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Bible Dictionaries
Anise
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or ANISE.—‘Anise’ is the translation given in Authorized Version and Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 of ἄνηθον (Matthew 23:23): the marginal rendering ‘dill’ is the correct one. The true anise is the plant Pimpinclla anisum, which is quite distinct from Anethum graveolens, the anise of the Bible.
By the Jews dill was cultivated as a garden plant, but in Egypt and Southern Europe, to which it was indigenous, it is often found growing wild in the cornfields. It possesses valuable carminative properties, and in the East the seeds are eaten with great relish as a condiment. It is a hardy annual or biennial umbellifer, and grows to a height of one, two, or even three feet. The stem is round, jointed, and striated; the leaves are finely divided; the flowers, which are small, are yellow; the fruits are brown, oval, and flat.
In Matthew 23:23 dill is represented as subject to tithe. That is in strict accord with the provision of the Law (Leviticus 27:30, Deuteronomy 14:22), and is corroborated by the express statement of the Mishna (Ma‘ascroth iv. 5). See, further, art. Rue; and cf. note by Nestle in Expos. Times, Aug. 1904, p. 528b.
Hugh Duncan.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Anise'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/a/anise.html. 1906-1918.
