Due to the time of year and the life cycle of the plants, this species can no longer be seen in the Botanical Garden anymore.

botanical background

 

order: Fabales

family: Fabaceae

genus: Vicia

species: lentil (Vicia lens)

blooming period: April to September

attributes: herbaceous, preferably on loamy ground, up to 50 centimeters in height, broad-leves made up of up to eight pairs of leaflets

origin: eastern Mediterranean region up to Himalaya

habitat: Europe, Asia, northern and eastern Africa, Columbia, Papua-New Guinea

 

in the Bible

 

And Jacob boiled soup. And Esau came from the field, and he was faint. And Esau said to Jacob, I beg you, Let me eat of the red, this red soup, for I am faint. Therefore his name was called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me your birthright today. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point of dying, and what profit shall this birthright be to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day. And he swore to him, and he sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and soup of lentils. And he ate and drank, and rose up and went his way. And Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 25,29-34

 

The lentil is mentioned several times in the Old Testament under the name עֲדָשִׁים (ʻǎdāšîm). Lentils are very nutricious. They would be cultivaed on the field (2Sam 23,11), roasted or baken and then used for example in soups.

In the first book of Moses Esau sells his primogeniture to Jacob. The primogeniture grants the firstborn son a special share in the heritage after the death of the father. The oldest brother could for instance receive double the share of the rest (Deuteronomy 21,15-17). 

 

mentions: several

other text passages (selected): 

Genesis 25,29-34

2. Samuel 17,28

 

Sources

Michel, Andreas: Erstlinge / Erstgeburt, in: Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (März 2015), URL: https://www.bibelwissenschaft.de/wibilex/das-bibellexikon/lexikon/sachwort/anzeigen/details/erstlinge-erstgeburt/ch/f7ce48110ff46a728c4910bf0f3a8f83/ (abgerufen am 01.05.2023).

Riede, Peter: Linse, in: Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (Juli 2018), URL: https://www.bibelwissenschaft.de/wibilex/das-bibellexikon/lexikon/sachwort/anzeigen/details/linse/ch/60572ae12453f4c83640b6fce2dc26a5/ (abgerufen am 01.05.2023).

Modern King James Version.