2 Samuel 17:28 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Brought beds, and basons, &c.— Dr. Russell tells us, "that burgle is very commonly used among the Christians of Aleppo;" and in a note he informs us, "that this burgle is wheat boiled, then bruised by a mill, so as to take the husk off, then dried and kept for use." The usual way of dressing it, is, either by boiling it like rice into a pilaw, or making it into balls, with meat and spice, and either fried or boiled. These balls are called cubby. Rauwolf and Ockley speak of the like preparation, under the name of sawik; but the former mentions it as prepared from barley, and the other from barley and rice, as well as wheat. Mr. Jones, in his account of the diet of the Moors of West Barbary, makes mention of the flour of parched barley; which, he says, is the chief provision they make for travelling; and that some of them use it for their diet at home as well as in journeying. He adds, "What is most used by travellers is zumeet, tumeet, or flour of parched barley for limereece. These are not Arabian, but Shilha names; so that I believe it is of longer standing than the Mahometans in that part of Africk. They are all three made of parched barley-flour, which they carry in a leathern satchel. Zumeet, is the flour mixed with honey, butter, and spice; tumeet, is the same flour done up with oil: and limereece is only mixed with water, and so drank. This quenches thirst much better than water alone, satisfies a hungry appetite, and cools and refreshes tired and weary spirits, overcoming those ill effects which a hot sun and fatiguing journey might well occasion." He says also, that among the mountaineers of Susa this is used for their diet at home, as well as when they are on a journey. May not one or other of these sorts of food be meant in Scripture by what we render parched corn? Russell and Ockley speak of the sawik or burgle as dried, and Jones expressly calls the chief provision which the Moors of West Barbary used in travel-ling, the flour of parched barley. Jones's account may teach us the propriety of what is added at the close of the list of provisions sent by the nobles on the other side Jordan to king David: they brought beds, &c.—barley and flour, and parched corn, &c.—for they said the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty in the wilderness. Which of all these things was designed to quench their thirst? Jones says, that the flour of parched barley mixed with water, is thought to quench thirst better than water alone, to satisfy hunger, and to cool and refresh tired and wearied spirits: it might therefore be sent to David with a view to relieve the people, as thirsty and tired, as well as hungry. But if this Jewish parched corn is to be understood of the flour of parched barley, it does not follow that burgle, sawik, or boiled wheat dried, was unknown among them; and I have been ready to think, that this mode in the management of corn will give light to a remarkable passage in the history of David; I mean the concealment of the two spies in a well, whose mouth was covered with corn, 2 Samuel 17:19. The exposing of corn in this manner must have been common in Judea, else it would rather have given suspicion than safety. But for what purpose ground corn (for so we translate it) should be laid out in the open air, if we suppose it was meal, cannot easily be imagined. Bishop Patrick supposes that it was corn newly threshed out, which the woman pretended to dry, though no such thing is practised among us in a much moister country; and the word, in Proverbs 27:22 is used to signify corn beaten in a very different manner. Sanctius and Mariana have observed, that the word there expresses barley with the husk taken off; pearl or French barley as we call it. The accounts above given of the burgle and sawik, remove the difficulty; and it should seem from this passage, that the preparation of corn after this manner is as ancient as the time of David at least. To this may be added, that quantities of the sawik are prepared at once, in order to be laid up in store; whereas corn there is usually ground into meal in small parcels, the people of those countries baking every day, and grinding their corn as they want it: what is more, D'Arvieux, who speaks of this prepared corn under the name of bourgoul, expressly mentions its being dried in the sun, after having spoken of their preparing a whole year's provision of it at once. See the Observations, p. 146, &c. Note; (1.) We often meet with greater kindness from strangers than from our own relations. (2.) The best use we can make of our affluence, is the employment of it in the support of the suffering cause of the Son of David.