3235

Lexical Summary

(Not Used): (Not Used)

(Not Used)
Part of Speech:
Transliteration: (Not Used)
(Not Used)

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 3235 designates a wild, edible plant most commonly identified as “mallow.” While the term never appears in the Greek New Testament, it is preserved in the Septuagint (LXX) at Job 30:4. There it serves as a vivid emblem of destitution, furnishing a botanical window into the suffering world of Job and, by extension, the harsh realities that can befall God’s people.

Botanical Background and Ancient Uses

Mallow (genus Malva) thrives in arid or alkaline soils and flourishes in the wastelands surrounding the Near East. Greco-Roman writers such as Hippocrates and Pliny commended it for soothing and laxative properties; poor agrarian families relied on it for forage and even emergency sustenance. Its soft leaves and mucilaginous texture rendered it palatable when boiled, while the Greeks sometimes stewed it with olive oil and salt—a detail that harmonizes with the “saltwort” nuance conveyed in some English translations of Job 30:4.

Occurrences in Scripture

Job 30:4 sets the plant in sharp relief against the bleak canvas of human deprivation:

“They pluck mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree are their food.”

The verse lies within Job’s lament (Job 30:1-15) in which he catalogs the contempt and hardship he now faces. The image of scavenging for weedy, saline-loving herbs underscores both social rejection and nutritional desperation.

Symbolic and Theological Significance

1. Depth of Human Need. The foraging of mallow portrays poverty at its rawest: landless, ostracized people condemned to subsist on what cultivated society discards.
2. Contrast with Former Prosperity. Job’s recollection highlights the radical reversal of fortune permitted under God’s sovereign governance, reminding every generation that earthly blessings are never ultimate (Job 1:21).
3. Foreshadowing Deliverance. The dark backdrop intensifies the glory of eventual restoration (Job 42:10-17); similarly, the believer’s present sufferings “are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

Historical Insight for Ministry

• Compassionate Identification. Scripture’s candid portraits of hunger call the church to tangible mercy: “If a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food … what good is it?” (James 2:15-16).
• Contentment and Trust. Paul’s testimony, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound” (Philippians 4:12), echoes Job’s journey; familiarity with ancient poverty images like the mallow fosters modern gratitude and resilience.
• Proclamation of True Bread. The meager herb accentuates the sufficiency of Christ, who declares, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me will never hunger” (John 6:35).

Comparative Ancient Literature

Theophrastus (History of Plants 4.7) lists mallow as a last-resort edible, while the Mishnah (Shabbath 2:2) allows its gathering on the Sabbath due to medicinal value. Such parallels confirm the Bible’s authenticity in portraying real agrarian life.

Typological and Devotional Reflections

• Wilderness Provision. As Israel’s manna prefigured Christ, so Job’s mallow foreshadows God’s knack for sustaining His own in unlikely ways.
• Humility Before Restoration. The plant’s lowly status mirrors the Savior’s kenosis (Philippians 2:6-8), urging believers to “humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

Practical Applications

1. Encourage benevolence ministries that supply nutritious, dignified food to the needy (2 Corinthians 9:9-10).
2. Integrate agricultural education in missions; knowing resilient plants like mallow equips communities facing soil salinity and drought.
3. Use Job 30:4 in counseling to validate sufferers’ pain while directing them toward hope anchored in God’s character (Lamentations 3:22-24).

Conclusion

Though absent from the New Testament, Strong’s Greek 3235 offers a rich theological portrait. The humble mallow stands as a botanical testimony to the depths of human need, the fidelity of divine providence, and the church’s ongoing mandate to mirror God’s compassion in a hungry world.

Englishman's Concordance

μελῶν — 2 Occ.
μέλος — 5 Occ.
Μελχὶ — 2 Occ.
Μελχισεδέκ — 8 Occ.
ἔμελεν — 2 Occ.
μέλει — 7 Occ.
μελέτω — 1 Occ.
μεμβράνας — 1 Occ.
μέμφεται — 1 Occ.
μεμφόμενος — 1 Occ.
μὲν — 182 Occ.
Μενοῦν — 1 Occ.
μενοῦνγε — 2 Occ.
μέντοι — 8 Occ.
ἐμείναμεν — 2 Occ.
ἔμειναν — 2 Occ.
ἔμεινεν — 10 Occ.
ἔμενεν — 3 Occ.
ἔμενον — 1 Occ.
μεῖναι — 6 Occ.