We continue today with the fire-roasted meat that is mentioned in Bible − ‘t’zli’.
There are other references in the Bible to different meat preparations such as cooking and boiling (see I Kings 19:21, Ezekiel 46:20), but God Himself directs the Israelites to prepare the Passover meal roasted. If you were wondering about the preparation style, God recommends eating meat well done:
Eat it not raw, nor boil with water, but roast it with fire
The word t’zli today is almost always a reference to roast beef. There is another term that is used today for roasted meat: ‘al ha•esh,’ which means ‘over fire.’ If you use this term in a restaurant, it will mean either beef, lamb or chicken, so you’ll need to specify which meat you prefer. If you use this term anywhere else, it gets the connotation of a celebration or a feast and not just a culinary preference.
For ceremonial reasons and perhaps others as well, God instructs the Israelites to eat meat at night time:
And they shall eat the meat in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it
We note another request by God of the same nature, asking the Israelites to eat meat in the evening but in this reference it wasn’t for ceremonial reasons:
I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; speak to them, saying, At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God
This was a reference to poultry (quail) meat that God supplied the Israelites every evening during their difficult journey in the desert.
Recent Comments