HONEY, HONEYCOMB

HON'EY, HON'EYCOMB, Ps 19:10. Palestine still is, almost without metaphor, "a land flowing with milk and honey," Ex 3:8, Lev 3:17. It is remarkable for the variety of its flowers, reminding us of the promise: "With honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee," Ps 81:16. With such provision was John the Baptist fed. Besides these wild swarms, bee-keeping is carried so far in this country that almost every house possesses its hives. The syrup obtained from dates is supposed to be sometimes intended by the word "honey," 2 Chr 31:5. Dibs, or the syrup made from Grapes, which see, is also included under the term "honey." The figurative allusions of the sacred writers to honey and the honeycomb are striking and beautiful. Ps 19:10; Prov 5:3; 1 Chr 27:7. Milk and honey were the chief dainties of the earlier ages, as they are now of the Bedouins, and butter and honey are also mentioned among articles of food. 2 Sam 17:29; Isa 7:15. In South Africa bees deposit their honey on the surface of the cliffs of rocks, and for its protection cover it with a dark-colored wax. This, by the action of the weather, becomes hard and of the complexion of the rock. The traveller makes an incision in this wax covering, and by applying his mouth to the aperture sucks out as much honey as he wants, Deut 32:13. They also cover trees in the same manner. See Bee, Grapes.