In biblical literature, thickets are often mentioned as dense growths of shrubs or small trees, typically found in wilderness areas. They serve as significant symbols and settings in various scriptural narratives, often representing entanglement, concealment, or divine intervention.

Symbolism and Usage in Scripture

1. Divine Intervention and Sacrifice: One of the most notable mentions of a thicket in the Bible is found in the account of Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 22:13 , after God tests Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac, a ram is provided as a substitute sacrifice: "Then Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram in a thicket, caught by its horns. So he went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son." Here, the thicket symbolizes God's provision and intervention, offering a means of deliverance and highlighting the theme of substitutionary sacrifice.

2. Symbol of Judgment and Desolation: Thickets are also used metaphorically to describe desolation and judgment. In Jeremiah 4:7 , the prophet warns of impending destruction: "A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his lair to lay waste your land. Your cities will be reduced to ruins and lie uninhabited." The thicket here is a place of concealment for the lion, symbolizing the sudden and fierce nature of judgment that emerges from hidden places.

3. Wilderness and Isolation: Thickets are often associated with wilderness areas, representing isolation and the untamed aspects of nature. In 1 Samuel 13:6 , during a time of crisis, the Israelites hide in thickets: "When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because their troops were hard-pressed, they hid in caves, thickets, among the rocks, in cellars, and cisterns." This usage underscores the theme of fear and the instinct to seek refuge in the natural world during times of distress.

4. Imagery of Growth and Entanglement: The dense and tangled nature of thickets can also symbolize the complexity and entanglement of sin or life's challenges. While not always explicitly stated, the imagery of a thicket can evoke the idea of being ensnared or trapped, requiring divine assistance to navigate through life's difficulties.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, thickets would have been common in the landscape, particularly in uncultivated or less accessible areas. They provided natural barriers and habitats for wildlife, and their presence in biblical narratives often reflects the geographical and environmental realities of the time. The use of thickets in scripture would have resonated with the original audience, who were familiar with the challenges and dangers associated with these dense growths.

Theological Implications

Theologically, thickets in the Bible can be seen as a representation of God's sovereignty and provision. Whether as a place of divine intervention, a symbol of judgment, or a refuge in times of trouble, thickets remind believers of God's presence and activity in the world. They serve as a metaphor for the complexities of life and the need for faith and reliance on God's guidance and deliverance.5442. sebak -- a thicket
... 5441, 5442. sebak. 5443 . a thicket. Transliteration: sebak Phonetic
Spelling: (seb-awk') Short Definition: thickets. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/5442.htm - 6k

3293a. yaar -- wood, forest, thicket
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition wood, forest, thicket NASB Word Usage
forest (51), forests (2), Jaar (1), thickets (1), woodland (1), woods (2). ...
/hebrew/3293a.htm - 5k

2336. choach -- briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter
... Word Origin of uncertain derivation Definition briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter
NASB Word Usage briars (1), hook (1), hooks (1), thickets (1), thistles (1 ...
/hebrew/2336.htm - 6k

5645. ab -- dark cloud, cloud mass, thicket
... Origin from an unused word Definition dark cloud, cloud mass, thicket NASB Word
Usage cloud (7), clouds (19), thick cloud (2), thick clouds (4), thickets (1). ...
/hebrew/5645.htm - 6k

1347b. gaon -- exaltation
... Usage arrogance (3), eminence (1), excellence (1), glory (1), majestic (1), majesty
(5), pomp (1), pride (29), proud (1), splendor (2), thicket (2), thickets (1 ...
/hebrew/1347b.htm - 5k

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon
shall fall by a mighty one" (ver.33, 34). Immediately upon ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

On Easter
... gives thanks. Hence the thickets now resound with the whisper of birds; amidst
these the sparrow sings with exuberant [2122] love. O ...
//christianbookshelf.org/venantius/on easter/on easter.htm

Thou Spreadest Before Me a Table in the Presence of Mine Enemies.
... and plants, which, if eaten, would sicken and poison the herd; while around the
feeding places and grazing grounds very often lie hid, in thickets and holes ...
/.../callan/the shepherd of my soul/ix thou spreadest before me.htm

Friendship; Or, David and Jonathan
... The Israelites were hidden in thickets, and caves, and pits, for fear of the
Philistines, when Jonathan was suddenly inspired to attack a Philistine garrison ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/david/sermon v friendship or david.htm

Hymn after Fasting
... That Shepherd keen seeks one lost sheep Sickly and weak, strayed from the fold,
Fleece torn with briers of thickets deep, Foolishly bold. ...
/.../prudentius/the hymns of prudentius/viii hymn after fasting.htm

The Schoolboy of Madaura
... At the foot of the precipitous slopes, the river can be heard brawling in a torrent
over its stony bed, and there are sharp descents among thickets of juniper ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/v the schoolboy of madaura.htm

Israel in Canaan.
... and the rest of Manasseh, were to the east of the Jordan, where they had begged
to settle themselves in the meadows of Bashan, and the balmy thickets of Gilead ...
//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson v israel in canaan.htm

Antichrist in Jeremiah
... will be the devastations his fury shall accomplish: "The whole city shall flee for
the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/2 antichrist in jeremiah.htm

Epistle i. To Donatus.
... [2115] The neighbouring thickets ensure us solitude, and the vagrant trailings of
the vine branches creeping in pendent mazes among the reeds that support them ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/cyprian/the epistles of cyprian/epistle i to donatus.htm

Ep. Iv.
... spot that lies under them...or as I should say your mousehole with the stately names
of Abode of Thought, Monastery, School; and your thickets of wild bushes ...
/.../cyril/select letters of saint gregory nazianzen/ep iv.htm

Thickets (14 Occurrences)
...Thickets (14 Occurrences). ... It devours the briers and thorns; yes, it kindles in the
thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke. ...
/t/thickets.htm - 11k

Thicket (9 Occurrences)
... horses? And though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou
do in the thickets of the Jordan? (Root in JPS NAS NIV). ...
/t/thicket.htm - 10k

Foliage (14 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Ezekiel 31:3 Lo, Asshur, a cedar in Lebanon, Fair in branch, and shading
bough, and high in stature, And between thickets hath its foliage been. ...
/f/foliage.htm - 11k

Kiriath-jearim (17 Occurrences)
... kir-i-ath je'-a-rim, kir-i-ath je-a'-rim (qiryath-ye`-arim, "city of thickets";
Septuagint he polis Iareim; the King James Version Kirjathjearim): One of the ...
/k/kiriath-jearim.htm - 19k

Kiriathjearim
... kir-i-ath je'-a-rim, kir-i-ath je-a'-rim (qiryath-ye`-arim, "city of thickets";
Septuagint he polis Iareim; the King James Version Kirjathjearim): One of the ...
/k/kiriathjearim.htm - 13k

Cliffs (10 Occurrences)
... 13:6 And the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were
distressed); and the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in ...
/c/cliffs.htm - 9k

Haughtiness (11 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 31:10 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because that thou hast been
high in stature, And he yieldeth his foliage between thickets, And high is his ...
/h/haughtiness.htm - 10k

Forest (67 Occurrences)
... 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 ...
/f/forest.htm - 37k

Instant (19 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 49:19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan
against the strong habitation; for I will suddenly make him run away from it ...
/i/instant.htm - 13k

Haughty (35 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 31:10 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Because that thou hast been
high in stature, And he yieldeth his foliage between thickets, And high is his ...
/h/haughty.htm - 16k

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