Lexical Summary
teenah: Fig, Fig Tree
Original Word:תְּאֵן
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:t'en
Pronunciation:te-ay-NAH
Phonetic Spelling:(teh-ane')
KJV: fig (tree)
NASB:fig tree, figs, fig trees, fig, figs on the fig tree
Word Origin:[perhaps of foreign derivation]
1. the fig (tree or fruit)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Tahtim-hodshi
Or (in the singular, feminine) t:enah {teh-ay- naw'}; perhaps of foreign derivation; the fig (tree or fruit) -- fig (tree).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originof uncertain derivation
Definitionfig tree
NASB Translationfig (1), fig tree (17), fig trees (6), figs (14), figs on the fig tree (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, (then) fig (√ dubious; Arabic
, Aramaic ,
; perhaps Punic (see Lzb
385; i.e. Eut, see DHM
VOJ i. 26), Assyrian
tittu, a tree; Lag
M i. 58 ff. combines (precariously) with √ (III)
meet opportunely, with reference to fructifying of fig by another tree, compare Hom
Aufsätze u.Abh. i. (1892), 100); — absolute
Judges 9:10 +; suffix
1 Kings 5:5 +, etc.; plural
Numbers 13:23 +; construct
Jeremiah 24:2; suffix
Amos 4:9; —
fig-tree (ficus carica PostFlora. 730; Hast. DB, under the word TrNHB.350 M'Lean-Th-DyerEncy. Bib., under the word; compare Löw§ 335; often + ):Judges 9:10,11 (in allegory),Amos 4:9;Hosea 9:10;Nahum 3:12;1 Kings 5:5;2 Kings 18:31 =Isaiah 36:16;Micah 4:4;Isaiah 34:4;Proverbs 27:18;Genesis 3:7 (J)fig-leaves,Songs 2:13; collectiveNumbers 20:5 (JE),Hosea 2:14;Jeremiah 5:17;Jeremiah 8:13;Deuteronomy 8:8;Habakkuk 3:17;Haggai 2:19;Zechariah 3:10;Joel 1:7,12;Joel 2:22;Psalm 105:33.
fig, always plural:Numbers 13:23 (JE),Jeremiah 24:1,2(twice in verse);Jeremiah 24:3 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 24:5,8;Jeremiah 29:17 (all symbolic of Judaeans),Jeremiah 8:13 ( ),Nehemiah 8:13; as medicament,2 Kings 20:7 =Isaiah 38:21;Jeremiah 24:2the figs of early ripeness (compare Du).
see [I. ]. see I. .
Topical Lexicon
Botanical and Agricultural SettingThe תְּאֵן (fig) is the fruit of Ficus carica, thriving in the Mediterranean climate of ancient Israel. From the Jordan Valley to the Judean hills, the tree bore two primary crops: an early, smaller breba fig and a later, sweeter summer fig. Its broad leaves offered shade in courtyards (Judges 9:10-11) and its fruit was eaten fresh, dried in cakes (1 Samuel 25:18), or pressed with raisins (1 Chronicles 12:40). Because the harvest spanned much of the dry season, the fig became indispensable to daily bread and a ready measure of the land’s fertility.
Daily Provision and Trade
Figs formed part of the basic diet alongside grain, oil, and wine (2 Samuel 16:1-2). Dried cakes were compact rations for travelers and soldiers, explaining their inclusion among supplies for David’s men fleeing Absalom (2 Samuel 17:28-29). The prophet Isaiah prescribed a “cake of pressed figs” as a poultice for Hezekiah’s boil (Isaiah 38:21), showing both the fruit’s medicinal use and accessibility in the royal storehouses. In prosperous times figs were a staple commodity of local and international trade (cf.Ezekiel 27:17).
Covenant Blessing: “Under His Vine and Under His Fig Tree”
Moses described Canaan as “a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees” (Deuteronomy 8:8), making the fig emblematic of covenant abundance. In the united monarchy the phrase “every man under his vine and under his fig tree” summarized the peace granted in Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 4:25). Micah looked for the same condition in the Messianic age: “Each man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid” (Micah 4:4). Thus the fig tree became shorthand for secure, God-given rest.
Instrument of Covenant Curse
The prophets frequently reversed the sign. When Israel broke covenant, the Lord threatened the fig crop: “The vine has dried up, and the fig tree languishes” (Joel 1:12). Jeremiah portrayed the deported people as two baskets, one of “very good figs” and one of “very bad” (Jeremiah 24:2-8), using fruit quality to depict spiritual condition. Hosea announced that God would “destroy her fig trees” (Hosea 2:12), and Habakkuk conceded, “Though the fig tree does not bud … yet I will rejoice in the LORD” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). The health of the fig reliably mirrored the nation’s faithfulness.
Prophetic Imagery of Harvest and Eschatology
Early ripening figs symbolized nearness and certainty. When Jeremiah declared Babylon’s armies imminent, he said Judah’s figs were “too ripe to eat” (Jeremiah 29:17). Nahum prophesied Nineveh’s fall: “Your troops are like fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall” (Nahum 3:12). Isaiah pictured cosmic collapse with stars falling “like figs dropping from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind” (Isaiah 34:4). In the New Testament, Jesus identified the fig tree’s budding as a sign “that summer is near,” binding Old and New Testament symbolism (Matthew 24:32-33).
Historical Episodes
1. Reconnaissance of Canaan: The spies cut a cluster of grapes “with some pomegranates and figs” (Numbers 13:23), displaying the land’s bounty.
2. Early Monarchy: Abigail provided two hundred cakes of figs to avert bloodshed (1 Samuel 25:18-19).
3. Siege of Jerusalem: King Hezekiah’s healing involved a fig poultice (Isaiah 38:21); later, the Assyrian spokesman mocked Judah with promises of “fig trees and vines” if they surrendered (2 Kings 18:31).
4. Return from Exile: When Nehemiah rebuilt the wall, people of Tekoa repaired “the Valley Gate” near “the refuse gate” where fig trees once stood (Nehemiah 3:13), hinting at agricultural renewal.
Ministry Applications
• Contentment and Gratitude: Figs were common fare, yet Moses listed them among covenant gifts. Believers cultivate thankfulness for everyday mercies.
• Spiritual Fruit Inspection: Jeremiah’s baskets invite self-examination—are our lives “very good figs” fit for the King?
• Perseverance in Lean Seasons: Habakkuk’s resolve to rejoice though the fig tree fail models faith that rests in God, not in visible provision.
• Witness of Peace: Hospitality “under the fig tree” portrays the church’s mission to extend gospel peace in a fearful world.
Foreshadowing Christ
Though the Hebrew term appears in the Old Testament, its theology prepares for Christ’s interaction with fig trees in the Gospels. Jesus saw Nathanael “under the fig tree” (John 1:48) and later cursed a barren fig tree (Mark 11:13-14), dramatizing judgment upon fruitless religion. The Old Testament’s twin themes of blessing and curse culminate in Him who fulfills covenant promise and warns of covenant breach.
Conclusion
תְּאֵן weaves through Scripture as a barometer of covenant life: nourishing in blessing, failing in judgment, and illustrative in prophecy. Its presence at key moments—from Edenic covering (Genesis 3:7) to eschatological hope (Micah 4:4)—invites readers to trust the Lord who both supplies every good fig and withholds harvest to call His people back.
Forms and Transliterations
בִתְאֵנָה֙ בַּתְּאֵנָ֗ה בתאנה הַשֹּׁ֣עָרִ֔ים הַתְּאֵנִ֤ים הַתְּאֵנִֽים׃ הַתְּאֵנָ֔ה הַתְּאֵנָה֙ השערים התאנה התאנים התאנים׃ וְהַתְּאֵנָ֖ה וְהַתְּאֵנָ֧ה וְכַתְּאֵנִים֙ וּתְאֵ֣נָתָ֔הּ וּתְאֵנִים֙ וּתְאֵנֵיכֶ֥ם וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וּתְאֵנָ֤ה וּתְאֵנָתִ֖י וּתְאֵנָתֶ֑ךָ וּתְאֵנָתָ֑ם והתאנה וכתאנים ותאנה ותאניכם ותאנים ותאנתה ותאנתי ותאנתך ותאנתם כִּתְאֵנֵ֖י כַּתְּאֵנִ֥ים כתאני כתאנים לַתְּאֵנָ֑ה לתאנה מִתְּאֵנָֽה׃ מתאנה׃ תְּ֭אֵנָה תְּאֵֽנָת֔וֹ תְּאֵנִ֑ים תְּאֵנִ֖ים תְּאֵנִ֣ים תְּאֵנִים֙ תְּאֵנָ֥ה תְּאֵנָֽה׃ תְּאֵנָת֔וֹ תְּאֵנָת֖וֹ תְאֵנִ֔ים תְאֵנָ֔ה תְאֵנָ֣ה תאנה תאנה׃ תאנים תאנתו bat·tə·’ê·nāh battə’ênāh batteeNah ḇiṯ’ênāh ḇiṯ·’ê·nāh haš·šō·‘ā·rîm hashShoaRim haššō‘ārîm hat·tə·’ê·nāh hat·tə·’ê·nîm hattə’ênāh hattə’ênîm hatteeNah hatteeNim kat·tə·’ê·nîm kattə’ênîm katteeNim kiṯ’ênê kiṯ·’ê·nê kiteNei lat·tə·’ê·nāh lattə’ênāh latteeNah mit·tə·’ê·nāh mittə’ênāh mitteeNah tə’ênāh ṯə’ênāh tə’ênāṯōw tə’ênîm ṯə’ênîm tə·’ê·nā·ṯōw tə·’ê·nāh ṯə·’ê·nāh tə·’ê·nîm ṯə·’ê·nîm teeNah teenaTo teeNim ū·ṯə·’ê·nā·ṯāh ū·ṯə·’ê·nā·ṯām ū·ṯə·’ê·nā·ṯe·ḵā ū·ṯə·’ê·nā·ṯî ū·ṯə·’ê·nāh ū·ṯə·’ê·nê·ḵem ū·ṯə·’ê·nîm ūṯə’ênāh ūṯə’ênāṯāh ūṯə’ênāṯām ūṯə’ênāṯeḵā ūṯə’ênāṯî ūṯə’ênêḵem ūṯə’ênîm uteeNah uteEnaTah uteenaTam uteenaTecha uteenaTi uteeneiChem uteeNim vechatteeNim vehatteeNah viteNah wə·hat·tə·’ê·nāh wə·ḵat·tə·’ê·nîm wəhattə’ênāh wəḵattə’ênîm
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