Meaning
Wheat one of the earliest cultivated grains. It bore the Hebrew name hittah , and was extensively cultivated in Palestine. There are various species of wheat. That which Pharaoh saw in his dream was the Triticum compositum, which bears several ears upon one stalk (Gen 41:5). The "fat of the kidneys of wheat" (Deut 32:14), and the "finest of the wheat" (Ps 81:16; 147:14), denote the best of the kind. It was exported from Palestine in great quantities (1Kings 5:11; Ezek 27:17; Acts 12:20).
Parched grains of wheat were used for food in Palestine (Ruth 2:14; 1Sam 17:17; 2Sam 17:28). The disciples, under the sanction of the Mosaic law (Deut 23:25), plucked ears of corn, and rubbing them in their hands, ate the grain unroasted (Matt 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1). Before any of the wheat-harvest, however, could be eaten, the first-fruits had to be presented before the Lord (Lev 23:14).
