Encyclopedia entry
Fitches
(Isa. 28:25, 27), the rendering of the Hebrew ketsah, “without doubt the Nigella sativa, a small annual of the order Ranunculacece, which grows wild in the Mediterranean countries, and is cultivated in Egypt and Syria for its seed.” It is rendered in margin of the Revised Version “black cummin.” The seeds are used as a condiment.
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In Ezek. 4:9 this word is the rendering of the Hebrew kussemeth (incorrectly rendered “rye” in the Authorized Version of Ex. 9:32 and Isa. 28:25, but “spelt” in the Revised Version). The reading “fitches” here is an error; it should be “spelt.”
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(i.e. VETCHES), without doubt the Nigella sativa, an herbaceous annual plant belonging to the natural order Ranunculaceoe (the buttercup family), which grows in the south of Europe and in the north of Africa. Its black seeds are used like pepper, and have almost as pungent a taste. The Syrians sprinkle these seeds over their flat cakes before they are baked. [SEE Rye]
In the Bible
3
Verses where Fitches is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- Ezekiel 4:9
But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side.
- Isaiah 28:25
When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border.
- Isaiah 28:27
Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod.
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.