Tamarisk
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Topical Encyclopedia
The tamarisk is a small to medium-sized tree or shrub that is mentioned in the Bible, known for its feathery branches and small, scale-like leaves. It is native to the arid regions of the Middle East and is well-suited to the desert environment due to its ability to thrive in saline soils and withstand drought conditions. The tamarisk is often associated with biblical figures and events, symbolizing endurance and provision in challenging circumstances.

Biblical References:

1. Genesis 21:33 · "Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Eternal God."
In this passage, Abraham plants a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, a significant act that signifies his long-term commitment to the land and his faith in God's promises. The planting of the tamarisk may symbolize a covenant with God, as trees often represent life, growth, and stability in biblical literature. Beersheba itself becomes a place of worship and a testament to God's eternal nature.

2. 1 Samuel 22:6 · "Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time, Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill with his spear in hand, and all his servants standing around him."
Here, King Saul is depicted sitting under a tamarisk tree, a setting that underscores the tree's role as a place of rest and reflection. The tamarisk provides shade and a vantage point, symbolizing Saul's authority and his troubled reign. This scene foreshadows the tension between Saul and David, highlighting the contrast between Saul's earthly power and David's divine anointing.

3. 1 Samuel 31:13 · "Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days."
After the death of Saul and his sons, their bones are buried under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh. This act of burial under the tamarisk signifies respect and mourning, as well as a connection to the land and its history. The tree serves as a living memorial, marking the place of their rest and the end of Saul's dynasty.

Symbolism and Significance:

The tamarisk tree holds symbolic significance in the biblical narrative. Its ability to survive in harsh conditions makes it a symbol of resilience and endurance. The tree's presence in key biblical events suggests themes of covenant, authority, and remembrance. In the context of Abraham's account, the tamarisk represents a lasting relationship with God and the land. In the accounts of Saul, it reflects the complexities of leadership and legacy.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Near Eastern culture, trees were often seen as sacred and were associated with divine presence. The tamarisk, with its evergreen nature, would have been a valuable resource in the desert, providing shade, wood, and a place for gathering. Its mention in the Bible highlights its importance in the daily life and spiritual practices of the people.

The tamarisk's ability to excrete salt through its leaves, creating a saline crust on the ground, may also have had practical implications, such as discouraging the growth of competing vegetation and preserving water resources. This characteristic further underscores the tree's role as a symbol of survival and adaptation in a challenging environment.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Hebrews `eshel (Genesis 21:33; 1 Samuel 22:6; 31:13, in the R.V.; but in A.V., "grove, " "tree"); Arab. asal. Seven species of this tree are found in Palestine. It is a "very graceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts closely clad with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful pink blosoms, which seem to envelop the whole tree in one gauzy sheet of colour" (Tristram's Nat. Hist.).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(n.) Any shrub or tree of the genus Tamarix, the species of which are European and Asiatic. They have minute scalelike leaves, and small flowers in spikes. An Arabian species (T. mannifera) is the source of one kind of manna.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
TAMARISK

tam'-a-risk:

(1) 'eshel (Genesis 21:33, the King James Version "grove," margin "tree"; 1 Samuel 22:6, the King James Version "tree," margin "grove"; 1 Samuel 31:13, the King James Version "tree"). The Revised Version (British and American) translation is due to the similarity of 'eshel to the Arabic 'athl, "the tamarisk."

(2) ar`ar (Jeremiah 17:6 margin (compare Jeremiah 48:6), English Versions of the Bible "heath" (which see)).

The tamarisk (Tamarix, with various species in Palestine, chiefly T. Syriaca) is a very characteristic tree of Palestine, especially in the Maritime Plain, near the sea itself, and in the Jordan Valley. Eight species are described. They are characterized by their brittle, feathery branches and by their tiny scale-like leaves. Some varieties flourish not infrequently in salty soil unsuited to any ordinary vegetation.

E. W. G. Masteran

Strong's Hebrew
815. eshel -- a tamarisk tree
... 814, 815. eshel. 816 . a tamarisk tree. Transliteration: eshel Phonetic
Spelling: (ay'-shel) Short Definition: tree. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/815.htm - 5k
Library

Under Ban of the Ritual
... Palm and tamarisk, acacia and rose-shrub, jasmine and purple mimosa made a
multi-tinted jungle about a shadowy pool in which a white heron stood knee-deep. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter ii under ban of.htm

Version ii.
... they went on, and as they drew nigh to the city, about three furlongs from it, they
found a great tree having three hundred branches, like to a tamarisk tree. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the testament of abraham/version ii.htm

The Early Training of a Race.
... of this South Country. They then gather the gum that exudes from the tamarisk
tree or the lichens from the rocks. From these they ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xi the early training.htm

Compassion for Souls
... her boy, she did so; when she could do so no longer, he swooned with weakness, and
she laid him down beneath the slight shade of the desert tamarisk, that he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/compassion for souls.htm

Sappho
... Upon the white horizon Atho's peak Weltered in burning haze; all airs were dead;
The cicale slept among the tamarisk's hair; The birds sat dumb and drooping. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/sappho.htm

The Cost of a Lie
... When Saul heard that David and the men with him had been found, he was sitting in
Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree at the high place, with his spear in his hand ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the cost of a lie.htm

The Rise of the Assyrian Empire
... coffin of Osiris, after it had been thrown into the sea by Typhon, had been thrown
up on the land somewhere near their city at the foot of a tamarisk, and that ...
/.../chapter iithe rise of the.htm

The Nile and Egypt
... The feathery tamarisk[*] and the nabk, the moringa, the carob, or locust tree several
varieties of acacia and mimosa-the sont, the mimosa habbas, the white ...
/.../chapter i the nile and egypt.htm

Choosing the Tens
... A long amphora stood in a tamarisk rack in one corner; a linen napkin hung, pinned
to the tent-cloth, over it; a glazed laver and a small box sat beside it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter i choosing the tens.htm

The Treasure Cave
... the sand. To the trench he rolled the trunk on the tamarisk cylinders,
and buried all that was left of Athor the Golden. Over the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/miller/the yoke/chapter xx the treasure cave.htm

Thesaurus
Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)
... manna. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. TAMARISK. tam ... vegetation. EWG Masteran.
Multi-Version Concordance Tamarisk (5 Occurrences). Genesis ...
/t/tamarisk.htm - 10k

Tamarisk-tree (3 Occurrences)
Tamarisk-tree. Tamarisk, Tamarisk-tree. Tambour . Multi-Version
Concordance Tamarisk-tree (3 Occurrences). Genesis 21 ...
/t/tamarisk-tree.htm - 7k

Grove (23 Occurrences)
... In 1 Samuel 22:6 and 31:13 the Authorized Version renders this word by "tree." In
all these passages the Revised Version renders by "tamarisk tree." It has ...
/g/grove.htm - 16k

Beersheba (33 Occurrences)
... "Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name
of Yahweh, the Everlasting God" Genesis (Genesis 21:33). ...
/b/beersheba.htm - 22k

Manna (19 Occurrences)
... The manna of the Sinaitic peninsula is an exudation from the "manna-tamarisk"
tree (Tamarix mannifera), the el-tarfah of the Arabs. ...
/m/manna.htm - 21k

Tambour (7 Occurrences)

/t/tambour.htm - 9k

Botany
... Another tree which reaches perfection only in the warmer regions of the plain-and
that too in the Jordan valley-is the tamarisk (Arabic athl) of which Post ...
/b/botany.htm - 38k

Wanderings (7 Occurrences)
... Sinai and the Edomite mountains for many days. The acacia, tamarisk and
palm grow in the valleys. At Wady Feiran there are said to ...
/w/wanderings.htm - 40k

Jabesh (21 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). 1 Samuel 31:13 They took their bones,
and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. ...
/j/jabesh.htm - 14k

Resources
Why are there contradictory accounts regarding the death of Saul in 1 and 2 Samuel? | GotQuestions.org

Tamarisk: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)

Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 22:6
Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV)

1 Samuel 31:13
They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 17:6
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
(See JPS)

Jeremiah 48:6
Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.
(See JPS)

Subtopics

Tamarisk

Related Terms

Tamarisk (5 Occurrences)

Grove (23 Occurrences)

Beersheba (33 Occurrences)

Tambour (7 Occurrences)

Jabesh (21 Occurrences)

Fasted (20 Occurrences)

Manna (19 Occurrences)

Beer-sheba (33 Occurrences)

Discovered (46 Occurrences)

Gilgal (39 Occurrences)

Planted (105 Occurrences)

Spear (55 Occurrences)

Bones (98 Occurrences)

Gib'e-ah (45 Occurrences)

Buried (125 Occurrences)

Ramah (38 Occurrences)

Officials (229 Occurrences)

Gibeah (52 Occurrences)

Fast (157 Occurrences)

Everlasting (192 Occurrences)

Tree (245 Occurrences)

Tamarask
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