Reference: Oak
American
As many as six varieties of the oak are found in Palestine. Dr. Robinson speaks of one at Hebron which had a trunk twenty-two and a half feet in circumference; and saw the crests and sides of the hills beyond the Jordan still clothed, as in ancient times, with magnificent oaks, Isa 2:13; Zec 11:2. The oak is often referred to in Scripture, Ge 35:8; Isa 44:14; Am 2:9. There is, however, a second Hebrew word often translated "oak," which is supposed to denote the terebinth or turpentine-tree, called butm by the Arabs, Ge 35:4; Jg 6:11,19; 2Sa 18:9,14. It is translated "elm" in Ho 4.13, and "teil-tree" in Isa 6:13, in which passages the true oak is also mentioned. In many passages where "plain" or "plains" occurs, we should probably understand "terebinth" or "a grove of terebinths," Ge 12:6; 13:18; 14:13; 18:1; De 11:30; Jg 9:6. This tree was found in all countries around the Mediterranean, and in Palestine grew to a large size. It was very long-lived. For many ages after Christ, a tree of this kind near Heron was superstitiously venerated as one of those under which Abraham dwelt at Mamre. Under the welcome shade of oaks and other large trees many public affairs were transacted; sacrifices were offered, courts were held, and kings were crowned, Jos 24:26; Jg 6:11,19; 9:6. See GROVE.
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And Abram passed along throughout the land, as far as the place of Shechem as far as the Teacher's Terebinth, the Canaanite being then in the land.
So Abram moved his tent and came in and dwelt among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron, - and built there an altar to Yahweh.
Then came in a fugitive, and told Abram the Hebrew, - he, having his dwelling among the oaks of Mature the Amorite brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, they, also having a covenant with Abram.
And Yahweh appeared unto him among the oaks of Mamre, - as, he, was sitting at the opening of the tent in the heat of the day.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and was buried below Beth-el, under the oak, - so the name thereof was called, Allon-bacuth.
Are, they, not over the Jordan on the way towards the entering in of the sun, in the land of the Canaanite who dwelleth in the plain over against Gilgal beside the Teacher's Terebinths?
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;
Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;
So, Gideon, went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and, of an ephah of meal, unleavened cakes, the flesh, he put in a basket, and, the broth, he put in a pot, - and brought them forth unto him, under the oak, and presented them.
So, Gideon, went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and, of an ephah of meal, unleavened cakes, the flesh, he put in a basket, and, the broth, he put in a pot, - and brought them forth unto him, under the oak, and presented them.
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
And upon all cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, - And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Yet still shall there be in it a tenth, Though it again be consumed, - Like an oak and like a terebinth Which when felled, have a stock in them, A holy seed, shall be the stock thereof. Courage.
When one was cutting him down cedars, Then took he a holm-tree and an oak, And secured them for himself, among the trees of the forest, - He planted a fir-tree and the pouring rain made it grow;
Yet it was, I, who destroyed the Amorite, from before them, whose height was, like the height of cedars, and, strong, was he, like the oaks, - but I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath.
Howl, fir-tree, for fallen is the cedar, because, the majestic ones, are spoiled: howl, ye oaks of Bashan, for the inaccessible forest, hath come down.
Easton
There are six Hebrew words rendered "oak."
(1.) 'El occurs only in the word El-paran (Ge 14:6). The LXX. renders by "terebinth." In the plural form this word occurs in Isa 1:29; 57:5 (A.V. marg. and R.V., "among the oaks"); Isa 61:3 ("trees"). The word properly means strongly, mighty, and hence a strong tree.
(2.) 'Elah, Ge 35:4, "under the oak which was by Shechem" (R.V. marg., "terebinth"). Isa 6:13, A.V., "teil-tree;" R.V., "terebinth." Isa 1:30, R.V. marg., "terebinth." Absalom in his flight was caught in the branches of a "great oak" (2Sa 18:9; R.V. marg., "terebinth").
(3.) 'Elon, Jg 4:11; 9:6 (R.V., "oak;" A.V., following the Targum, "plain") properly the deciduous species of oak shedding its foliage in autumn.
(4.) 'Elan, only in Da 4:11,14,20, rendered "tree" in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Probably some species of the oak is intended.
(5.) 'Allah, Jos 24:26. The place here referred to is called Allon-moreh ("the oak of Moreh," as in R.V.) in Ge 12:6; 35:4.
(6.) 'Allon, always rendered "oak." Probably the evergreen oak (called also ilex and holm oak) is intended. The oak woods of Bashan are frequently alluded to (Isa 2:13; Eze 27:6). Three species of oaks are found in Palestine, of which the "prickly evergreen oak" (Quercus coccifera) is the most abundant. "It covers the rocky hills of Palestine with a dense brushwood of trees from 8 to 12 feet high, branching from the base, thickly covered with small evergreen rigid leaves, and bearing acorns copiously." The so-called Abraham's oak at Hebron is of this species. Tristram says that this oak near Hebron "has for several centuries taken the place of the once renowned terebinth which marked the site of Mamre on the other side of the city. The terebinth existed at Mamre in the time of Vespasian, and under it the captive Jews were sold as slaves. It disappeared about A.D. 330, and no tree now marks the grove of Mamre. The present oak is the noblest tree in Southern Palestine, being 23 feet in girth, and the diameter of the foliage, which is unsymmetrical, being about 90 feet." (See Hebron; Teil tree.)
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And Abram passed along throughout the land, as far as the place of Shechem as far as the Teacher's Terebinth, the Canaanite being then in the land.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
Now, Heber the Kenite, had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the sons of Hobab, father-in-law of Moses, - and moved his tent as far as the oak of Zaanaim, which is near Kadesh.
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
Now, when Absolom met the servants of David, Absolom, was riding upon a mule, and the mule came under the thick branches of a large oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, the mule that was under him passing on.
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen; For ye shall be as an oak with its leaf faded, And as a garden that hath no, water;
And upon all cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, - And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Yet still shall there be in it a tenth, Though it again be consumed, - Like an oak and like a terebinth Which when felled, have a stock in them, A holy seed, shall be the stock thereof. Courage.
Who inflame yourselves With the terebinths, Under every green tree - Slaying the children, In the torrent-valleys, Under the clefts of the crags:
To appoint unto the mourners of Zion - To give unto them A chaplet instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of the spirit of dejection, - So shall they be called The oaks of righteousness, The plantation of Yahweh: That he may get himself glory
With oaks from Bashan, made they thine oars, - Thy benches, made they of ivory, inlaid with boxwood, From the shores of the West:
The tree, grew, and became strong, - and, the height thereof, reached unto the heavens, and, the view thereof, unto the end of all the land:
He cried aloud, and, thus, he said - Hew ye down the tree, and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit, - let the wild beasts flee from under it, and the birds, out of its branches;
The tree which thou sawest, which grew and became strong, whose, height, reached unto the heavens, and, the view, thereof to all the earth:
Fausets
eeyl, from uwl "strong," as the Latin robur. The terebinth or turpentine tree. Eloth, Elim, etc., take their name hence; so for "teil tree" (Isa 6:13; 1:29), and for "elms" (Ho 4:13), eelah; allon is the "oaks"; also eelon is "the oak." The Quercus psedo-coccifera is the most abundant in Palestine, covering Carmel with dense brushwood eight to twelve feet high. Its roots are dug up as fuel in the valleys S. of Lebanon, where the living tree is no longer to be seen. Abram's oak near Hebron is of this species, still flourishing in the midst of a field, the stock 23 ft. in girth, and the branch spreading over a circle 90 ft. in diameter.
It is probably sprung from some far back offshoot of the original grove under which he pitched his tent (Ge 13:18), "Abram dwelt at the oaks of Mamre in Hebron." The Quercus aegilops, or "prickly cupped Valonia oak", is found on the hills E. of Nazareth and Tabor. The Quercus infectoria or "dyeing oak" is seldom higher than 30 ft., growing on the eastern sides of Lebanon and the hills of Galilee; its gall-nuts, formed by the puncture of an insect, contain tannin and gallic acid used for dyeing and ink. Dr. Hooker conjectures the two aegilops to represent the "oaks of Bashan" (Isa 2:13). Deborah was buried under an oak (Ge 35:8). So Saul (1Sa 31:13). Idolaters sacrificed under oaks (Isa 1:29). Under one Joshua set up a pillar at Shechem to commemorate the nation's covenant with God (Jos 24:26). The "tree" in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 4) is 'ilan, any "strong tree".
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So Abram moved his tent and came in and dwelt among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron, - and built there an altar to Yahweh.
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and was buried below Beth-el, under the oak, - so the name thereof was called, Allon-bacuth.
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
and took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, - and fasted seven days.
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen;
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen;
And upon all cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, - And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Yet still shall there be in it a tenth, Though it again be consumed, - Like an oak and like a terebinth Which when felled, have a stock in them, A holy seed, shall be the stock thereof. Courage.
On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.
Hastings
OAK
(1) '
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And he moved on from thence towards the hill country, on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, - with Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east, and bulk there an altar to Yahweh, and called on the name of Yahweh.
So Abram moved his tent and came in and dwelt among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron, - and built there an altar to Yahweh.
Then came in a fugitive, and told Abram the Hebrew, - he, having his dwelling among the oaks of Mature the Amorite brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, they, also having a covenant with Abram.
And Yahweh appeared unto him among the oaks of Mamre, - as, he, was sitting at the opening of the tent in the heat of the day.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and was buried below Beth-el, under the oak, - so the name thereof was called, Allon-bacuth.
Are, they, not over the Jordan on the way towards the entering in of the sun, in the land of the Canaanite who dwelleth in the plain over against Gilgal beside the Teacher's Terebinths?
And their boundary was from Heleph, from the terebinth of Bezaannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; and so the extensions thereof were to the Jordan;
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
Now, Heber the Kenite, had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the sons of Hobab, father-in-law of Moses, - and moved his tent as far as the oak of Zaanaim, which is near Kadesh.
Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;
So, Gideon, went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and, of an ephah of meal, unleavened cakes, the flesh, he put in a basket, and, the broth, he put in a pot, - and brought them forth unto him, under the oak, and presented them.
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
Then did Gaal yet further speak, and say - Lo! people coming down from the highest part of the land, - and one company, coming in by way of the Conjurers' Terebinth.
and, Saul and the men of Israel, gathered themselves together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the army in array against the Philistines.
Now, Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, ready to fight with the Philistines.
And the priest said: The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst smite in the vale of Elah, lo! that, is wrapped up in a cloth, behind the ephod, if, that, thou wilt take to thee, take it, for there is no other, save that, here. And David said - There is none, like it, give it me.
And Joab said, Not thus, may I tarry before thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absolom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen; For ye shall be as an oak with its leaf faded, And as a garden that hath no, water;
And upon all cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, - And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Yet still shall there be in it a tenth, Though it again be consumed, - Like an oak and like a terebinth Which when felled, have a stock in them, A holy seed, shall be the stock thereof. Courage.
Yet still shall there be in it a tenth, Though it again be consumed, - Like an oak and like a terebinth Which when felled, have a stock in them, A holy seed, shall be the stock thereof. Courage.
When one was cutting him down cedars, Then took he a holm-tree and an oak, And secured them for himself, among the trees of the forest, - He planted a fir-tree and the pouring rain made it grow;
Who inflame yourselves With the terebinths, Under every green tree - Slaying the children, In the torrent-valleys, Under the clefts of the crags:
To appoint unto the mourners of Zion - To give unto them A chaplet instead of ashes, The oil of joy instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of the spirit of dejection, - So shall they be called The oaks of righteousness, The plantation of Yahweh: That he may get himself glory
So shall ye know that I, am Yahweh, In that their slain are in the midst of their manufactured gods, on every side of their altars, - Upon every high hl In all the tops of the mountains and Under every green tree and Under every tangled oak, The place where they offered a satisfying odour to all their manufactured gods.
the inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad, Became rowers for thee, - Thine own skilled men O Tyre, were within thee, They were thy sailors:
To the end that none of the trees of the waters - May exalt themselves in their stature or stretch their top among the clouds, Nor their mighty ones take their stand in their height- any that drink of the waters, - Because they all, are delivered to death Unto the earth below. In the midst of the sons of Adam. Amongst them who descend into the pit.
On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.
On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.
Yet it was, I, who destroyed the Amorite, from before them, whose height was, like the height of cedars, and, strong, was he, like the oaks, - but I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath.
Howl, fir-tree, for fallen is the cedar, because, the majestic ones, are spoiled: howl, ye oaks of Bashan, for the inaccessible forest, hath come down.
Morish
There are four Hebrew words so translated, but they are all apparently from the same root, signifying 'strong, hardy,' and are mostly applied to the oak, which lives to a great age. Three species of the Quercus are known in Palestine, the pseudo-coccifera, aegilops, and infectoria. It is symbolical of strength, and affords shade from the heat of the sun. Ge 35:8; Jos 24:26; Isa 1:29; 2:13; Eze 27:6; Ho 4:13; Am 2:9; Zec 11:2. The word elah is judged to refer to the terebinth (pistacia terebinthus), though generally translated oak. Ge 35:4; Jg 6:11,19; 2Sa 18:9-14; 1Ki 13:14; 1Ch 10:12; Isa 1:30; Eze 6:13.
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So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and was buried below Beth-el, under the oak, - so the name thereof was called, Allon-bacuth.
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;
So, Gideon, went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and, of an ephah of meal, unleavened cakes, the flesh, he put in a basket, and, the broth, he put in a pot, - and brought them forth unto him, under the oak, and presented them.
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen; For ye shall be as an oak with its leaf faded, And as a garden that hath no, water;
And upon all cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, - And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
So shall ye know that I, am Yahweh, In that their slain are in the midst of their manufactured gods, on every side of their altars, - Upon every high hl In all the tops of the mountains and Under every green tree and Under every tangled oak, The place where they offered a satisfying odour to all their manufactured gods.
With oaks from Bashan, made they thine oars, - Thy benches, made they of ivory, inlaid with boxwood, From the shores of the West:
On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.
Yet it was, I, who destroyed the Amorite, from before them, whose height was, like the height of cedars, and, strong, was he, like the oaks, - but I destroyed his fruit above, and his roots beneath.
Howl, fir-tree, for fallen is the cedar, because, the majestic ones, are spoiled: howl, ye oaks of Bashan, for the inaccessible forest, hath come down.
Smith
(Heb. strong). There is much difficulty in determining the exact meanings of the several varieties of the term mentioned above. Sometimes, evidently, the terebinth or elm is intended and at others the oak. There are a number of varieties of oak in Palestine. (Dr. Robinson contends that the oak is generally intended, and that it is a very common tree in the East. Oaks grow to a large size, reach an old age and are every way worthy the venerable associations connected with the tree. --ED.) Two oaks, Quercus pseudo-coccifera and Q. aegilops, are well worthy of the name of mighty trees; though it is equally true that over a greater part of the country the oaks of Palestine are at present merely bushes.
Watsons
OAK. The religious veneration paid to this tree by the original natives of our island in the time of the Druids, is well known to every reader of British history. We have reason to think that this veneration was brought from the east; and that the Druids did no more than transfer the sentiments their progenitors had received in oriental countries. It should appear that the Patriarch Abraham resided under an oak, or a grove of oaks, which our translators render the plain of Mamre; and that he planted a grove of this tree, Ge 13:18. In fact, since in hot countries nothing is more desirable than shade, nothing more refreshing than the shade of a tree, we may easily suppose the inhabitants would resort for such enjoyment to
Where'er the oak's thick branches spread A deeper, darker shade.
Oaks, and groves of oaks, were esteemed proper places for religious services; altars were set up under them, Jos 24:26; and, probably, in the east as well as in the west, appointments to meet at conspicuous oaks were made, and many affairs were transacted or treated of under their shade, as we read in Homer, Theocritus, and other poets. It was common among the Hebrews to sit under oaks, Jg 6:11; 1Ki 13:14. Jacob buried idolatrous images under an oak, Ge 35:4; and Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, was buried under one of these trees, Ge 35:8. See 1Ch 10:12. Abimelech was made king under an oak, Jg 9:6. Idolatry was practised under oaks, Isa 1:29; 57:5; Ho 4:13. Idols were made of oaks, Isa 44:14.
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So Abram moved his tent and came in and dwelt among the oaks of Mamre, which were in Hebron, - and built there an altar to Yahweh.
So they gave unto Jacob all the gods of the alien which were in their hand, and the earrings which were in their ears, - and Jacob hid them under the oak, which was by Shechem.
And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse died, and was buried below Beth-el, under the oak, - so the name thereof was called, Allon-bacuth.
And Joshua wrote these words in the scroll of the law of God, - and took a great stone, and set it up there, under the oak that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.
Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;
Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, - by the oak of the pillar, that was in Shechem.
then rose up all the men of valour, and took away the corpse of Saul, and the corpses of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, - and buried their bodies under the terebinth, in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
For they shall turn pale on account of the oaks which ye desired, - And ye shall blush on account of the gardens which ye had chosen;
When one was cutting him down cedars, Then took he a holm-tree and an oak, And secured them for himself, among the trees of the forest, - He planted a fir-tree and the pouring rain made it grow;
Who inflame yourselves With the terebinths, Under every green tree - Slaying the children, In the torrent-valleys, Under the clefts of the crags:
On the headlands of the mountains, they sacrifice, and, on the hills, burn they incense, under oak and poplar and terebinth, because, pleasant, is the shade thereof: For this cause, do your daughters, become unchaste, and, your brides, commit adultery.