Doves Dung. Various explanations have been given of the passage in 2 Kings 6:25. Bochart has labored to show that it denotes a species of cicer, "chick-pea," which he says the Arabs call usnan, and sometimes improperly "dove's" or "sparrow's dung." Great quantities of these are sold, in Cairo, to the pilgrims going to Mecca. Later authorities incline to think it the bulbous root of the Star of Bethlehem (ornithogalum, that is, bird-milk). A common root in Palestine, and sometimes eaten. - Editor. It can scarcely be believed that even in the worst horrors of a siege, a substance so vile as is implied by the literal rendering, should have been used for food.
More than 4,500 subjects and proper names are defined and analyzed with corresponding Scripture references. Bible students have used "Smith's Bible Dictionary" since its introduction in the 1880s, making it a trustworthy classic.Wikipedia
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