Flax: (Heb. pishtah, i.e., "peeled", in allusion to the fact that the stalks
of flax when dried were first split or peeled before being steeped in
water for the purpose of destroying the pulp). This plant was
cultivated from earliest times. The flax of Egypt was destroyed by
the plague of hail when it "was bolled", i.e., was forming pods for
seed
(Exodus 9:31) It was extensively cultivated both in Egypt and
Palestine. Reference is made in
(Joshua 2:6) to the custom of drying
flax-stalks by exposing them to the sun on the flat roofs of houses.
It was much used in forming articles of clothing such as girdles,
also cords and bands
(Leviticus 13:48,52,59; Deuteronomy 22:11)
