Bible Dictionary
Leek
The word translated “leeks” in Numbers 11:5 may refer broadly to green herbs or kitchen vegetables. Leeks were common and valued in Egypt and the lands around Palestine.
Definition
The word rendered “leeks” in Numbers 11:5 is a Hebrew term elsewhere translated “grass,” “herb,” or “hay.” In this passage it may denote herbs or savory kitchen vegetables, not necessarily the plant now called the leek.
Biblical Usage
The Israelites remembered these vegetables among the foods of Egypt in Numbers 11:5. The same Hebrew word occurs in several passages with the broader meanings “grass,” “herb,” and “hay.”
Historical Background
The leek was a favorite vegetable in Egypt and continued to be widely cultivated in Egypt and Palestine.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. hatsir; the Allium porrum), rendered “grass” in 1 Kings 18:5, 2 Kings 19:26, Job 40:15, etc.; “herb” in Job 8:12; “hay” in Prov. 27:25, and Isa. 15:6; “leeks” only in Num. 11:5. This Hebrew word seems to denote in this last passage simply herbs, such as lettuce or savoury herbs cooked as kitchen vegetables, and not necessarily what are now called leeks. The leek was a favourite vegetable in Egypt, and is still largely cultivated there and in Palestine.