Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Bill Rea <bill.rea AT canterbury.ac.nz>]

Jack wrote:-

> The word in question (dibyown) is of course a hapax legomenon which does not
> seem to be derived from any obvious Hebrew roots.  The "doves dung" is the
> ketib.  The LXX translates this as dove's dung (kabou koprou peristerwn).
> However even if we take the ketib and LXX at face value, that does not mean
> people were actually eating doves dung.  In Mexico and  the US Southwest 
> there
> is a popular confection called "churros", a long narrow lump of fried dough
> sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.  It is possible to translate "churros" as
> dung although there are more graphic and accurate words available in English
> language.  The name is merely reflective of the general appearance of the
> food, particularly when it made by hand, and perhaps the fact it an
> inexpensive food popular with the poorer strata of society.  Perhaps "doves
> dung" is something similar.

A number of English translations have a footnote to say these were a type of
seed pod. How reliable that is I have no idea but it seems a reasonable
suggestion.


Bill Rea, ICT Services, University of Canterbury \_
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