Millet is a small-seeded grass that has been cultivated as a staple grain for thousands of years. In the context of the Bible, millet is mentioned as one of the ingredients used in the preparation of bread during times of scarcity or hardship. Its mention in the Scriptures highlights its role as a humble yet significant food source in ancient times.

Biblical Reference:

Millet is specifically mentioned in the book of Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to use millet as one of the ingredients for making bread during a symbolic act that represented the coming siege of Jerusalem. This act was meant to illustrate the dire conditions and the scarcity of food that the people would face. The relevant passage is found in Ezekiel 4:9 : "But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single vessel and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side—390 days."

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Near Eastern societies, millet was a common grain, valued for its ability to grow in arid and less fertile soils where other grains might fail. It was often used in combination with other grains to make bread, especially during times when more desirable grains like wheat and barley were scarce. The inclusion of millet in Ezekiel's bread signifies the use of whatever resources were available, reflecting a time of impending hardship and divine judgment.

Symbolism and Theological Significance:

The use of millet in Ezekiel's symbolic act serves as a poignant reminder of God's sovereignty and the reality of divine judgment. The mixture of grains, including millet, underscores the theme of survival and reliance on God's provision, even in the midst of impending calamity. It also serves as a call to repentance and a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commandments.

Agricultural Insights:

Millet is known for its resilience and adaptability, thriving in conditions where other crops might struggle. This characteristic made it a valuable crop in ancient agrarian societies. Its nutritional value, providing essential nutrients and energy, made it a staple in the diet of many ancient peoples. The cultivation of millet would have been a practical choice for those living in regions with challenging growing conditions.

Conclusion:

While millet is mentioned only once in the Bible, its inclusion in the prophetic narrative of Ezekiel carries significant weight. It serves as a testament to the resourcefulness required during times of trial and the enduring hope found in God's provision. The humble grain of millet, therefore, becomes a symbol of sustenance and divine care amidst adversity.(Hebrews dohan; only in Ezek. 4:9), a small grain, the produce of the Panicum miliaceum of botanists. It is universally cultivated in the East as one of the smaller corn-grasses. This seed is the cenchros of the Greeks. It is called in India warree, and by the Arabs dukhan, and is extensively used for food, being often mixed with other grain. In this country it is only used for feeding birds. (n.) A type of grasses cultivated for hay or grain. The common millets of Germany and Southern Europe are Panicum miliaceum, and Setaria Italica.MILLET

mil'-et, mil'-it (dochan; kegchros): One of the ingredients of the prophet's bread (Ezekiel 4:9). The Arabic equivalent is dukhn, the common millet, Panicum miliaceum, an annual grass 3 or 4 ft. high with a much-branched nodding panicle. Its seeds arc as small as mustard seeds and are used largely for feeding small birds, but are sometimes ground to flour and mixed with other cereals for making bread. The Italian millet, setaria Italica, known as Bengal grass, is also called in Arabic dukhn, and has a similar seed. A somewhat similar grain, much more widely cultivated as a summer crop, is the Indian millet-also called "Egyptian maize"-the Sorghum annuum. This is known as dhurah in Arabic, and the seed as dhurah beida, "white dourra." It is a very important crop, as it, like the common millet, grows and matures without any rain. It is an important breadstuff among the poor.

Both the common millet and the dourra were cultivated in Egypt in very ancient times; the Hebrew dochan was certainly the first, but may include all three varieties.

E. W. G. Masterman

2747. Kegchreai -- Cenchrea, a port of Corinth
... Word Origin perhaps from kegchros (millet) Definition Cenchrea, a port
of Corinth NASB Word Usage Cenchrea (2). Cencrea. Probably ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2747.htm - 6k1764. dochan -- millet
... 1763, 1764. dochan. 1765 . millet. Transliteration: dochan Phonetic Spelling:
(do'-khan) Short Definition: millet. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/1764.htm - 5k

The Builders
... streak of daylight had faded, except for the brief space allowed for breakfast and
dinner, when huge cauldrons of a sticky mass of boiled millet was ladled out ...
/.../cable/the fulfilment of a dream of pastor hsis/chapter xv the builders.htm

On the Everlasting Pains of Hell.
... the heavens, and that if there came a little bird every hundred thousand years,
and took from the stone as much as the tenth part of a grain of millet, so as ...
/.../suso/a little book of eternal wisdom/chapter xi on the everlasting.htm

Books to be Read
... Jahn, "Dionysiaca," 1889. Altona. Millet, "Responsio ad De duobus Dionysiis," 1642.
Pearson, "Ignatii vindiciae," with two letters of "Vossius." Cambridge. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/dionysius/dionysis on divine names/books to be read.htm

Of the Origin of the World, and the Nature of Affairs, and the ...
... 1678] and round, it is plain that they cannot lay hold of one another, so as to
make some body; as, though any one should wish to bind together millet into one ...
/.../a treatise on the anger of god addressed to donatus/chap x of the origin of.htm

Third Tractate. On the Kinds of Being (3).
... What is it, then, which makes a mountain small and a grain of millet large?
Surely, in the first place, "small" is equivalent to ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/plotinus/the six enneads/third tractate on the kinds.htm

Of Faith
... all those who have spoken or written, or shall speak or write of God, - shall never
be able to show forth so much of him as a grain of millet in comparison ...
/.../ugolino/the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter ii of faith.htm

From St. Luke's Eleventh ChapterOther Evidence that Christ Comes ...
... Shall it be he who produces for me not a grain of millet-seed; [4538] or He who
even from heaven gave to His people day by day the bread of angels? ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter xxvi from st lukes eleventh.htm

Whether the Justification of the Ungodly is the Greatest Work of ...
... ungodly. The second sense is that of relative quantity, in respect of which
we may say that a mountain is small, and a millet great. ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article nine whether the justification.htm

Now, when it had Been Often Considered in the Councils of the Gods ...
... with this story, and Oehler has therefore proposed forma ac lacte--"some one takes
the child found, nourishes it with sweet pottage of millet (forma) and milk ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/6 now when it had.htm

If that which it Has Pleased us to Know is Within Reach...
... Nay more, if you think that anything can be known or comprehended, say what wheat
is,"spelt, barley, millet, the chick-pea, bean, lentil, melon, cumin ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/59 if that which it.htm

Millet (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MILLET. ... The Italian millet, setaria Italica, known
as Bengal grass, is also called in Arabic dukhn, and has a similar seed. ...
/m/millet.htm - 8k

Liest (13 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 4:9 And thou, take unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils,
and millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof ...
/l/liest.htm - 10k

Lentils (4 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 4:9 Take for yourself also wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and
millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it ...
/l/lentils.htm - 9k

Lentiles (4 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles,
and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread ...
/l/lentiles.htm - 8k

Fitches (3 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 4:9 Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentiles,
and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread ...
/f/fitches.htm - 9k

Dove's (1 Occurrence)
... substances, and there is room for the opinion of those who think that some such
substance is here referred to, as, eg, the seeds of a kind of millet, or a very ...
/d/dove's.htm - 7k

Million (4 Occurrences)

/m/million.htm - 8k

Beans (2 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 4:9 Take for yourself also wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and
millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it ...
/b/beans.htm - 8k

Cenchrea (2 Occurrences)
...Millet, the eastern harbour of Corinth, from which it was distant about 9 miles
east, and the outlet for its trade with the Asiatic shores of the Mediterranean ...
/c/cenchrea.htm - 7k

Corn (107 Occurrences)
... substitutes "grain" for "corn." The latter may be taken to include (1) barley,
(2) wheat, (3) fitches (vetches), (4) lentils, (5) beans, (6) millet, (7) rye ...
/c/corn.htm - 41k

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