Lentiles, also spelled "lentils," are a type of legume that have been cultivated since ancient times and are mentioned several times in the Bible. They are small, lens-shaped seeds that are highly nutritious and have been a staple food in the Middle East for millennia. In the biblical context, lentiles are often associated with sustenance and provision.

Genesis 25:29-34
One of the most well-known references to lentiles in the Bible is found in the account of Esau and Jacob. Esau, returning famished from the field, encounters Jacob cooking a stew of lentiles. In his hunger, Esau agrees to sell his birthright to Jacob in exchange for the stew. The passage reads: "Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished. He said to Jacob, 'Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.' (That is why he was also called Edom.) 'First sell me your birthright,' Jacob replied. 'Look,' said Esau, 'I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?' But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.' So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and went on his way. So Esau despised his birthright." (Genesis 25:29-34). This narrative highlights the value of lentiles as a nourishing food, but also serves as a moral lesson on the importance of spiritual inheritance over immediate physical needs.

2 Samuel 23:11-12
Lentiles are also mentioned in the context of a battle involving King David's mighty men. Shammah, one of David's warriors, defended a field of lentiles against the Philistines. The scripture states: "And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the middle of the plot and defended it, and struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory." (2 Samuel 23:11-12). This passage illustrates the significance of lentiles as a valuable crop worth defending, and it underscores the courage and faith of Shammah, who trusted in the Lord for victory.

Ezekiel 4:9
In the book of Ezekiel, lentiles are part of a symbolic act commanded by God. Ezekiel is instructed to make bread using a mixture of grains and lentiles as a sign to the people of Israel. The verse reads: "But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single vessel and make them into bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the number of days you lie on your side—390 days." (Ezekiel 4:9). This act serves as a prophetic sign of the coming siege of Jerusalem, where food would be scarce, and the people would have to rely on whatever was available.

Lentiles, as depicted in these scriptures, are more than just a food item; they carry symbolic weight in the biblical narrative. They represent sustenance, the consequences of choices, and the faithfulness of God's people in times of trial.Genesis 25:34
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.
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2 Samuel 17:28
Brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched vegetables,
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2 Samuel 23:11
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentils: and the people fled from the Philistines.
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Ezekiel 4:9
Take you also to you wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make you bread thereof, according to the number of the days that you shall lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days shall you eat thereof.
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