Flax

Flax (pishtah in Hebrew, from a root meaning "to peel") was one of the most important fiber and oil plants of the ancient world and a significant crop in Egypt, Canaan, and throughout the Fertile Crescent. The flax plant (Linum usitatissimum) was harvested for its long stem fibers, which were retted (soaked), beaten, and spun into linen — the premier textile of the ancient Near East. Its seeds yielded linseed oil. The mention of flax being in blossom during the seventh Egyptian plague (Exodus 9:31) indicates that it was well established in Egyptian agriculture before the Exodus.

Rahab hid the Israelite spies under stalks of flax drying on her roof (Joshua 2:6), providing an incidental detail of Palestinian daily life. Flax was used to make the priestly garments, the temple curtains, and fine clothing. The ideal wife of Proverbs 31:13 "works with flax," and Isaiah 42:3 — quoted in Matthew 12:20 — uses "a dimly burning wick" (flaxen wick) as an image for those whom the servant of God will not break.