Lexical Summary
ets: Tree, wood, timber
Original Word:עֵץ
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:`ets
Pronunciation:ayts
Phonetic Spelling:(ates)
KJV: + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood
NASB:wood, tree, trees, timber, gallows, stick, wooden
Word Origin:[fromH6095 (עָצָה - winks)]
1. a tree (from its firmness)
2. (hence) wood (plural sticks)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
carpenter, gallows, helve, pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick,
Fromatsah; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks) -- + carpenter, gallows, helve, + pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.
see HEBREWatsah
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitiontree, trees, wood
NASB Translationcarpenters* (4), framework (1), gallows (9), handle (1), logs (1), shaft (3), stalks (1), stick (8), sticks (3), timber (19), timbers (5), tree (74), trees (71), wild* (1), wood (111), wooden (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
329Genesis 2:9 ; — absolute
Genesis 3:3 +, construct
Genesis 3:24 +,
Genesis 2:16 +; suffix
Deuteronomy 28:42, etc.; plural
Judges 9:8 +, construct
Isaiah 7:2 +, suffix
Deuteronomy 29:10,
Lamentations 5:4, etc.; —
(c. 150 t.)
treeGenesis 18:4,8 (J) +,Exodus 15:25 (J; of shrub ?),Jeremiah 17:18 =Psalm 1:3 (simile); to be felledDeuteronomy 19:5;2 Kings 6:6; (apparently including vine and bramble) in allegoryJudges 9:8 6t.Judges 9;Genesis 2:9;Genesis 3:22,24 (J), compare figurative of source of (life and) happinessProverbs 3:18;Proverbs 11:30;Proverbs 13:12;Proverbs 15:4;Genesis 2:9,16 (J);Isaiah 7:2 (simile),Isaiah 44:14;Ezekiel 15:2 +;Isaiah 55:12;Ezekiel 17:24 (figurative), +; 2Chron 2:7;Ezekiel 31:14;Psalm 104:16;Ezekiel 31:9,16,18 (twice in verse);Songs 4:14; of vineEzekiel 15:2,6; place of illicit worshipDeuteronomy 12:2;Jeremiah 2:20;Jeremiah 3:6,13;1 Kings 14:23;2 Kings 16:4;2 Kings 17:10;Ezekiel 6:13;Isaiah 57:5; 2Chronicles 28:4, compareJeremiah 17:2;Ezekiel 20:28.
collectivetrees,Genesis 2:16;Genesis 3:1,2,8 (all J); usually later,Genesis 1:12,29 (twice in verse) (P), +;fruit#NAME?treesGenesis 1:11 (P),Psalm 148:9, compareEcclesiastes 2:5,Exodus 10:15 (J),Ezekiel 36:30;Leviticus 23:40 (H), compareJoel 2:22;Deuteronomy 20:20;Leviticus 19:23 (H),Ezekiel 47:12;Nehemiah 9:25;Haggai 2:19olive trees,Nehemiah 8:15,Isaiah 41:19;Psalm 74:5thicket of trees;Exodus 9:25 (J), +;Ezekiel 15:6, compareIsaiah 10:19;Isaiah 44:23;Isaiah 65:22 (simile of great age).
plural oftrees felled for building,1 Kings 5:20;1 Kings 5:32 (+ );2 Samuel 5:11 =1 Chronicles 14:1 7t.;Jeremiah 52:22,24;Jeremiah 9:11; , see above
(approximately 175 times; approximately 120 times plural, to denotepieces [or articles]of wood)
wood, as material; for building,2 Kings 12:13 (+ ),2 Kings 22:6 2Chronicles 34:11 (both +id.),Nehemiah 2:8 +;1 Kings 6:23,31,33 compare1 Kings 6:32;Genesis 6:14 (Noah's ark),Exodus 25:5,10 20t. Exodus (of tabernacle and its furniture; all P)Deuteronomy 10:3;Nehemiah 8:4;Jeremiah 28:13 (in figurative; opposed to );article of woodLeviticus 11:32;Leviticus 15:12;Numbers 31:20, compareNumbers 35:18 (all P). Hence
=articles of woodExodus 7:19 (P; "" ),1 Chronicles 29:2; so2 Samuel 6:5 (but seenear the end); specifically = helve of axeDeuteronomy 19:5;1 Samuel 17:7 Qr (Kt ) =1 Chronicles 20:5;2 Samuel 21:19;2 Samuel 23:7;1 Samuel 6:14 (i.e. wood of which cart was made),Judges 6:26; especiallytimbers of a houseZechariah 5:4;Habakkuk 2:11;Leviticus 14:45, of a city1 Kings 15:22 2Chronicles 16:5;Ezekiel 26:12; ofpole on which bodies of slain (criminals and others) were exposed (perhaps originallytrees)Genesis 40:19 (E),Joshua 8:29 (twice in verse);Joshua 10:26 (twice in verse);Joshua 10:27 (all J E),Deuteronomy 21:22,23; late (in Persian) used for executing criminals (? by hanging =gallows),Esther 2:23 8t. Esther.
of idols,Deuteronomy 4:28;Deuteronomy 28:36,64;Deuteronomy 29:16;2 Kings 19:18 =Isaiah 37:19;Ezekiel 20:32, compareJeremiah 2:27;Jeremiah 3:9;Habakkuk 2:19; so aloneHosea 4:12;Isaiah 40:20, of.Isaiah 44:19;Isaiah 45:20;Deuteronomy 16:21.
(fire-)woodJoshua 9:23,27 (J),Joshua 9:21 (P),Deuteronomy 19:5;Isaiah 30:33 +, read alsoEzekiel 24:5 (for ) Bö Ew Sm Co Berthol Toy; especially for sacrifices1 Kings 18:23 (twice in verse) +,Genesis 22:7,9 (twice in verse);Leviticus 1:7 6t. Leviticus (all P),2 Samuel 24:22 ""1 Chronicles 21:23, +;Genesis 22:3,6 (P).
cedar-wood, used in purificationsLeviticus 14:4,6,49,51,52;Numbers 19:6 (all P).
Joshua 2:6woody-flax, i.e. flax on the stalk. —Jeremiah 10:8 Gie proposes for . —Ezekiel 21:15 is dubious, Sm proposes , Co , Berthol ; SiegfKau Toy leave untranslated.
Topical Lexicon
Created and Planted by GodGenesis introduces עֵץ as the handiwork of the Creator. “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.’ … And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11–12). Trees appear again at the climax of Eden’s description: “Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food” (Genesis 2:9). The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil frame the entire biblical drama. From the outset עֵץ embodies both God’s benevolent provision and the moral test of humanity.
Blessing, Abundance, and Covenant Faithfulness
Throughout the Torah and the Prophets, flourishing trees mark covenant blessing, while barrenness signals judgment.
•Deuteronomy 8:7–9 promises Israel “a land with wheat and barley, vines, fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey … and you will lack nothing.”
• Conversely, disobedience brings the curse: “Your olive trees will be cut down” (Deuteronomy 28:40).
• The righteous “will be like a tree planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3), whereas the wicked “are like chaff” (Psalm 1:4).
Kingship is likened to majestic cedars (Ezekiel 17:22–24), and in Messianic promise “a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1). The metaphor underscores God’s faithfulness to preserve a remnant even when judgment fells the forest.
Worship and Misuse
The Law guards the boundary between legitimate and idolatrous use of trees.
• Asherah poles, literally “wooden images,” are condemned: “Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar” (Deuteronomy 16:21).
• In warfare Israel must spare fruit trees: “Are trees of the field men, that you should besiege them?” (Deuteronomy 20:19). The command balances stewardship with military necessity, reflecting God’s ownership of creation.
The prophets repeatedly expose lofty trees as symbols of proud nations—Assyria is cut down like “a cedar in Lebanon” (Ezekiel 31:3–14). Thus trees become a visual sermon about humility before the Lord.
Construction, Craft, and Daily Life
עֵץ also denotes timber—material for ark, altar, temple, and common tools.
• Noah’s ark: “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood” (Genesis 6:14).
• The tabernacle framework is acacia wood overlaid with gold (Exodus 26:15–30).
• Solomon’s temple requires cedar and cypress from Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6–10).
• Ordinary life: plows (1 Samuel 13:20), yokes (Jeremiah 28:13), and even the handle that flies off an ax-head (2 Kings 6:5–6).
Wood’s versatility displays God’s provision for both sacred and mundane tasks.
Judgment and Deliverance
A tree can be the instrument of curse: “Anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse” (Deuteronomy 21:23). This anticipates New Testament fulfillment: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The cross, fashioned from wood, turns the sign of curse into the means of redemption.
Deliverance is also pictured through wood inExodus 15:25, where Moses casts a piece of wood into bitter waters, making them sweet—a foretaste of Christ’s saving work.
Wisdom Literature and Everyday Counsel
Proverbs mines arboreal imagery: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Lady Wisdom’s fruit is life-giving (Proverbs 3:18). Ecclesiastes observes the fixity of death: “Where a tree falls, there it will lie” (Ecclesiastes 11:3), urging timely obedience.
Eschatological Vision
The prophets close the canon with verdant hope. Ezekiel sees “all kinds of trees” along the river flowing from the temple: “Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing” (Ezekiel 47:12). Joel promises restored vineyards and fig trees (Joel 2:22). Zechariah envisions peace when “every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree” (Zechariah 3:10).
Revelation echoes Genesis: “On either side of the river stood the Tree of Life” (Revelation 22:2). The account that began with trees concludes with eternal access to their healing fruit.
Ministry Applications
1. Preaching and Teaching: Use tree imagery to explain covenant blessing, human responsibility, and the gospel reversal of curse at the cross.
2. Discipleship:Psalm 1 provides a simple model for cultivating rooted, fruitful lives.
3. Stewardship: Deuteronomy’s warfare ethic commends ecological care grounded in reverence for the Creator.
4. Counseling: Proverbs’ “tree of life” sayings encourage hope and wise speech (Proverbs 15:4).
5. Missions: The nations will one day clap their hands as “the trees of the field” (Isaiah 55:12)—a picture of global worship fueled by the gospel.
From Eden to the New Jerusalem, עֵץ traces a theology of life, judgment, and redemption, calling God’s people to stand like well-watered oaks, “the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).
Forms and Transliterations
בְּעֵ֣ץ בְּעֵצ֣וֹ בְּעֵצִ֗ים בַּעֲצֵ֣י בַּעֲצֵ֥י בַּעֲצֵי֩ בַּעֲצֵי־ בָּעֵ֛ץ בָּעֵ֥ץ בעץ בעצו בעצי בעצי־ בעצים הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים הָֽעֵצִ֑ים הָֽעֵצִים֒ הָֽעֵצִים֙ הָעֵ֔ץ הָעֵ֖ץ הָעֵ֗ץ הָעֵ֛ץ הָעֵ֣ץ הָעֵ֨ץ הָעֵֽץ׃ הָעֵץ֙ הָעֵץ֮ הָעֵצִ֑ים הָעֵצִ֔ים הָעֵצִ֖ים הָעֵצִ֗ים הָעֵצִ֛ים הָעֵצִ֜ים הָעֵצִ֡ים הָעֵצִ֥ים הָעֵצִֽים׃ הָעֵצִים֒ הָעֵצִים֙ העץ העץ׃ העצים העצים׃ וְהָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְהָעֵצִ֖ים וְעֵ֕ץ וְעֵ֣ץ וְעֵ֤ץ וְעֵ֥ץ וְעֵ֧ץ וְעֵצִ֖ים וְעֵצִ֣ים וְעֵצִ֤ים וְעֵצִים֙ וְעֵצַ֙יִךְ֙ וַעֲצֵ֣י וַעֲצֵ֥י וָעֵ֑ץ וּבְעֵ֥ץ וּבַעֲצֵ֥י וּבַעֲצֵ֧י וּבָעֵצִ֖ים וּבָעֵצִ֗ים וּמֵעֵ֗ץ ובעץ ובעצי ובעצים והעצים ומעץ ועץ ועצי ועציך ועצים כְּעֵ֣ץ ׀ כְּעֵץ֮ כָּ֝עֵ֗ץ כָּעֵ֣ץ כָעֵֽץ׃ כעץ כעץ׃ לְעֵ֖ץ לְעֵ֣ץ לָעֵ֗ץ לָעֵ֜ץ לָעֵץ֙ לָעֵצִ֑ים לָעֵצִ֛ים לָעֵצִֽים׃ לעץ לעצים לעצים׃ מֵעֲצֵ֖י מֵעֵ֣ץ מֵעֵ֥ץ מעץ מעצי עֲצֵ֣י עֲצֵ֤י עֲצֵ֥י עֲצֵ֧י עֲצֵ֨י עֲצֵי־ עֵ֑ץ עֵ֔ץ עֵ֖ץ עֵ֛ץ עֵ֜ץ עֵ֝֗ץ עֵ֣ץ עֵ֣ץ ׀ עֵ֤ץ עֵ֥ץ עֵ֨ץ עֵ֭צִים עֵֽץ־ עֵֽץ׃ עֵץ֙ עֵץ֮ עֵץ־ עֵצְךָ֖ עֵצִ֑ים עֵצִ֔ים עֵצִ֖ים עֵצִ֗ים עֵצִ֛ים עֵצִ֜ים עֵצִ֡ים עֵצִ֤ים עֵצִֽים׃ עֵצִים֒ עֵצִים֙ עֵצִים֮ עֵצֵ֖ינוּ עֵצֶ֔יהָ עֵצֶ֔יךָ עֵצָ֔יו עֵצָ֥יו עֵצָהּ֙ עץ עץ־ עץ׃ עצה עצי עצי־ עציה עציו עציך עצים עצים׃ עצינו עצך ‘ă·ṣê ‘ă·ṣê- ‘ăṣê ‘ăṣê- ‘ê·ṣāh ‘ê·ṣāw ‘ê·ṣe·hā ‘ê·ṣe·ḵā ‘ê·ṣə·ḵā ‘ê·ṣê·nū ‘ê·ṣîm ‘êṣ ‘êṣ- ‘êṣāh ‘êṣāw ‘êṣehā ‘êṣeḵā ‘êṣəḵā ‘êṣênū ‘êṣîm atzei ba‘ăṣê ba‘ăṣê- bā‘êṣ ba·‘ă·ṣê ba·‘ă·ṣê- bā·‘êṣ baaTzei baEtz bə‘êṣ bə‘êṣîm bə‘êṣōw bə·‘ê·ṣîm bə·‘ê·ṣōw bə·‘êṣ beEtz beeTzim beeTzo chaEtz etz eTzah eTzav etzeCha eTzeicha eTzeiha eTzeinu eTzim hā‘êṣ hā‘êṣîm hā·‘ê·ṣîm hā·‘êṣ haEtz haeTzim kā‘êṣ ḵā‘êṣ kā·‘êṣ ḵā·‘êṣ kaEtz kə‘êṣ kə·‘êṣ keEtz lā‘êṣ lā‘êṣîm lā·‘ê·ṣîm lā·‘êṣ laEtz laeTzim lə‘êṣ lə·‘êṣ leEtz mê‘ăṣê mê‘êṣ mê·‘ă·ṣê mê·‘êṣ meaTzei meEtz ū·ḇa·‘ă·ṣê ū·ḇā·‘ê·ṣîm ū·ḇə·‘êṣ ū·mê·‘êṣ ūḇa‘ăṣê ūḇā‘êṣîm ūḇə‘êṣ ūmê‘êṣ umeEtz uvaaTzei uvaeTzim uveEtz vaaTzei vaEtz veEtz veeTzayich veeTzim veHaeTzim wa‘ăṣê wā‘êṣ wa·‘ă·ṣê wā·‘êṣ wə‘êṣ wə‘êṣayiḵ wə‘êṣîm wə·‘ê·ṣa·yiḵ wə·‘ê·ṣîm wə·‘êṣ wə·hā·‘ê·ṣîm wəhā‘êṣîm
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