He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;
He made him ride on the high places ... All these expressions seem to have special reference to their home in the Trans-Jordanic territory, that being the whole of Palestine that they had seen at the time when Moses is represented as uttering these words, honey of the wild bees which hive in the crevices of the rocks, the oil from the olive as it grew, singly or in small clumps on the tops of hills, where scarcely anything else would grow, the finest wheat (Psalms 81:16; Psalms 147:14), and the prolific vintage.
But 'the words may prophetically refer to their settlement in Canaan, of which "the high places of the earth" are very descriptive. Palestine, being a hilly country, may well be denominated 'the heights of the earth' (cf. Ezekiel 5:5; Ezekiel 6:2; Ezekiel 33:28; Ezekiel 35:12; Ezekiel 36:1). [The Septuagint has: anebibasen autous epi teen ischun tees gees.] Of those richly productive mountains the Lord put Israel in full, free, and permanent possession; and that people, in cultivating them by artificial terraces to the very summit, found their country, through the blessing of God, rich and prosperous in the highest degree.
He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Honey, which was a principal article of food with the Hebrews, is got abundantly in Palestine still, the bees depositing their honey in the crevices of the rocks and in hollow trees (1 Samuel 14:25; 1 Samuel 14:27; Matthew 3:4). The abundant supply of honey was an attractive prospect to hold out, as bees are not numerous in Egypt, from the scarcity of flowers. But in form, as well as in the habit of depositing their honey in the clefts of the rocks, they are similar to those in Palestine (Wilkinson).
Oil of olive, which was also used for a variety of purposes, was plentiful in many parts of the Holy Land; the sides of the smaller hills are covered with olive trees, which grow thrivingly upon the parterres between the rocks. Oil was an article of export to Egypt (Hosea 12:1). Harmer thinks, that as the latter clause refers to planted and cultivated olive trees on the mountains, so the first part of the parallelism must refer to the aromatic plants and flowers on the hillsides, from which the bees imbibe the fragrant juice which they carry home to their hives in which the honey is made. Some parts of the country are redolent of honey. Indeed, from the wide application of the term "honey" among the Hebrews, who used it to denote the juice of the palm tree, of the fig tree, as well as of grapes when made into a kind of syrup, we think there is some probability that the "honey" in this passage was yielded by trees on the hill-sides as well as the oil (see also Roger's 'Domestic Life in Palestine,' p. 78).
Verse 14. Butter of kine, х chem'at (H2529) baaqaar (H1241); Septuagint, bouturon booon, thick, curdled milk] (Genesis 18:8; Judg. 4:25 : cf. Josephus, 'Antiquities.' b. 5:, ch. 5:, sec. 25) - the substance produced by churning; an operation which among the Bedouin Arabs is performed in a very primitive manner, by shaking or swinging it in a goat's skin between two upright posts (Wilde's 'Travels,' 2:, p. 181; Robinson's 'Biblical Researches,' 1:, p. 445; 2:, p. 418), and resulting in the separation of the unctuous from the wheyey part of the fluid (Chandler's 'Travels,' 1:, p. 2; Shaw's 'Travels,' 1:, p. 308).
The cream is what is meant in this passage, for butter is used in Palestine only in a semi-liquid state; and sour milk, called leban, is considered a refreshing and grateful beverage, frequently offered to travelers.
And milk of sheep, х wachªleeb (H2461) - new or fresh milk] (Genesis 18:8; Genesis 49:12).
With fat of lambs, х kaariym (H3733), well-fed lambs]. The name signifies leaping and frisking, as animals fed on a rich pasture. The fat itself was prohibited (Leviticus 3:17).
Rams of the breed of Bashan - literally, the sons of Bashan; Bashan, the rich pastoral country east of Jordan assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Numbers 32:1-42), and celebrated for its fat and robust cattle (Psalms 22:12; Ezekiel 39:18; Amos 4:1).
And goats, х wª`atuwdiym (H6260)] - perfect in form, and age, and stature.
With the fat of kidneys of wheat - i:e., the marrow or farina of the grain (Psalms 81:16; Psalms 147:14).
And thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape, х chaamer (H2561)] - and the blood of the grape thou didst drink red wine - i:e., fermented (cf. Isaiah 27:2). The variety of produce here specified betokened a country rich in natural capabilities and internal resources. Milk and butter alone are employed to describe a poor uncultivated pasture-land, occupied by nomads (Isaiah 7:22). But butter combined with honey, and the other associated elements of this picture, convey the idea of a land in a high state of beauty and productiveness.