Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

BEE

Heb. dĕḇôrâ probably refers to the banded bee (Apis fasciatta). Bees are known for their propensity to get angry and sting when stirred up. The bee is a symbol of pursuit of Israel by the Amorites (Deut. 1:44), of the psalmist by his enemies (Ps. 118:12), and of God’s people by God (Isa. 7:18). Bees are more commonly associated with the prized commodity they provide — honey, yet only in Judg. 14:8 are bees and honey mentioned together. Beekeeping is attested from earliest times in Egypt and Palestine, but apparently was not practiced in Mesopotamia until ca. the 8th century b.c.e.

Strangely enough, bee honey is permitted as food according to Jewish tradition, although the bee is not. The modern domestication of bees dates to 1880, in Israel largely the species Apis ligustica.

See Honey.

Randall W. Younker/Jesper Svartvik