Verse 17
17. A dinner of herbs A portion or ration of greens.
A stalled ox Stall-fed, highly fattened. A ration of vegetables where love is, is better than roast beef with hatred. The force of this proverb is pre-eminently felt in the family circle.
A stalled ox was, by the Hebrews, as by other ancient peoples, reckoned among the noblest of entertainments. It is mentioned among the provisions for the table of Solomon and of Nehemiah. In the New Testament, the marriage supper which the king made for his son consisted, in great part, of oxen and fatlings, (Matthew 21:4;) and the fatted calf was brought forth to entertain the returning prodigal. Luke 15:23. It has been observed, also, that Homer never sets any other repast than this before his heroes at the great feasts. The moderns, especially of the Anglo-Saxon stock, have by no means lost their appreciation of its savour. But without love, alas! even a stalled ox is unpalatable. “Bread, fruits, and vegetables form the usual diet of the masses of Western Asia and of Southern Europe. The necessity for daily animal food is not felt as in more northern climes.
At the same time, animal food is highly relished in the East, though rarely met with except at the tables of the opulent. (Muenscher.) Vegetables represent simpler fare. Flesh is holiday fare. Compare Daniel 1:12.
Be the first to react on this!
