Corn in the bible

[wisemenpray]

So I was praying the psalms tonight and on two different occasions, I saw the word corn. Now if corn was discovered 10,000 years ago by the indigenous people of the New World. Why is it mentioned in the bible?

 

[FireDragon76]

So I was praying the psalms tonight and on two different occasions, I saw the word corn. Now if corn was discovered 10,000 years ago by the indigenous people of the New World. Why is it mentioned in the bible?

An archaic translation choice?

Maize is actually the proper term for what many Americans call "corn". The word "corn" itself is Germanic and just refers to grain in general.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Corn usually means wheat to non-Americans, but strictly speaking it can be any seed grain. What you call 'Corn' would be Maize or Mealies depending where you are from.

Historically, Corn was used for whatever type of grain was the leading one of the district, hence the American usage for Maize became established. The Biblical usage probably reflects either wheat or barley.

 

[timewerx]

Corn also represents the "invisible glue" that holds our reality together - subatomic nuclei as they kinda look like one.

 

[wisemenpray]

The Biblical usage probably reflects either wheat or barley.

Thank you for your explanation. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 : "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat." Am I to interpret "ears of corn" as ears of wheat, barley & grain?

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Thank you for your explanation. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 : "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat." Am I to interpret "ears of corn" as ears of wheat, barley & grain?

Most likely Barley, as that was the primary food crop of the poor as far as I am aware; but it may also have been wheat, as Jesus' point is that He is Lord of the Sabbath and references the consecrated Shewbread, which was made of wheat. Ears of corn references the ears of whatever grain crop was planted in that field, for which Barley and Wheat have the strongest claim. Secondarily perhaps millet or rye, though much less likely, but they were known though not as often planted.

 

[Rubiks]

In American English, corn means maize. The British preserve the original usage referring to grain in general.

 

[Knee V]

The word "corn" is etymologically related to the word "grain", as well as the words "kernel" and "grind". All of those words are essentially different pronunciations of the same ancient word, and all mean similar things.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, "corn" still just meant "grain". Maize is a common grain in North America, so we Americans began referring to maize as "corn", but that was after the KJV was translated.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

wisemenpray said: ↑
Thank you for your explanation. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 : "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat." Am I to interpret "ears of corn" as ears of wheat, barley & grain?

Most likely Barley, as that was the primary food crop of the poor as far as I am aware; but it may also have been wheat, as Jesus' point is that He is Lord of the Sabbath and references the consecrated Shewbread, which was made of wheat. Ears of corn references the ears of whatever grain crop was planted in that field, for which Barley and Wheat have the strongest claim. Secondarily perhaps millet or rye, though much less likely, but they were known though not as often planted.

Wheat/grain and barley are used in Reve 6 concerning Famine, as is the denari, which was early centuries Roman currency.
Interesting

Joel 1:11
Be ashamed, you farmers, Wail, you vinedressers,
For the wheat and the barley; Because the harvest of the field has perished.

Revelation 6:6 And I hear a voice in midst of the four living-ones saying: "measure/choenix of grain/wheat a denari and three measures/choenix of barley a denari,
and the oil and the wine no you should be injuring".

Revelation 6:6 Commentaries:

Pulpit Commentary
A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; a choenix of wheat for a denarius, and three choenixes of barley for a denarius. The choenix appears to have been the food allotted to one man for a day; while the denarius was the pay of a soldier or of a common labourer for one day (Matthew 20:2, "He agreed with the labourers for a penny a day," and Tacitus, 'Ann.,' 1:17, 26, "Ut denarius diurnum stipendium foret." Cf. Tobit 5:14, where drachma is equivalent to denarius). The choenix was the eighth part of the modius, and a denarius would usually purchase a modius of wheat.
The price given, therefore, denotes great scarcity, though not an entire absence of food, since a man's wages would barely suffice to obtain him food.
Barley, which was the coarser food, was obtainable at one third of the price, which would allow a man to feed a family, though with difficulty.
A season of great scarcity is therefore predicted, though in his wrath God remembers mercy (cf. the judgments threatened in Leviticus 26:23-26, viz. the sword, pestilence, and famine; also the expression, "They shall deliver you your bread again by weight").
====================================
One example of that is during the siege of 1st century Jerusalem in 70ad which Jewish historian Josephus recorded.

The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD

The dead bodies of priests and worshipers, both natives and foreigners were heaped together, and a lake of blood stagnated in the sacred courts. John of Gischala, who headed one of the factions, burnt storehouses full of provisions; and Simon, his great antagonist, who headed another of them, soon afterwards followed his example.
Thus they cut the very sinews of their own strength. At this critical and alarming c onjuncture, intelligence arrived that the Roman army was approaching the city. The Jews were petrified with astonishment and fear ;

.........Meanwhile the horrors of famine grew still more melancholy and afflictive.
The Jews, for want of food were at length compelled to eat their belts, their sandals, the skins of their shields, dried grass, and even the ordure of oxen. In the depth or this horrible extremity, a Jewess of noble family urged by the intolerable cravings of hunger, slew her infant child, and prepared it for a meal ;........

While famine continued thus to spread its destructive rage through the city, the Romans, after many ineffectual attempts, at length succeeded in demolishing part of the inner wall, possessed themselves of the great tower of Antonia, and advanced towards the Temple, which Titus, in a council of war had determined to preserve as an ornament to the empire,
====================
As a result of torment of famine, men would seek death to escape it as shown in another verse of Revelation

Revelation 9:6
And in those days the men shall be seeking the death, and not no shall be finding it;
and shall be desiring/yearning<1937> to be dying, and the death is fleeing from them.
===================
The Destruction of Jerusalem - George Peter Holford, 1805AD
History records few events more generally interesting than the destruction of Jerusalem, and the subversion of the Jewish state, by the arms of the Romans. -- Their intimate connexion with the dissolution of the Levitical economy, and the establishment of Christianity in the world ; the striking verification which they afford of so many of the prophecies, both of the Old and New Testament, and the powerful arguments of the divine authority of the Scriptures which are thence derived...................
=================
A good utube vid of that event. Best viewed full screen

 

[JackRT]

Thank you for your explanation. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 : "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat." Am I to interpret "ears of corn" as ears of wheat, barley & grain?

Yes.

 

[Athanasius377]

This is one of the reasons why I’m not a fan of archaic translations unless there are helps in the margins explaining the use of said archaic term. Another one is “meat”. Which in 17th century usage means food of any kind. Or victuals which means food or provisions depending on context. There are a dozen or more words like that in the KJV which cause needless confusion for folks who aren’t familiar with Jacobean English.

 

[GodLovesCats]

Corn also represents the "invisible glue" that holds our reality together - subatomic nuclei as they kinda look like one.

Huh?

 

[timewerx]

Huh?

It is the underlying theme in literature that discusses about the "sanity" of reality.

A corn cob also looks like a matrix - reference to the film "The Matrix"

The lead character in the film "Inception" is named "Cob".

Just a few of a many coincidences that underlies the same theme, not intentionally done.... Hints left by someone, probably God, if you're not too busy with the things of this world.

 

[GodLovesCats]

I don't know a single thing about that movie. Not a movie watcher at all.

 

[JIMINZ]

Thank you for your explanation. In Matthew chapter 12 verse 1 : "At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat." Am I to interpret "ears of corn" as ears of wheat, barley & grain?

KJV. Mat. 12:1
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the (CORN; G-4702)

Same Verse, from the Greek Interlinear

dia dia G1223 Prep ........................................THRU through
twn tOn G3588 t_ Gen Pl m ............................THE
sporimwn sporimOn G4702 a_ Gen Pl m ...........SOWings

SOWINGS:
GREEK
G4702
σπόριμος
sporimos
spor'-ee-mos
From G4703; sown, that is, (neuter plural) a planted field: - corn (-field).

G4703
σπόρος
sporos
spor'-os
From G4687; a scattering (of seed), that is, (concretely) seed (as sown): - seed (X sown).

G4687
σπείρω
speirō
spi'-ro
To scatter, that is, sow (literally or figuratively): - sow (-er), receive seed.


KJV. Mat. 12:1
and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of (CORN; G-4719) and to eat.

Same Verse, from the Greek Interlinear

tillein tillein G5089 vn Pres Act ............TO-BE-PLUCKING
stacuas stachuas G4719 n_ Acc Pl m ....EARS-(of-plants) ears-of-grain
kai kai G2532 Conj ............................AND
esqiein esthiein G2068 vn Pres Act ......TO-BE-EATING


CORN:
GREEK
G4719
στάχυς
stachus
stakh'-oos
A head of grain (as standing out from the stalk): - ear (of corn).

It is very important to remember, these words have been Translated into English from Greek, therefore we need to understand the Greek Definition rather than the English one, we cannot just go to an English Dictionary and expect to understand what is being said in the New Testament, if that is done the meaning becomes skewed.

Same holds true when reading the Hebrew Old Testament.

Whenever in doubt of what a word means, take the time to search it out, don't automatically assume you know the correct meaning (Definition).

 

[JackRT]

Maize is a plant that was first domesticated in Mexico. By the time of first European contact its cultivation had spread as far north as Canada and as far south as Chile. It was the only domesticated grain crop known in the Americas. Maize was totally unknown in the Old World. The grain crops in the Old World (wheat, barley, oats, etc.) were known collectively in English as "corn". This word came to be used by the early English colonists rather than the native word maize. The confusion enters when the modern English speaker makes the assumption that the Biblical word for "grains" translated as corn include the plant whose proper name is maize. Maize was totally unknown to the authors of the Bible.

 

[wisemenpray]

Maize was totally unknown in the Old World.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. It seems it was known in the Old World. Well at least in France & Italy during the crusades. After scouring the internet, I came up with a tiny piece of interesting information. Joseph François Michaud, who was a French Historian, mentioned the word "maize" in his book called 'The History of the Crusades'. Here is an excerpt of it.

 

[JackRT]

I wouldn't be too sure about that. It seems it was known in the Old World. Well at least in France & Italy during the crusades. After scouring the internet, I came up with a tiny piece of interesting information. Joseph François Michaud, who was a French Historian, mentioned the word "maize" in his book called 'The History of the Crusades'. Here is an excerpt of it.

View attachment 262080

I find that strange since "maize" is an Indian word. Michaud (late 18th century) would have known of it through the French colony of Quebec. Perhaps there is some confusion here. I am unaware of any physical evidence for it in the Old World.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I find that strange since "maize" is an Indian word. Michaud (late 18th century) would have known of it through the French colony of Quebec. Perhaps there is some confusion here. I am unaware of any physical evidence for it in the Old World.

I'd be curious to see the original French text. As well as whether or not the term "maize" (or some variation thereof) had been adopted in French to describe something other than maize itself.

Since it would be completely and utterly impossible for maize to have been brought to Italy prior to the Columbian exchange beginning in the 15th and 16th centuries.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

I wouldn't be too sure about that. It seems it was known in the Old World. Well at least in France & Italy during the crusades. After scouring the internet, I came up with a tiny piece of interesting information. Joseph François Michaud, who was a French Historian, mentioned the word "maize" in his book called 'The History of the Crusades'. Here is an excerpt of it.

View attachment 262080

I'd be curious to see the original French text. As well as whether or not the term "maize" (or some variation thereof) had been adopted in French to describe something other than maize itself.

Since it would be completely and utterly impossible for maize to have been brought to Italy prior to the Columbian exchange beginning in the 15th and 16th centuries.

-CryptoLutheran

This is a translation error. The Crusaders introduced Buckwheat into western Europe, which was originally called Turkish Corn or Turkey Millet. This same name was later used for Maize, as a lot of the stuff from the New World was termed of exotic old places, too (such as the Turkey bird). So you occasionally find popular historians of the Crusades claiming the Crusaders introduced Maize, but that is just an artifact of shifting naming of grains and archaic nomenclature, and a bit of well-meaning ignorance.