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Encyclopedia entry

Butter

(Heb. hemah), curdled milk (Gen. 18:8; Judg. 5:25; 2 Sam. 17:29), or butter in the form of the skim of hot milk or cream, called by the Arabs kaimak, a semi-fluid (Job 20:17; 29:6; Deut. 32:14). The words of Prov. 30:33 have been rendered by some “the pressure [not churning] of milk bringeth forth cheese.”

Also from Smith's (1884) +

Curdled milk. (Genesis 18:8; 32:14; Judges 5:25; Job 20:17) Milk is generally offered to travellers in Palestine in a curdled or sour state, leben, thick, almost like butter. Hasselquist describes the method of making butter employed by the Arab women: “they made butter in a leather bag, hung on three poles erected for the purpose, in the form of a cone, and drawn to and fro by two women.”

In the Bible

10

Verses where Butter is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).

  • 2 Samuel 17:29

    honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”

  • Deuteronomy 32:14

    with curds from the herd and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs, with rams from Bashan, and goats, with the choicest grains of wheat. From the juice of the finest grapes you drank the wine.

  • Genesis 18:8

    Then Abraham brought curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and he set them before the men and stood by them under the tree as they ate.

  • Isaiah 7:15

    By the time He knows enough to reject evil and choose good, He will be eating curds and honey.

  • Isaiah 7:22

    and from the abundance of milk they give, he will eat curds; for all who remain in the land will eat curds and honey.

  • Job 20:17

    He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

+4 more verses naming Butter.

Butter references

6

See all 6 +

Voices on Butter

19

Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.

Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)

Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.