Lexical Summary batsal: Onion Original Word: בֶּצֶל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance onion From an unused root apparently meaning to peel; an onion -- onion. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition an onion NASB Translation onions (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [בָּצָל] noun masculine onion (Late Hebrew בָּצֵל or בֶּ֫צֶל, Arabic  , Ethiopic  Aramaic בּוּצְלָא,  ) — בְּצָלִים Numbers 11:5 (אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּתִים וְאֶתהֶֿחָצִיר וְאֵתהַֿשּׁוּמִים ׳וְאֶתהַֿבּ). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Contextבֶּצֶל refers to the common onion and appears only once in the Old Testament, in the Israelites’ complaint recorded in Numbers 11:5: “We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic”. The single mention highlights the word’s significance through its placement in a pivotal narrative of murmuring and misplaced nostalgia. Agricultural and Culinary Background Onions were a staple in the ancient Near-Eastern diet, prized for flavor, medicinal value, and ease of cultivation. Egyptian art and texts show onions offered to deities and buried with the dead, underscoring their everyday and religious importance. Their ready availability “at no cost” in Egypt (Numbers 11:5) paints a vivid picture of abundance the Israelites once enjoyed under servitude. Israel’s Memory of Egypt The longing for onions illustrates how Israel romanticized bondage while minimizing hardship. Numbers 11 contrasts the familiar tastes of Egypt with God’s miraculous provision of manna (Numbers 11:7–9). The complaint went beyond food preferences; it questioned divine sufficiency. By elevating onions, the people effectively devalued freedom from slavery and the covenant journey toward the Promised Land. Spiritual Lessons 1. Selective Memory and Discontent Craving onions symbolizes how the heart can idolize former comforts while overlooking past misery (compare Exodus 1:13–14). Psalm 106:7 notes that Israel “did not remember the abundance of Your mercies,” revealing the spiritual root of grumbling. 2. Warning against Murmuring The apostle later writes, “Do not grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel” (1 Corinthians 10:10). The onion episode contributes to that cautionary catalogue (1 Corinthians 10:6). 3. God’s Provision versus Human Appetite The manna—“bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4)—foreshadows Christ, the true bread of life (John 6:32-35). Preferring onions to manna parallels preferring earthly sustenance to heavenly, exposing a deeper unbelief. Ministry Significance Preachers and teachers may use בֶּצֶל to illustrate: • The danger of idealizing the past and resisting sanctification progress. Practical Application Believers today confront similar temptations to pine for pre-conversion comforts. Remembering בֶּצֶל encourages gratitude for salvation, contentment with God’s present provision, and hopeful anticipation of eternal reward rather than a return to old bondage. Forms and Transliterations הַבְּצָלִ֖ים הבצלים hab·bə·ṣā·lîm habbəṣālîm habbetzaLimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Numbers 11:5 HEB: הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־ הַבְּצָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־ הַשּׁוּמִֽים׃ NAS: and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, KJV: and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: INT: and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic 1 Occurrence |
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