Cheese, a dairy product derived from milk, is mentioned in the Bible as a food item that was known and consumed in ancient times. The process of making cheese involves curdling milk, separating the curds from the whey, and then aging the curds to develop flavor and texture. Cheese is referenced in several passages, indicating its role in the diet and culture of biblical peoples.

Biblical References:

1. 1 Samuel 17:18 · In the account of David and Goliath, Jesse, David's father, instructs him to take provisions to his brothers who are on the battlefield. Among these provisions are "ten cheeses" for the commander of their unit. The passage reads: "Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring back some assurance from them." This reference highlights cheese as a valuable and portable food item, suitable for gifting and sustenance during military campaigns.

2. 2 Samuel 17:29 · During Absalom's rebellion, as David and his followers flee, they are provided with various supplies by supporters. Cheese is listed among these provisions: "honey and 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.'" This passage underscores cheese as a nourishing food, capable of sustaining people in times of hardship.

3. Job 10:10 · In a metaphorical context, Job laments his suffering and uses the imagery of cheese-making to describe his creation: "Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?" Here, the process of curdling milk into cheese is used to illustrate the formation and development of human life, reflecting the familiarity of this process to the ancient audience.

Cultural and Historical Context:

Cheese-making is an ancient practice, with evidence of its existence dating back thousands of years. In the biblical context, cheese would have been made from the milk of domesticated animals such as goats, sheep, and cows. The simplicity of the process made it accessible to many, and its ability to be stored and transported made it a practical food source.

Cheese was likely consumed fresh or aged, depending on the resources and preferences of the people. It served as a source of protein and fat, essential components of the diet in a region where agriculture and animal husbandry were central to daily life.

Symbolism and Significance:

In the Bible, cheese is not only a physical sustenance but also carries symbolic weight. It represents provision, hospitality, and the care of God and community for individuals. The sharing of cheese in the narratives of David and his men illustrates the bonds of loyalty and support among God's people.

The metaphorical use of cheese in Job's lamentation also points to the intricate and intentional design of human life by the Creator. The transformation of milk into cheese serves as a powerful image of God's creative work in forming and sustaining life.

Overall, cheese in the Bible is a testament to the agricultural practices of the time and serves as a reminder of God's provision and the interconnectedness of His people.Cheese

is mentioned only three times in the Bible, and on each occasion under a different name in the Hebrew. (1 Samuel 17:18; 2 Samuel 17:29; Job 10:10) It is difficult to decide how far these terms correspond with our notion of cheese, for they simply express various degrees of coagulation. Cheese is not at the present day common among the Bedouin Arabs, butter being decidedly preferred; but there is a substance closely corresponding to those mentioned in 1Sam 17, 2Sam 17, consisting of coagulated buttermilk, which is dried until it become quite hard, and is then ground; the Arabs eat it mixed with butter.

Cheese

Several times alluded to in Scripture, and still an important article of food in the East, 1 Samuel 17:18; 2 Samuel 17:29. It is usually white and very salt; soft, when hew, but soon becoming hard and dry. The cheese was like a small saucer in size, Job 10:10.

(A.S. cese). This word occurs three times in the Authorized Version as the translation of three different Hebrew words:

(1.) 1 Samuel 17:18, "ten cheeses;" i.e., ten sections of curd.

(2.) 2 Samuel 17:29, "cheese of kine" = perhaps curdled milk of kine. The Vulgate version reads "fat calves."

(3.) Job 10:10, curdled milk is meant by the word.

1. (n.) The curd of milk, coagulated usually with rennet, separated from the whey, and pressed into a solid mass in a hoop or mold.

2. (n.) A mass of pomace, or ground apples, pressed together in the form of a cheese.

3. (n.) The flat, circular, mucilaginous fruit of the dwarf mallow (Malva rotundifolia).

4. (n.) A low courtesy; -- so called on account of the cheese form assumed by a woman's dress when she stoops after extending the skirts by a rapid gyration.

CHEESE

chez.

See FOOD; MILK.

1385. gebinah -- curd, cheese
... 1384, 1385. gebinah. 1386 . curd, cheese. Transliteration: gebinah Phonetic
Spelling: (gheb-ee-naw') Short Definition: cheese. Word ...
/hebrew/1385.htm - 6k

8194. shaphah -- perhaps cream
... 8193, 8194. shaphah. 8195 . perhaps cream. Transliteration: shaphah Phonetic
Spelling: (shaw-faw') Short Definition: cheese. ... cheese. ...
/hebrew/8194.htm - 6k

2461. chalab -- milk
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition milk NASB Word Usage cheese
(1), milk (41), suckling (1). cheese, milk, sucking. From ...
/hebrew/2461.htm - 6k

2757. charits -- a cut, thing cut, sharp instrument
... Word Origin from charats Definition a cut, thing cut, sharp instrument NASB Word
Usage cuts (1), sharp instruments (1), sharp...instruments (1). cheese, harrow. ...
/hebrew/2757.htm - 6k

2529. chemah -- curd
... butter. Or (shortened) chemah {khay-maw'}; from the same root as chowmah; curdled
milk or cheese -- butter. see HEBREW chowmah. 2528, 2529. chemah. 2530 . ...
/hebrew/2529.htm - 6k

Idiomela on Friday of Cheese-Sunday, that Is, of Quinquagesima.
... IDIOMELA ON FRIDAY OF CHEESE-SUNDAY, THAT IS, OF QUINQUAGESIMA. ... Quinquagesima is
termed Tyrophagus, because up to that time, but not beyond, cheese is allowed. ...
/.../neale/hymns of the eastern church/idiomela on friday of cheese-sunday.htm

Stichera at the First Vespers of Cheese-Sunday. (Quinquagesima. )
... STICHERA AT THE FIRST VESPERS OF CHEESE-SUNDAY. (Quinquagesima.). ADAM'S
COMPLAINT. The reader can hardly fail to be struck with ...
/.../neale/hymns of the eastern church/stichera at the first vespers.htm

We have Likewise Learned that in the Regions of Armenia and in ...
... We have likewise learned that in the regions of Armenia and in other places certain
people eat eggs and cheese on the Sabbaths and Lord's days of the holy lent ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon lvi we have likewise.htm

Hymns of the Eastern Church
... S. Tarasius. S. Theophanes. IDIOMELA ON FRIDAY OF CHEESE-SUNDAY, THAT IS, OF
QUINQUAGESIMA. STICHERA AT THE FIRST VESPERS OF CHEESE-SUNDAY. (Quinquagesima.). ...
//christianbookshelf.org/neale/hymns of the eastern church/

What we Should Believe Concerning the Transformations which Seem ...
... with these wicked arts, were said to be in the habit of giving to such travellers
as they chose, or could manage, something in a piece of cheese by which they ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 18 what we should believe.htm

He Retires to the Villa of his Friend Verecundus, who was not yet ...
... renders it teturomenos, condensed, as if from gvynh, cheese. This divergence
arises from the unused root gvn, to be curved, having ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter iii he retires to the.htm

Of Removing Tithes.
... Cheese is a small tithe and pays tithe by custom, where tithe is not paid for the
milk; but, if the milk pays a tithe, the cheese is discharged.1 Roll. ...
/.../prideaux/directions to church-wardens/8 of removing tithes.htm

Old Revival Hymns.
... Baptist denomination, but was well known everywhere in New England, and, in fact,
his preaching trip to Washington (1801) with the "Cheshire Cheese" made his ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter vii old revival hymns.htm

Christian Morals. Part ii.
... quick and healthful appetite, makes delights smartly acceptable; whereby Epicurus
himself found Jupiter's brain [96] in a piece of Cytheridian cheese, and the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/browne/christian morals/christian morals part ii.htm

Shepherd Life in the Orient.
... people. From sheep the people are furnished with nearly all the necessaries
of life"with meat, clothing, milk, butter, and cheese. ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/ii shepherd life in the.htm

Cheese (3 Occurrences)
... (2.) 2 Samuel 17:29, "cheese of kine" = perhaps curdled milk of kine. ... 2. (n.) A mass
of pomace, or ground apples, pressed together in the form of a cheese. ...
/c/cheese.htm - 8k

Butter (10 Occurrences)
... The words of Proverbs 30:33 have been rendered by some "the pressure [not churning]
of milk bringeth forth cheese.". Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/b/butter.htm - 10k

Curd (8 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) The coagulated or thickened part of milk, as distinguished from the whey,
or watery part. It is eaten as food, especially when made into cheese. ...
/c/curd.htm - 9k

Curdle (1 Occurrence)
... curdled me like cheese?" ie made him take solid form. ... Curdle (1 Occurrence). Job
10:10 Haven't you poured me out like milk, and curdled me like cheese? ...
/c/curdle.htm - 7k

Food (2953 Occurrences)
... at Mahanaim was "wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans, and
lentils, and parched pulse, and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the ...
/f/food.htm - 36k

Buying (12 Occurrences)
... settled and live in villages the "shop" is established-usually at first the simple
"stall" of the grocer (bakkal) where one can buy bread; cheese, salt and ...
/b/buying.htm - 23k

Milk (66 Occurrences)
...Cheese of various kinds was made from it (gebhinah and charitse he-chalabh, literally,
"cuts of milk"); or the curds (chem'ah) were eaten with bread, and ...
/m/milk.htm - 34k

Welfare (32 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 17:18 and these ten cuttings of the cheese thou dost take in to the head
of the thousand, and thy brethren thou dost inspect for welfare, and their ...
/w/welfare.htm - 16k

Inspect (22 Occurrences)
... 1 Samuel 17:18 and these ten cuttings of the cheese thou dost take in to the head
of the thousand, and thy brethren thou dost inspect for welfare, and their ...
/i/inspect.htm - 13k

Tired (51 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 17:29 and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David,
and for the people who were with him, to eat: for they said, "The people ...
/t/tired.htm - 21k

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