Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible (1898)
HEN. The only place in which this word occurs is in our Lord's lament: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matt 23:37; Luke 13:34. But hens must have been common barnyard fowls, as they are to-day in Syria, where they form a chief article of food. Hen's eggs
are probably meant in Luke 11:12, and if so they were very abundant. The rabbinical prohibition to keep fowls in Jerusalem was probably never enforced. The cock is mentioned in connection with Peter's denial. See Cock-crowing.