Dill in the Bible

This word is found only in the following verse.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. —Matthew 23:23 LSB

The name dill is derived from a Norse word which means to soothe, the plant can be used as a pain killer.

The common dill, the Anethum graveolens, is an annual growing wild in the fields of Spain and Portugal and the south of Europe, generally.

There is also a species of dill cultivated in Middle Eastern countries known by the name of shibint or shubit. It is known in Hebrew as shammir (שמיר). It was this species of garden plant of which the Pharisees were in the habit of paying tithes.

The Talmud requires that the seeds, leaves, and stem of dill shall pay tithes. It is an umbelliferous plant (a family which includes carrots and parsley), very like the caraway, its leaves, which are aromatic, are used in soups and pickles.

More information

• Plants of the Bible
• Food in the Bible
• Cooking in the Bible
• Agriculture in the Bible