In biblical times, the term "husks" refers to the outer covering of certain fruits or seeds, often considered as the inedible part of the plant. The most notable mention of husks in the Bible is found in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke.

Biblical Reference:

· Luke 15:16 : "He longed to fill his belly with the husks the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing."

In this parable, Jesus describes a young man who, after squandering his inheritance on reckless living, finds himself in dire poverty. He takes a job feeding pigs, a task that would have been particularly degrading for a Jewish man due to the cultural and religious view of pigs as unclean animals. The young man's desperation is highlighted by his longing to eat the "husks" that the pigs were consuming. This term is often understood to refer to the pods of the carob tree, which were used as animal fodder in the ancient Near East.

Cultural and Historical Context:

The carob tree, also known as the locust tree, produces long, leathery pods that contain a sweet pulp. While the pods were sometimes eaten by the poor, they were primarily used as feed for livestock. The reference to husks in the parable underscores the depth of the prodigal son's destitution and hunger, as he desires even the food given to animals, yet is denied it.

In the broader cultural context, the use of husks in this parable serves to illustrate the consequences of sin and the emptiness of a life lived apart from God. The prodigal son's longing for husks symbolizes the spiritual famine that results from turning away from the Father's provision and love.

Theological Significance:

The mention of husks in the parable carries significant theological implications. It highlights the theme of repentance and redemption, central to the teachings of Jesus. The prodigal son's realization of his dire situation and his subsequent return to his father represent the sinner's recognition of their spiritual poverty and the need for reconciliation with God.

The father's response to the son's return, characterized by compassion and forgiveness, reflects the boundless grace and mercy of God towards those who repent. The parable, with its vivid imagery of husks and hunger, serves as a powerful reminder of the spiritual nourishment and fulfillment found in a restored relationship with the Heavenly Father.

Symbolism:

In a symbolic sense, husks can represent the empty and unsatisfying nature of worldly pursuits and pleasures. Just as the prodigal son found no sustenance in the husks, individuals who seek fulfillment apart from God ultimately find themselves spiritually malnourished. The parable encourages believers to seek the true bread of life, Jesus Christ, who alone can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart.

Overall, the reference to husks in the Bible, though brief, carries profound lessons about the consequences of sin, the nature of repentance, and the transformative power of God's grace.Husks

This word in (Luke 16:16) describes really the fruit of a particular kind of tree, viz. the carob or Ceratonia siliqua of botanists. It belongs to the locust family. This tree is very commonly met with in Syria and Egypt, it produces pods, shaped like a horn, varying in length from six to ten inches, and about a finger's breadth, or rather more; it is dark-brown, glossy, filled with seeds and has a sweetish taste. It is used much for food by the poor, and for the feeding of swine.

Husks

The prodigal son desired to feed on the husks, or pods, given to the hogs, Luke 15:16. The Greek word here used means the carob- beans, the fruit of a tree of the same name. This fruit is common in all the countries bordering on the Mediterranean: it is suffered to ripen and grow dry on the tree; the poor eat it, and cattle are fattened with it. The tree, the Ceratonia Siliqua, is an evergreen of a middle size, full of branches, and abounding with round dark green leaves, an inch or two in diameter. The blossoms are little red clusters, with yellowish stalks. The fruits are flat brownish pods, from six to eight inches long, and an inch or more broad: they resemble the pods of our locust-tree; and are composed of two husks, separated by membranes into several cells, and containing flat, shining seeds, and when ripe a sweetish, honey like kind of juice. In all probability, their crooked figure occasioned their being called, in Greek, keratia, which signifies little horns. The tree is called by the Germans, Johannisbrodaum, that is, "John's-bread-tree," because John the Baptist was supposed to have lived on it fruit.

HUSKS

husks (keratia, i.e. "little horns," Luke 15:16): These are the pods of the carob tree (Revised Version, margin), also called the locust tree (Ceratonia siliqua). This tree flourishes all over Palestine, especially on the western mountain slopes toward the sea; by the Arabs it is called kharrub. It is dioecious, has dense, dark, evergreen foliage, glossy leaves and long, curved pods, like small horns (hence, the name). These pods which are from 4 to 9 inches in length, have a leathery case containing a pulpy substance in which the beans are imbedded; this pulp is of a pleasant, sweetish flavor and has a characteristic odor, and is much loved by children. The pods are sold in the markets, both as cattle food and for the poor, who extract by boiling them a sweetish substance like molasses. The tradition that the "locusts" of Matthew 3:4 Mark 1:6 were carob pods is preserved in the name given to them, "St. John's bread," but it has little to be said for it.

E. W. G. Masterman

5597. psocho -- to rub
... rub. Prolongation from the same base as psallo; to triturate, ie (by analogy) to
rub out (kernels from husks with the fingers or hand) -- rub. see GREEK psallo. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5597.htm - 6k

Therefore I Fell among Men Proudly Doting, Exceeding Carnal and ...
... Such empty husks was I then fed on; and was not fed. ... Far verily was I straying from
Thee, barred from the very husks of the swine, whom with husks I fed. ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter vi therefore i fell.htm

Deceived by his Own Fault, He Falls into the Errors of the ...
... and infinite bodies which have no existence. With such empty husks was
I then fed, and was not fed. But Thou, my Love, in looking ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter vi deceived by his own.htm

Second Great Group of Parables.
... They spoke of a pig as dabhar acheer; ie, "the other thing."] 16 And he would fain
have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xcii second great group of 4.htm

Psalm VIII.
... Of these coverings or supporters then; that is, of chaff, on the threshing-floor,
the corn; and of husks, in the presses, the wine is stripped: as in the ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm viii.htm

The Prodigal and his Father
... feed swine.16. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that
the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.17. And when ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the prodigal and his father.htm

Do You Know Yourself?
... thine be done.". God is what you want. Everything else is husks. You can
eat husks all you please and not get satisfied. You may get ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk fifty-six do you know.htm

The Prodigal and his Brother.
... happiness. The outcast son tried to satiate his appetite with husks. ... The things
which the wanderer tried to live on were not husks only. They ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/xx the prodigal and his.htm

Book Three the Story of his Student Days in Carthage, his ...
... infinite bodies which have no existence. With such empty husks was I then
fed, and yet was not fed. But thou, my Love, for whom ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book three the story of.htm

Repentance,
... He is like the prodigal, when he sat in the swine-yard amongst the husks
and the filth, he fully resolved, and at last he acts. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/booth/godliness/chapter i repentance.htm

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn ...
... through cornfields, when His disciples, being hungry, [3553] as they went, [3554]
plucked ears of corn and ate them, having rubbed off the husks in their hands ...
/.../chapter xxxv the two sabbath-controversies.htm

Husks (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia HUSKS. ...Husks (1 Occurrence). Luke 15:16 He wanted
to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. ...
/h/husks.htm - 7k

Fain (6 Occurrences)
... would flee"; (2) in Luke 15:16, as the translation of epithumeo, "to fix the mind
or desire on," "He would fain have filled his belly with the husks which the ...
/f/fain.htm - 9k

Chaff (24 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) The glumes or husks of grains and grasses
separated from the seed by threshing and winnowing, etc. ...
/c/chaff.htm - 18k

Husk (2 Occurrences)
... siliqua. From the supposition, mistaken, however, that it was on the husks
of this tree that John the Baptist fed, it is called "St. ...
/h/husk.htm - 8k

Food (2953 Occurrences)
... The most primitive way of using the wheat as food was to pluck the (Leviticus
23:14 2 Kings 4:42), remove the husks by rubbing in the hands (Deuteronomy 23:25 ...
/f/food.htm - 36k

Kernel (4 Occurrences)
... as olives from which oil has been pressed, later, in same, of raisin pulp): Mentioned
in Numbers 6:4 along with zagh, translated "husks." This translates ...
/k/kernel.htm - 8k

Onycha (1 Occurrence)
... on'i-ka (shecheleth; compare Arabic suchalat, "filings," "husks"): "Onycha" is a
transliteration of the Septuagint onucha, accusative of onux, which means "nail ...
/o/onycha.htm - 8k

Games (2 Occurrences)
... If the balls used in Palestine were like those used by the Egyptians, they were
sometimes made of leather or skin stuffed with bran or husks of corn, or of ...
/g/games.htm - 40k

Grass (92 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) An endogenous plant having simple leaves, a stem generally jointed and
tubular, the husks or glumes in pairs, and the seed single. ...
/g/grass.htm - 43k

Wanted (73 Occurrences)
... refused! (WEB NAS). Luke 15:16 He wanted to fill his belly with the husks
that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. (WEB). Luke ...
/w/wanted.htm - 26k

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