דְּבֵלָה (de.ve.lah)
de.ve.lah
fig cake
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun develah refers to a specific type of food: a lump or cake made from pressed figs. In the ancient Near East, fresh fruit was perishable, so drying and compressing it into dense cakes was a practical way to preserve nutrition for travel or winter stores. This word describes that concentrated, sweet staple rather than the raw fruit itself.
Although the term appears only four times in the Hebrew Bible, its context reveals its cultural weight. In 2 Kings 25:4 and Jeremiah 39:6, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard gives develah to the fleeing King Zedekiah as he escapes Jerusalem. Similarly, 1 Samuel 25:18 mentions pressed figs among the provisions David’s men receive from Nabal. These instances highlight the word’s association with both sustenance and moments of critical transition or mercy.
The physical nature of a develah—a compact, energy-dense block of dried fruit—makes it an ideal portable ration. Its appearance in biblical narratives often coincides with scenes of flight, famine, or diplomatic gesture, underscoring how even simple food items carried significant narrative and practical importance in ancient Israelite life.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
This word describes a dense cake made from pressed dried figs, a practical food source in ancient times. Because fresh fruit spoils quickly, compressing it into cakes allowed people to store nutrition for travel or hard seasons. It was more than just a snack; it was concentrated energy and sustenance.
In the Bible, this item appears during moments of crisis or healing. King Hezekiah used one as a poultice to help recover from illness (2 Kings 20:7). A starving Egyptian slave found his strength returned after eating one (1 Samuel 30:12). These stories show how God often uses simple, everyday things to provide care and restoration.
When you face physical weakness or difficult transitions, remember that God cares about your basic needs. He provides for us in tangible ways, sometimes through the help of others or through practical means. Trust that He sustains you, whether through spiritual grace or the simple gifts of daily life.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- a cake of2×
- fig cakes1×
- fig cake1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- דְּבֶ֣לֶת2×
- דְּבֵלָ֜ה1×
- דְּבֵלִ֑ים1×
Key Verses
-
II Kings 20:7
Isaiah said, “Take a cake of figs.” They took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
This verse shows the word used as a medicinal poultice, highlighting its practical role in physical healing.
-
I Samuel 30:12
They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights.
Here, the cake restores the strength of a fainting man, illustrating its value as immediate sustenance.
-
I Samuel 25:18
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five seahs of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
Abigail includes these cakes in her gift to David, showing they were a valued provision for travelers.