The palm tree is a significant symbol and botanical feature in the biblical narrative, representing beauty, prosperity, and righteousness. It is mentioned numerous times throughout the Scriptures, often in contexts that highlight its importance in the ancient Near Eastern landscape and its symbolic meanings.

Biblical References and Symbolism

1. Righteousness and Flourishing: The palm tree is frequently associated with righteousness and the flourishing of the godly. In Psalm 92:12, the psalmist declares, "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon." This imagery suggests stability, growth, and the blessings that come from living a life aligned with God's will.

2. Victory and Triumph: In ancient cultures, palm branches were symbols of victory and triumph. This symbolism is evident in the New Testament during Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. John 12:13 records, "They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Blessed is the King of Israel!'" The use of palm branches here underscores the recognition of Jesus as the victorious King and Messiah.

3. Beauty and Majesty: The palm tree's stately appearance and ability to thrive in arid conditions make it a symbol of beauty and resilience. In Song of Solomon 7:7, the beloved is compared to a palm tree: "Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like clusters of fruit." This comparison highlights the elegance and allure associated with the palm.

4. Provision and Sustenance: The palm tree, particularly the date palm, was a vital source of food and resources in biblical times. Its fruit provided nourishment, and its leaves and fibers were used for various practical purposes. This aspect of the palm tree underscores God's provision and care for His people.

5. Temple Imagery: The palm tree is also a prominent feature in the design of sacred spaces. In the construction of Solomon's Temple, palm trees were carved into the walls and doors, as described in 1 Kings 6:29: "On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers." This decorative use signifies the beauty and sanctity of the temple as a place of worship.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, palm trees were abundant and highly valued. They thrived in the region's climate and were integral to the economy and daily life. The date palm, in particular, was prized for its sweet fruit, which could be eaten fresh or dried for preservation. The tree's versatility and productivity made it a fitting symbol for various spiritual truths conveyed in the Bible.

Conclusion

The palm tree, with its rich symbolism and practical significance, serves as a powerful metaphor in the biblical text. It represents the flourishing of the righteous, the victory of the Messiah, and the beauty and provision found in God's creation. Through its various appearances in Scripture, the palm tree continues to inspire and instruct believers in their spiritual journey.Palm Tree

PALM TREE

pam'-tre (tamar, same as the Aramaic and Ethiopic, but in Arabic = "date"; phoinix (Exodus 15:27 Leviticus 23:40 Numbers 33:9 Deuteronomy 34:3 Judges 1:16; Judges 3:13 2 Chronicles 28:15 Nehemiah 8:15 Psalm 92:12 Songs 7:7 Joel 1:12); tomer, Deborah "dwelt under the palm-tree" (Judges 4:5); "They are like a palm-tree (margin "pillar"), of turned work" (Jeremiah 10:5); timorah (only in the plural), the palm tree as an architectural feature (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 1 Kings 7:36 2 Chronicles 3:5 Ezekiel 40:16); Greek only Ecclesiasticus 50:12; John 12:13 Revelation 7:9):

1. Palm Trees:

The palm, Phoenix dactylifera (Natural Order Palmeae), Arabic nakhl, is a tree which from the earliest times has been associated with the Semitic peoples. In Arabia the very existence of man depends largely upon its presence, and many authorities consider this to have been its original habitat. It is only natural that such a tree should have been sacred both there and in Assyria in the earliest ages. In Palestine the palm leaf appears as an ornament upon pottery as far back as 1800 B.C. (compare PEF, Gezer Mere., II, 172). In Egypt the tall palm stem forms a constant feature in early architecture, and among the Hebrews it was extensively used as a decoration of the temple (1 Kings 6:29, 32, 35; 1 Kings 7:36 2 Chronicles 3:5). It is a symbol of beauty (Songs 7:7) and of the righteous man:

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree:

He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

They are planted in the house of Yahweh;

They shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall still bring forth fruit in old age;

They shall be full of sap and green" (Psalm 92:12-14).

The palm tree or branch is used extensively on Jewish coinage and most noticeably appears as a symbol of the land upon the celebrated Judea Capta coins of Vespasian. A couple of centuries or so later it forms a prominent architectural feature in the ornamentation of the Galilean synagogues, e.g. at Tell Chum (Capernaum). The method of artificial fertilization of the pistillate (female) flowers by means of the staminate (male) flowers appears to have been known in the earliest historic times. Winged figures are depicted on some of the early Assyrian sculptures shaking a bunch of the male flowers over the female for the same purpose as the people of modern Gaza ascend the tall trunks of the fruit-bearing palms and tie among the female flowers a bunch of the pollen-bearing male flowers.

2. Their Ancient Abundance in Palestine:

In Palestine today the palm is much neglected; there are few groves except along the coast, e.g. at the bay of Akka, Jaffa and Gaza; solitary palms occur all over the land in the courtyards of mosques (compare Psalm 92:13) and houses even in the mountains. Once palms flourished upon the Mount of Olives (Nehemiah 8:15), and Jericho was long known as the "city of palm-trees" (Deuteronomy 34:3 Judges 1:16; Judges 3:13 2 Chronicles 28:15; Josephus BJ, IV, viii, 2-3), but today the only palms are scarce and small; under its name Hazazon-tamar (2 Chronicles 20:2), En-gedi would appear to have been as much a place of palms in ancient days as we know it was in later history. A city, too, called Tamar ("date palm") appears to have been somewhere near the southwestern corner of the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47:19; Ezekiel 48:28). Today the numerous salt-encrusted stumps of wild palm trees washed up all along the shores of the Dead Sea witness to the existence of these trees within recent times in some of the deep valleys around.

3. Palm Branches:

Branches of palms have been symbolically associated with several different ideas. A palm branch is used in Isaiah 9:14; Isaiah 19:15 to signify he "head," the highest of the people, as contrasted with the rush, the "tail," or humblest of the people. Palm branches appear from early times to have been associated with rejoicing. On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles the Hebrews were commanded to take branches of palms, with other trees, and rejoice before God (Leviticus 23:40; compare Nehemiah 8:15; 2 Maccabees 10:7). The palm branch still forms the chief feature of the lulabh carried daily by every pious Jew to the synagogue, during the feast. Later it was connected with the idea of triumph and victory. Simon Maccabeus entered the Akra at Jerusalem after its capture, "with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs: because there was destroyed a great enemy out of Israel" (1 Maccabees 13:51 the King James Version; compare 2 Maccabees 10:7). The same idea comes out in the use of palm branches by the multitudes who escorted Jesus to Jerusalem (John 12:13) and also in the vision of the "great multitude, which no man could number.... standing before the.... Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their hands" (Revelation 7:9). Today palms are carried in every Moslem funeral procession and are laid on the new-made grave.

See also TAMAR as a proper name.

E. W. G. Masterman

Palm Tree

(Heb. tamar). Under this generic term many species are botanically included; but we have here only to do with the date palm, the Phoenix dactylifera of Linnaeus. While this tree was abundant generally in the Levant, it was regarded by the ancients as peculiarly characteristic of Palestine and the neighboring regions, though now it is rare. ("The palm tree frequently attains a height of eighty feet, but more commonly forty to fifty. It begins to bear fruit after it has been planted six or eight years, and continues to be productive for a century. Its trunk is straight, tall and unbroken, terminating in a crown of emerald-green plumes, like a diadem of gigantic ostrich-feathers; these leaves are frequently twenty feet in length, droop slightly at the ends, and whisper musically in the breeze. The palm is, in truth, a beautiful and most useful tree. Its fruit is the daily food of millions; its sap furnishes an agreeable wine; the fibres of the base of its leaves are woven into ropes and rigging; its tall stem supplies a valuable timber; its leaves are manufactured into brushes, mats, bags, couches and baskets. This one tree supplies almost all the wants of the Arab or Egyptian." --Bible Plants.) Many places are mentioned in the Bible as having connection with palm trees; Elim, where grew three score and ten palm trees, (Exodus 15:27) and Elath. (2:8) Jericho was the city of "palm trees." (31:3) Hazezon-tamar, "the felling of the palm tree," is clear in its derivation. There is also Tamar, "the palm." (Ezekiel 47:19) Bethany means the "house of dates." The word Phoenicia, which occurs twice in the New Testament -- (Acts 11:19; 15:3) --is in all probability derived from the Greek word for a palm. The, striking appearance of the tree, its uprightness and beauty, would naturally suggest the giving of Its name occasionally to women. (Genesis 38:6; 2 Samuel 13:1; 14:27) There is in the Psalms, (Psalms 92:12) the familiar comparison, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." which suggests a world of illustration whether respect be had to the orderly and regular aspect of the tree, its fruitfulness, the perpetual greenness of its foliage, or the height at which the foliage grows, as far as possible from earth and as near as possible to heaven. Perhaps no point is more worthy of mention, we wish to pursue the comparison, than the elasticity of the fibre of the palm and its determined growth upward even when loaded with weights. The passage in (Revelation 7:9) where the glorified of all nations are described as "clothed with white robes and palms in their hands," might seem to us a purely classical image; but palm branches were used by the Jews in token of victory and peace. (To these points of comparison may be added, its principle of growth: it is an endogen, and grows from within; its usefulness; the Syrians enumerating 360 different uses to which it may be put; and the statement that it bears its best fruit in old age. --ED.) It is curious that this tree, once so abundant in Judea, is now comparatively rare, except in the Philistine plain and in the old Phoenicia about Beyrout .

5404. phoinix -- the date palm, a palm
... palm, a palm. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: phoinix Phonetic
Spelling: (foy'-nix) Short Definition: a palm tree, palm branch Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5404.htm - 6k8558. tamar -- palm tree, date palm
... 8557, 8558. tamar. 8559 . palm tree, date palm. Transliteration: tamar Phonetic
Spelling: (taw-mawr') Short Definition: trees. ... palm tree. ...
/hebrew/8558.htm - 6k

8561. timorah -- palm (tree) figure
... Word Origin from the same as tomer Definition palm (tree) figure NASB Word Usage
palm tree (3), palm tree ornaments (6), palm trees (10). palm tree. ...
/hebrew/8561.htm - 6k

8560. tomer -- palm tree, post
... 8559, 8560. tomer. 8561 . palm tree, post. Transliteration: tomer Phonetic
Spelling: (to'-mer) Short Definition: tree. ... palm tree. ...
/hebrew/8560.htm - 6k

3712. kippah -- a branch, frond (of a palm tree)
... 3711, 3712. kippah. 3713 . a branch, frond (of a palm tree). Transliteration:
kippah Phonetic Spelling: (kip-paw') Short Definition: branch. Word Origin fem ...
/hebrew/3712.htm - 6k

3709. kaph -- hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot) ...
... palm (so of the paw of an animal, of the sole, and even of the bowl of a dish or
sling, the handle of a bolt, the leaves of a palm-tree); figuratively, power ...
/hebrew/3709.htm - 6k

385. Ithamar -- "land of palms," a son of Aaron
... Ithamar. From 'iy and tamar; coast of the palm-tree; Ithamar, a son of Aaron --
Ithamar. see HEBREW 'iy. see HEBREW tamar. 384, 385. Ithamar. 386 . ...
/hebrew/385.htm - 6k

2688. Chatsatson Tamar -- a place on the W. side of the Dead Sea
... khats-ats-one' taw-mawr'}; from chatsats and tamar; division (ie Perhaps row) of
(the) palm-tree; Chatsetson-tamar, a place in Palestine -- Hazezon- tamar. ...
/hebrew/2688.htm - 6k

1193. Baal Tamar -- "possessor of palms," a place near Gibeah
... Baal-tamar. From ba'al and tamar; possessor of (the) palm-tree; Baal-Tamar, a place
in Palestine -- Baal-tamar. see HEBREW ba'al. see HEBREW tamar. 1192, 1193 ...
/hebrew/1193.htm - 6k

And it came to Pass on the Third Day of their Journey...
... of their journey, while they were walking, that the blessed Mary was fatigued by
the excessive heat of the sun in the desert; and seeing a palm tree, she said ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of pseudo-matthew/chapter 20 and it came.htm

Chapter vii
... 6.7. This thy stature is like to a palm tree and thy breasts to clusters of
grapes.7. 8. I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/chapter vii.htm

Firm to the End.
... There is a fable of the Persians which tells us how a gourd wound itself round
a lofty palm-tree, and in a few weeks climbed to its very top. ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon liii firm to the.htm

Fruits of Recognized Union
... Grace has made her like the palm-tree, the emblem alike of uprightness and of
fruitfulness. ... The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: ...
/.../taylor/union and communion/section v fruits of recognized.htm

And on the Day After, when they were Setting Out Thence...
... setting out thence, and in the hour in which they began their journey, Jesus turned
to the palm, and said: This privilege I give thee, O palm tree, that one of ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of pseudo-matthew/chapter 21 and on the.htm

The "Sayings" of Pythagoras.
... "Plant not a palm tree in a house;" (meaning,) foment not discord in a family,
for the palm tree is a symbol of battle and slaughter. ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxii the sayings of pythagoras.htm

Psalm XCII.
... "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree" (ver.12). ... When the sun hath
gone forth, doth the palm-tree wither? Doth the cedar die? ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm xcii.htm

The General Service to one Martyr.
... undying theology. The Versicle : The righteous shall flourish like the palm
tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Raised up ...
/.../anonymous/the general menaion/chapter xiv the general service.htm

Of the Tree of Life and Death.
... Adam was the first who fell, and that he might shun the precepts of God,
Belial was his tempter by the lust of the palm tree. And ...
/.../commodianus/the instructions of commodianus/xxxv of the tree of life.htm

These Things, Since they are Asserted Upon the Warrant of the ...
... Possibly the Septuagint translation of Ps. xcii. 12, "The righteous shall flourish
as a palm tree," hos phoinix may have been thought to sanction the fable. ...
/.../11 these things since they.htm

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