"A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey"?

What exactly did God mean when he told Abraham's descendants  that they would inherit a land flowing with milk and honey?



There have been a number of explanations of this.Some of  have suggested that the refrence  was only  to a sweet syrup from dates, figs or grapes  or perhaps to the wild honey such as  Judge Samson on one occasion scooped from the carcass of a lion he had killed as described in Judges 14: 8, 9.


But fairly recently archaeologists have discovered an ancient apiary   at Tel Rehov in modern-day Israel which dates from the 10th to early 9th centuries B.C.E.  Here they found over 30 hives in three rows and scholars estimate that "as much as half a ton of honey could be culled each year from these hives.


This discovery proved that  that keeping busy was a highly developed industry by the time of Solomon. In addition to using the honey it itself  the Jews used the beeswax in both the manufacture of metal and leather products as well as for writing boards with panels filled with the beeswax which could be written down and then melted down and reused in other boards.


So the description of the land as a land" flowing with milk  (There was an abundant supply of wholesome milk from cows, sheep and goats as well.)and honey" was very true and and painted part of an accurate Biblical picture of The Promised Land.