Bible Dictionary
Onion
An onion was a common food of Egypt. The Israelites remembered and desired Egypt’s onions and other foods while they were wandering in the wilderness.
Definition
The onion was a cultivated food plant, identified in the supplied material with the Hebrew betsel and the botanical Allium cepe. It was a familiar and valued food in Egypt and was milder there than onions in some other countries.
Biblical Usage
The Israelites remembered and desired the onions and garlic of Egypt while wandering in the wilderness. Their longing expressed regret over the loss of familiar Egyptian foods.
Historical Background
Onions had long been a favorite food among Egyptians. The supplied material notes that numerous related species grew in Palestine.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The Israelites in the wilderness longed for the “onions and garlick of Egypt” (Num. 11:5). This was the betsel of the Hebrews, the Allium cepe of botanists, of which it is said that there are some thirty or forty species now growing in Palestine. The onion is “the ‘undivided’ leek, unio_, _unus, one.”
Smith's Bible Dictionary
This product is mentioned only in (Numbers 11:5) as one of the good things of Egypt of which the Israel regretted the loss. Onions have been from time immemorial a favorite article of food among the Egyptians, The onions of Egypt are much milder in flavor and less pungent than those of this country.