Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, forests were significant both geographically and symbolically. The term "forest" in the Bible often refers to wooded areas that were less dense than modern forests, sometimes resembling what we might consider a grove or a thicket. Forests are mentioned in various contexts throughout the Scriptures, serving as settings for events, symbols of abundance or desolation, and metaphors for spiritual truths.
Geographical SignificanceForests in the biblical landscape were primarily located in the mountainous regions of Israel and surrounding areas. Notable forests include the Forest of Lebanon, renowned for its majestic cedars. These cedars were highly prized for their quality and were used in the construction of significant structures, including Solomon's Temple. In
1 Kings 7:2, we read about the "House of the Forest of Lebanon," a grand structure built by Solomon, which highlights the importance of these trees: "He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon; its length was a hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, with four rows of cedar pillars and cedar beams upon the pillars."
The forests of Ephraim are another significant mention, particularly in the context of Absalom's rebellion against King David. In
2 Samuel 18:8, the forest becomes a place of divine intervention: "The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword."
Symbolic and Metaphorical UsesForests in the Bible often symbolize both prosperity and judgment. The lushness of a forest can represent abundance and blessing, as seen in
Isaiah 32:15, where the transformation of the wilderness into a fertile field is a sign of God's favor: "until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest."
Conversely, the destruction of forests can symbolize God's judgment and desolation. In
Isaiah 10:18-19, the Lord's judgment is likened to the burning of a forest: "The splendor of his forest and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down."
Spiritual LessonsForests also serve as metaphors for spiritual truths. In
Jeremiah 21:14, God uses the imagery of a forest to convey the certainty of His judgment: "I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you." This passage underscores the idea that God's justice is inescapable and thorough.
Moreover, the imagery of a forest can be used to describe the complexity and depth of God's creation and wisdom. In
Job 14:7-9, the resilience of a tree in a forest is used to illustrate hope and renewal: "For there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its tender shoots will not fail. If its roots grow old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil, at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling."
ConclusionForests in the Bible are rich with meaning, serving as physical locations, symbols of divine blessing or judgment, and metaphors for spiritual truths. They remind us of the grandeur of God's creation and the profound lessons that can be drawn from the natural world.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
ForestAlthough Palestine has never been in historical times a woodland country, yet there can be no doubt that there was much more wood formerly than there is a t present, and that the destruction of the forests was one of the chief causes of the present desolation.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Hebrews ya'ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (
Ecclesiastes 2:6;
Isaiah 44:14;
Jeremiah 5:6;
Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of Ephraim (
2 Samuel 18:6, 8;
Joshua 17:15, 18), which is probably the same as the wood of Ephratah (
Psalm 132:6), some part of the great forest of Gilead. It was in this forest that Absalom was slain by Joab. David withdrew to the forest of Hareth in the mountains of Judah to avoid the fury of Saul (
1 Samuel 22:5). We read also of the forest of Bethel (
2 Kings 2:23, 24), and of that which the Israelites passed in their pursuit of the Philistines (
1 Samuel 14:25), and of the forest of the cedars of Lebanon (
1 Kings 4:33;
2 Kings 19:23;
Hosea 14:5, 6).
"The house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2;10:17;2 Chronicles 9:16) was probably Solomon's armoury, and was so called because the wood of its many pillars came from Lebanon, and they had the appearance of a forest. (seeBAALBEC.)
Hebrews horesh, denoting a thicket of trees, underwood, jungle, bushes, or trees entangled, and therefore affording a safe hiding-place. place. This word is rendered "forest" only in2 Chronicles 27:4. It is also rendered "wood", the "wood" in the "wilderness of Ziph," in which david concealed himself (1 Samuel 23:15), which lay south-east of Hebron. In Isaiah 17:19 this word is in Authorized Version rendered incorrectly "bough."
Hebrews pardes, meaning an enclosed garden or plantation. Asaph is (Nehemiah 2:8) called the "keeper of the king's forest." The same Hebrew word is usedEcclesiastes 2:5, where it is rendered in the plural "orchards" (R.V., "parks"), and Cant. 4: 13, rendered "orchard" (R.V. marg., "a paradise").
"The forest of the vintage" (Zechariah 11:2, "inaccessible forest, " or R.V. "strong forest") is probably a figurative allusion to Jerusalem, or the verse may simply point to the devastation of the region referred to.
The forest is an image of unfruitfulness as contrasted with a cultivated field (Isaiah 29:17;32:15;Jeremiah 26:18;Hosea 2:12). Isaiah (10:19, 33, 34) likens the Assyrian host under Sennacherib (q.v.) to the trees of some huge forest, to be suddenly cut down by an unseen stroke.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) An extensive wood; a large tract of land covered with trees; in the United States, a wood of native growth, or a tract of woodland which has never been cultivated.
2. (n.) A large extent or precinct of country, generally waste and woody, belonging to the sovereign, set apart for the keeping of game for his use, not enclosed, but distinguished by certain limits, and protected by certain laws, courts, and officers of its own.
3. (a.) of or pertaining to a forest; sylvan.
4. (v. t.) To cover with trees or wood.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
EPHRAIM, FOREST OF(ya`ar 'ephrayim):
The word ya`ar (Hebrew) probably agrees in meaning with the Arabic wa`r, which indicates a rough country, abounding in rocks, stones and scrub, with occasional trees; not a "forest," as we understand the term. Here Absalom was defeated and slain (2 Samuel 18:6, the King James Version "wood of Ephraim"). It must be sought, therefore, East of the Jordan, in the neighborhood of Mahanaim; but no identification is yet possible.
FOREST
for'-est:
(1) choresh (compare proper name Harosheth),2 Chronicles 27:4. In1 Samuel 23:15 translated "wood"; inIsaiah 17:9, "wood"; inEzekiel 31:3, "forest-like shade." Applied to any thick growth of vegetation but not necessarily so extensive as (3).
(2) pardec:Nehemiah 2:8, margin "park";Ecclesiastes 2:5, the King James Version "orchards," the Revised Version (British and American) "parks";Songs 4:13, English Versions of the Bible "orchard," the Revised Version, margin "paradise." A word of Persian origin signifying probably an enclosure.
SeePARADISE.
(3) ya`ar from root meaning "rugged"; compare Arabic wa`ar, "a rugged, stony region." It is sometimes rendered "forest" and sometimes (but less often in the Revised Version (British and American)) "wood." It is used of certain definite wooded tracts: "the forest in Arabia" (Isaiah 21:13, margin "thickets"); "the forest of Carmel" (2 Kings 19:23 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "of his fruitful field"); "the forest of Hereth" (1 Samuel 22:5); "the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:2;1 Kings 10:17-212 Chronicles 9:16-20); "the forest of Ephraim," East of the Jordan (2 Samuel 18:6, 8, 17). The word ya`ar appears also in well-known Kiriath-jearim, "the city of forests," and Mt. Jearim (Joshua 15:10). Among numerous other references the following may be cited:Deuteronomy 19:5Joshua 17:15, 181 Chronicles 16:33;2 Kings 2:24Psalm 80:13;Psalm 83:14;Psalm 96:12;Psalm 132:6Ecclesiastes 2:6Songs 2:31 Samuel 7:2;1 Samuel 14:25, 26;Jeremiah 4:29;Jeremiah 46:23Ezekiel 34:29Micah 3:12;Micah 7:14.
(4) cebhakh, from root meaning "to interweave." A "thicket" (Genesis 22:13Jeremiah 4:7); "thicket of trees" (Psalm 74:5); "thickets of the forest" (Isaiah 9:18;Isaiah 10:34).
(5) 'adbhim, "thicket" (Jeremiah 4:29).
From many references it is evident that Palestine had in Old Testament times much more extensive forests and woodlands than today. For a discussion of the subject see BOTANY.
E. W. G. Masterman
HERETH, THE FOREST OF
he'-reth (ya`-ar chareth; Septuagint polis Sareik; the King James Version Hareth): David (1 Samuel 22:5) was told by the prophet Gad to depart from Mizpah of Moab and go to the land of Judah, and he "came into the forest of Hereth." The Septuagint has "city" instead of forest; see also Josephus, Ant, VI, xii, 4. The village Kharas, on an ancient high road, 3 miles Southeast of Aid el ma, probably David's stronghold ADULLAM (which see), may possibly answer to the place (PEF, III, 305, Sh XXI). "Horesh" has been suggested as an alternative reading.
E. W. G. Masterman
FOREST OF EPHRAIM
SeeEPHRAIM.
Greek
5208. hule -- wood, timber,forest... wood, timber,
forest. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: hule Phonetic
Spelling: (hoo-lay') Short Definition: wood, fuel Definition: wood, fuel.
...955. Beliar -- "lord of theforest," Beliar, a name of Satan
... "lord of theforest," Beliar, a... Word Origin of uncertain origin Definition "lord
of theforest," Beliar, a name of Satan NASB Word Usage Belial (1). Belial....
3871. parakalupto -- to cover (by hanging something beside), to...
... 3871 (from 3844 , " close-beside" and 2572 , "hide") -- properly, hidden close-beside,
out of sight; due to someone "missing theforest because too close to...
Strong's Hebrew
3293a. yaar -- wood,forest, thicket... 3293, 3293a. yaar. 3293b . wood,
forest, thicket. Transliteration: yaar
Short Definition:
forest. Word Origin from an unused word
...3293. ya'ar -- wood,forest, thicket
ya'ar. 3292, 3293. ya'ar. 3293a . wood,forest, thicket. Transliteration:
ya'ar Phonetic Spelling: (yah'-ar) Short Definition: comb. honeycomb,forest, wood...
2802. Chereth -- aforest in Judah
... 2801, 2802. Chereth. 2803 . aforest in Judah. Transliteration: Chereth
Phonetic Spelling: (kheh'-reth) Short Definition: Hereth....
2793. choresh -- wood, wooded height
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition wood, wooded height NASB Word Usage
forest (2), Horesh (4), wooded (1). bough,forest, shroud, wood....
6508. pardes -- a preserve, park
... 6507, 6508. pardes. 6509 . a preserve, park. Transliteration: pardes Phonetic
Spelling: (par-dace') Short Definition:forest....forest, orchard....
3295. yarah -- honeycomb
... honey comb,forest. Feminine of ya'ar, and meaning the same -- (honey-) comb,forest.
see HEBREW ya'ar. 3294, 3295. yarah. 3296 . Strong's Numbers.
5441. sebok -- a thicket
... 5440, 5441. sebok. 5442 . a thicket. Transliteration: sebok Phonetic Spelling:
(so'-bek) Short Definition:forest. Word Origin from...
3264. yaor -- wood
... Word Origin the same as yaar, qv. wood A variation of Ya'areshyah; aforest -- wood.
see HEBREW Ya'areshyah. 3263, 3264. yaor. 3265 . Strong's Numbers.
Library
A NewForest Ballad
... A NEWFOREST BALLAD. Oh she tripped over Ocknell plain, And down by Bradley Water;
And the fairest maid on theforest side Was Jane, the keeper's daughter....
Abbot Sturm of Fulda.
... He gave Sturm two travelling companions, and when he had prayed for them and given
them his blessing, he said: "Go into the beechforest (Buchoma, theforest...
How the Angel of God Put a Question to Brother Elias, Guardian of...
... Now it chanced one day, as St Francis was praying in theforest, that a handsome
young man, dressed for traveling, presented himself at the convent-gate...
How Christ Appeared to Brother John of Alvernia
... to burn within him, as if it had been on fire, so that it was impossible for him
to remain quiet, and he ran to and fro in the garden, in theforest, and even...
Whence the Contentions of Philosophers have Sprung. Against those...
... their safety, but keeps them down in its soil until they meet their end; or they
may be compared to men in a deep, dense, and majesticforest, into which the...
The Abbots Euroul and Loumon.
... the following. The abbot Ebrolf (Euroul) had settled with his monks in
a thickforest, infested by wild beasts and robbers. One...
Answers to Prayer.
... On account of the denseforest, the place appeared very dismal.... The next summer Bessie
learned how dangerous an enemy a largeforest could become....
The Fruitless vine
... of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine-tree more than any
tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of theforest?""Ezekiel 15:1...
The Minne-Songs
... Fearing, however, lest he should inherit his father's spirit and meet with his father's
fate, she retires with him into a deepforest, where she brings him up...
The Birth of Saint George.
... He had heard that in the BlackForest in Germany there lived a powerful enchantress,
Kalyb by name, who would, without doubt, be able at once to give him all...
Thesaurus
Forest (67 Occurrences)... all the great primeval forests of Syria (Ecclesiastes 2:6; Isaiah 44:14; Jeremiah
5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic
forest of Ephraim
...Forest-like (1 Occurrence)
Forest-like. Forestalling,Forest-like. Forests . Multi-Version
ConcordanceForest-like (1 Occurrence). Ezekiel 31:3...
Forests (12 Occurrences)
... parts of Lebanon; and I have cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice cypresses
thereof; and I have entered into his farthest lodge, theforest of his...
Thickets (14 Occurrences)
... fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets
of theforest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke....
Hereth (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia HERETH, THEFOREST OF.... Depart, and go into the land
of Judah." Then David departed, and came into theforest of Hereth....
Dense (11 Occurrences)
... parts massed or crowded together; close; compact; thick; containing much matter
in a small space; heavy; opaque; as, a dense crowd; a denseforest; a dense fog...
Fruitful (57 Occurrences)
... innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down its tall cedars, and its choice
fir trees; and I will enter into his farthest lodging place, theforest of his...
Kindle (25 Occurrences)
... fire. It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the thickets
of theforest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke....
Botany
... (2) It is undeniable that the destruction offorest and thicket all over
the land has been immense during the past fifty years....
Farthest (33 Occurrences)
... Although it is aforest, you shall cut it down, and it's farthest extent shall be
yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of...
Resources
What is the lily of the valley (Song of Solomon 2:1)? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills? | GotQuestions.orgWhat are the cedars of Lebanon the Bible mentions? | GotQuestions.orgForest: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
