mel'-unz (`abhattichim; compare Arabic battikh, the "water melon"; pepones): In Nu 11:5, the melon is referred to as common in Egypt, and there can be no doubt that the variety indicated is the watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris) which is indigenous in tropical Africa. It has been cultivated in Egypt since the earliest times.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Melons
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr (1915). Public domain, from the CrossWire SWORD module.