate Latin version here. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it "anise", which is mentioned along with "cummin", as common with the Jews, and which, in Christ's time, were tithed, Matthew 23:23 and both these in the text are by Kimchi said to be the food of man:
and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rye in their place? each in their proper place, or in soil suitable for them; some land being more suitable for the one than for the other, which the husbandman understands: "wheat" is the choicest and most excellent grain, and therefore called "principal"; or else because it is "first" sown, or sown in the best and "principal" ground: "barley" is said to be "appointed", or to be sowed in a place appointed for it; or "marked" f, referring either to places marked in the field, where it should be sown; which sense the Targum and the Jewish commentators favour; or to sacks of it marked, in which the best seed for sowing was put: "and the rye in its border" g; appointed for that Jarchi thinks this refers to the different places of sowing; the wheat was sown in the middle of the field; barley round about the mark or sign for that purpose; and rye upon the borders. The Targum is,
"as wheat is sown in an uncultivated field, and barley by the signs, and rye by the borders;''
but the whole is intended to express the wisdom of the husbandman, in sowing different seeds, not in the same field, which was forbidden by the law, Leviticus 19:19 but in ground suitable to each of them; and in the mystical sense designs the execution of divine judgments on men, in proportion to their sins, after they have been admonished of them, and reproved for them; and may be applied also to the sowing of the seed of the word in the hearts of men, and illustrated by the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:19.
c So Junius Tremellius, and Piscator. d As here with Pagninus, Montanus. e So Vatablus and Castalio. f ×©×¢×¨× × ×¡×× "hordeum signatum", Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus "signato loco", Tigurine version. g ×ס×ת ××××ª× "speltam in termino ejus, vel suo", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
When he hath made plain ... - That is, when he has leveled, or made smooth the surface of the ground by harrowing, or rolling it.
Doth he not scatter abroad - He does not sow one kind of grain merely, but different species according to the nature of the soil, or according to his wishes in regard to a crop.
The fitches - (×§×¦× qetsach). Vulgate, Gith; a kind of cockle (Nigella Romana), an herb of sweet savor. Septuagint, ÎικÏοÌν μελαÌνθιον Mikron melanthion. The word âfitchâ denotes a small species of pea. The Hebrew word, however, which occurs nowhere else but here, probably denotes fennel, or dill, an herb whose seed the ancients mixed with their bread in order to give it a more agreeable relish.
And scatter the cummin - (××× kammoÌn). Vulgate, Cyminum - âCummin.â Septuagint, ÎÏ Ìμινον Kuminon - also âCummin.â The word properly denotes an annual plant whose seeds have a bitterish warm taste with an aromatic flavor (Webster). The seeds of this plant were used as a condiment in sauces.
And cast in the principal wheat - Margin, âThe wheat in the principal place.â Vulgate, Per ordinem - âIn its proper order, place, proportion.â So Lowth, âIn due measure.â So Aben Ezra and Kimchi render it, âBy measure;â and they suppose it means that if too much wheat be sown on the land, it will grow too thick, and that the spires will crowd and suffocate each other. Our translators have rendered the word ש×××¨× s'oÌraÌh, âprincipal,â as if it were derived from ש××¨× s'aÌraÌh, âto rule,â and seem to have supposed that it denoted wheat that was especially excellent, or distinguished for its good qualities. Gesenius supposes that it means âfat wheat,â from an Arabic signification of the word. Probably the word is designed to denote âquality,â and to convey the idea that wheat is the principal, or chief grain that is sown; it is that which is most valued and esteemed.
And the appointed barley - The barley is a well-known grain. The word rendered âappointedâ (× ×¡×× nisemaÌn), occurs nowhere else in the Scriptures. Castellio, Taylor, Grotius, Calvin, our translators, and others, suppose that it is derived from a Hebrew word which does not now occur - ס×× saÌman, âto designate, to mark, to seal;â and that it means barley that had been put aside and marked as especially excellent, or seed-barley. In Chaldee, the word ס×× simman occurs in the sense of âto seal, to mark, to designateâ (Chaldee Par. Num 17:3; 2 Kings 9:13; Esther 5:1). The Septuagint, translated it κεÌγÏÏον kengchron, and the Vulgate, Aquila, and Theodotion, understand the word as denoting a species of grain, the millet. The idea is probably that expressed by Grotius, and in our version - of barley that had been selected as seed-barley on account of its excellent quality.
And the rye - Margin, âSpelt.â The word usually denotes âspeltâ - a kind of wheat now found in Flanders and Italy, called German wheat. It may, however, denote rye.
In their place - literally, âIn the border.â Septuagint, ÎÌν ÏοιÍÏ Î¿ÌÏιÌÎ¿Î¹Ï ÏÎ¿Ï En tois horiois sou - âIn thy borders.â The idea seems to be that the spelt or rye was sown in the borders of the field while the wheat was sown in the middle; or that the rye was sown in its âproper bounds,â or in the places which were adapted to it, and best suited to promote its growth.