milk (chalabh; gala; Latin lac (2 Esdras 2:19; 8:10)): The fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young. The word is used in the Bible of that of human beings (Isa 28:9) as well as of that of the lower animals (Ex 23:19). As a food it ranked next in importance to bread (Ecclesiasticus 39:26). Palestine is frequently described as a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Ex 3:8,17; Nu 13:27; De 6:3; Jos 5:6; Jer 11:5; Eze 20:6,15). Milk was among the first things set before the weary traveler (Ge 18:8). In fact, it was considered a luxury (Jg 5:25; Song 5:1). The people used the milk of kine and also that of sheep (De 32:14), and especially that of goats (Pr 27:27). It was received in pails ('atinim, Job 21:24), and kept in leather bottles (no'dh, Jg 4:19), where it turned sour quickly in the warm climate of Palestine before being poured out thickly like a melting substance (nathakh; compare Job 10:10). Cheese of various kinds was made from it (gebhinah and charitse he-chalabh, literally, "cuts of milk"); or the curds (chem'ah) were eaten with bread, and possibly also made into butter by churning (Pr 30:33). See FOOD,II . It is possible that milk was used for seething other substances; at least the Israelites were strictly forbidden to seethe a kid in its mother's milk (Ex 23:19; 34:26; De 14:21), and by a very general interpretation of these passages Jews have come to abstain from the use of mixtures of meat and milk of all kinds.
⇒Topical Bible outline for "Milk."
Figuratively the word is used (1) of abundance (Ge 49:12); (2) of a loved one's charms (Song 4:11); (3) of blessings (Isa 55:1; Joe 3:18); (4) of the (spiritual) food of immature people (1Co 3:2; Heb 5:12-13); (5) of purity (1Pe 2:2).
Nathan Isaacs
⇒See a list of verses on MILK in the Bible.