kum´in (כּמּן, kammōn i.e., a “condiment”; κύμινον, kúminon):
The seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum (Natural Order Umbelliferae) or the fruit or seed of an umbelliferous plant, the Cuminum sativum, still extensively cultivated in the East. It has carminative properties and is used for flavoring various dishes, especially during fasts. In flavor and appearance it resembles caraway, though it is less agreeable to western palates. Its fruit is mentioned in Isaiah 28:25, Isaiah 28:27. As an illustration of Yahweh’s wisdom it is said (Isaiah 28:25, Isaiah 28:27) that cummin is scattered in sowing and beaten out with a rod in threshing. These facts are true in Israel today.
In the New Testament it is mentioned in Matthew 23:23, where our Lord pronounces a “woe” on the scribes and Pharisees, who were zealous in paying tithes of “mint and anise and cummin,” while they omitted the weightier matters of the law.” “It is used as a spice, both bruised, to mix with bread, and also boiled, in the various messes and stews which compose an Oriental banquet.” Tristram, Natural History. The Jews paid tithes of cummin (Matthew 23:23).
