Onion

בצל , Num 11:5; a well known garden plant with a bulbous root. Onions and garlics were highly esteemed in Egypt; and not without reason, this country being admirably adapted to their culture. The allium cepa, called by the Arabs basal, Hasselquist thinks one of the species of onions for which the Israelites longed. He would infer this from the quantities still used in Egypt, and their goodness. “Whoever has tasted onions in Egypt,” says he, “must allow that none can be had better in any part of the universe. Here they are sweet; in other countries they are nauseous and strong. Here they are soft; whereas in the northern and other parts they are hard, and their coats so compact that they are difficult of digestion. Hence they cannot in any place be eaten with less prejudice, and more satisfaction, than in Egypt.” The Egyptians are reproached with swearing by the leeks and onions of their gardens. Juvenal ridicules some of these superstitious people who did not dare to eat leeks, garlic, or onions, for fear of injuring their gods:

Quis nescit, Volusi Bythynice, qualia demens

AEgyptus portenta coit?

Porrum et cepe nefas violare aut frangere morsu; O sanctas gentes quibus haec nascuntur in hortis Numina! — Sat. 15.

“How Egypt, mad with superstition grown, Makes gods of monsters, but too well is known.

‘Tis mortal sin an onion to devour; Each clove of garlic has a sacred power. Religious nation, sure! and blest abodes, Where ev’ry garden is o’errun with gods!”

So Lucian in his Jupiter, where he is giving an account of the different deities worshipped by the several inhabitants of Egypt, says, Πηλουσιωταις δε κρομμυον, “those of Pelusium worship the onion.” Hence arises a question, how the Israelites durst venture to violate the national worship, by eating those sacred plants. We may answer, in the first place, that whatever might be the case of the Egyptians in later ages, it is not probable that they were arrived at such a pitch of superstition in the time of Moses; for we find no indications of this in Herodotus, the most ancient of the Greek historians: secondly, the writers here quoted appear to be mistaken in imagining these plants to have been generally the objects of religious worship. The priests, indeed, abstained from the use of them, and several other vegetables; and this might give rise to the opinion of their being reverenced as divinities: but the use of them was not prohibited to the people, as is plain from the testimonies of ancient authors, particularly of Diodorus Siculus.

Onions are mentioned in Num 11:5, among the articles of food for which the Israelites murmured. The onion was early employed as an article of diet in Egypt. It is distinguished from other species of Allium by its fistular leaves and swelling stalks, and is well known to be cultivated in all parts of Europe and in most parts of Asia. Its native country is not known; but it is probable that some part of the Persian region may have first produced it in a wild state, as many species of Allium are found in the mountainous chain which extends from the Caspian to Cashmere, and likewise in the Himalayan Mountains. It is common in Persia, where it is called piaz, and has been long introduced into India, where it receives the same name. The onions of warm dry countries grow to a considerable size, and, instead of being acrid and pungent in taste, are comparatively bland, and mild and nutritious articles of diet. This is particularly conspicuous in the Portugal onions, which are largely imported into this country. Other celebrated varieties are those of Spain and Tripoli; but Egypt itself is famed for the production of fine onions, as stated by Hasselquist: ’Whoever has tasted onions in Egypt, must allow that none can be had better in any part of the universe. Here they are sweet; in other countries they are nauseous and strong. Here they are soft; whereas in the northern and other parts they are hard, and their coats are so compact, that they are difficult of digestion. Hence they cannot in any place be eaten with less prejudice and more satisfaction than in Egypt.’

One of the vegetables of Egypt for which the Hebrews murmured in the desert, Num 11:5 . Hasselquist says that the onions of Egypt are remarkably sweet, mild, and nutritious. Juvenal, Pliny, and Lucian satirize the superstitious regard of the Egyptians for this bulb.\par

Onion. This product is mentioned only in Num 11:5, as one of the good things of Egypt, of which the Israel regretted the loss. Onions have been, from time immemorial, a favorite article of food among the Egyptians,. The onions of Egypt are much milder in flavor, and less pungent than those of this country.

Num 11:5 (c) This vegetable is a type of that which the world offers to the Christian in the place of manna from Heaven. It may consist of pleasures, business, sports, education, music, religion or evil practices. The world seeks to feed on these things rather than on the Lord JESUS CHRIST, His Word, and His Work. He is the Bread of Life. Those who eat onions carry the effect with them, the odor is unmistakable. So those who participate in the things of the world and have no use for the heavenly manna can easily be distinguished by the effect in their lives.

Onion. A plant with a large, edible bulb. The onion is mentioned only once in the Bible, as one of the foods the Hebrews longed for in the wilderness ( Num 11:5). The onion was known in Egypt from ancient times. Drawings of the onion have been found on Egyptian tombs.

The onions mentioned in Numbers 11:5 are certainly Allium cepa, the Egyptian onion. This onion has a compact bulb covered with a coat and formed of layers. These layers consist of broad, fleshy bases of leaves that closely overlap each other. The leaves are slender and hollow. The entire plant has a strong, distinctive taste and smell.

Closely related to the onion is garlic and leek.

See Food and Food Preparation; Garlic; Leek.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Plants and Trees in the Bible © United Bible Societies. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.