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These are shrubs, trees and vines native to the Holy Lands that are hardy to northern climates. Please check with local garden centers on which varieties are best for your location. Cultivation needs vary with species and should be requested upon purchasing the plant. Algum Tree -- Juniperus excelsa Solomon requested Algum wood for the temple he built (II Chronicles 2:8). This is a native of Lebanon and requires a moderately warm climate. Use any juniper variety hardy in your geographical region to symbolize this tree. 2 Chronicles 2:8: Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants, Almond Tree -- Prunus dulcis
Numbers 17:1-8: … And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. Almug Tree (now called Sandalwood) -- Pterocarpus santalinus Musical instruments including harps and psalteries were made from the wood of this tree according to I Kings 10:11-12. Even in Bible days, it was being brought from southern India. It is a warm climate tree. 1 Kings 10:11-12: And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. Apples (Apricots) -- Prunus armeniaca
Proverbs 25:11: A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. Balm Tree -- Commiphora opobalsamum
Ezekiel 27:17: Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm. Balm of Gilead -- Balanites aegyptiaca The resin of this tree is the balm referred to in Jeremiah 8:22 and Genesis 37:25. It was used for medicinal purposes. Its fruits are edible. Jeremiah 8:22: Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? Bay Tree -- Laurus Nobilis
Psalm 37:35: I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Brambles (Blackberry) -- Rubus ulmifolius The bramble asked the trees to anoint them as the King over them in Judges 9: 8-9, 14-15. This is the same bush grown in Europe even today for its fruit. In colder regions, be sure to pick a variety that is cold hardy. Judges 9:8-9: The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? Camphire or Henna -- Lawsonia inermis
Song of Solomon 4:13: Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Cedar -- Juniperus oxycedrus God directs the priests to use cedar wood when stirring the heifer sacrifice in Numbers 19:1-2, and 6. Although this is a Mediterranean tree, use a similar looking hardy juniper in colder regions to symbolize this text. Numbers 19:1-6: And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: and ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn: And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Cedar of Lebanon -- Cedrus libani  Psalm 92:12 says the righteous will flourish like a cedar in Lebanon. It needs a mild climate to grow. Substitute a species hardy in your geographical region if you desire to represent this tree in your Bible landscape. Psalm 92:12: The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Chestnut (Plane) Tree -- Platanus orientalis
Genesis 30:37: And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. Fir Tree -- Pinus halepensis
Isaiah 37:24: By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel. Grapes - vitis vinifera
John 15:1-6: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. Myrtle -- Myrtus communis  Zechariah 1:7-8 records the Lord as standing among the myrtle trees. There is little debate among botanists that this is the tree we still call the myrtle tree. It is used for its sweet smelling leaves. Zechariah 1:7-8: Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. Russian Olive (Oleaster) -- Elaeagnus angustifolia  Bible scholars believe this is the oil tree mentioned in Isaiah 41:19. Others say it is the olive wood used in the Temple mentioned in I Kings 6:23, 31-33. The fruit was ground and made into cakes by the Arabs. This shrub can tolerate cold climates down to about -10°F. 1 Kings 6:23-33: And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high. … And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall. Scarlet Oak -- Quercus coccifera
Ezekiel 27:6: Of the oaks of Bashan have they made thine oars; the company of the Ashurites have made thy benches of ivory, brought out of the isles of Chittim. White Poplar -- Populus alba
Hosea 4:13: They sacrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incense upon the hills, under oaks and poplars and elms, because the shadow thereof is good: therefore your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery. White Willow -- Salix alba  This is the Willow mentioned in Ezekiel 17:5. In the Holy Lands and elsewhere, it grows along waterways or in very moist soil. Ezekiel 17:5: He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful field; the waters, and set it as a willow tree. Return to Enabling Bible Gardens Return to Enabled Gardener This entire website is copyrighted by Diana Pederson, 2006-2009. Use of any page |
According to Numbers 17:1-8, Aaron's rod blossomed and produced almonds.
Proverbs 25:11 mentions "apples of gold" and that is an excellent description of apricots, the tree botanists believe is talked about here. Use any apricot species hardy to your geographical region.
This is the tree that produces the balm mentioned in Ezekiel 27:17. It is used in herbal medicines.
Bay leaves, used as a spice, are from the common Bay tree. Psalms 37:35 mentions this tree. It grows wild along brooks, streams, and in other moist spots where it can reach 40-60 feet tall. Cooks worldwide use bay leaves as a seasoning.
Henna was used as a dye and cosmetic. The beloved in Song of Solomon 4:13 is requested to bring a cluster of camphire.
Jacob used rods of chestnut in Genesis 30:37. Botanists believe this is the tree being used. It is used even today throughout the Mediterranean area as an ornamental tree.
Pine trees, called fir trees by writers of scripture, were common in the Holy Lands. They were viewed as a symbol of nobility. Isaiah 37:24 talks about the "choice fir trees."
Many Bible passages mention grapes and vineyards. Jesus compared himself to a grape vine in John 15: 1-6. His listeners understood the analogy well because of their familiarity with the care of grape vines.
The Scarlet Oak mentioned in Ezekiel 27:6 is very common in the mountainous areas of Lebanon, Syria, and Mount Carmel.
White Poplar is mentioned in Hosea 4:13 and II Chronicles 33:3. Unfortunately, this plant is mentioned in a negative setting. The altars for worshiping false gods were frequently found in groves of poplars. Poplars are very fast growing trees but have short life spans.