The thorn-bush, often referred to in the Bible, holds significant symbolic and literal importance throughout the Scriptures. It is frequently associated with desolation, hardship, and divine encounters. The thorn-bush is a type of plant that produces thorns, which are sharp, pointed projections that can cause pain and injury. In the arid regions of the Near East, thorn-bushes are common and serve as a vivid metaphor for various spiritual and moral lessons.

Symbol of the Curse and Hardship

The thorn-bush is first introduced in the context of the Fall of Man. In Genesis 3:17-18, after Adam and Eve's disobedience, God pronounces a curse upon the ground: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field." . Here, the thorn-bush symbolizes the consequences of sin, representing the toil and hardship that humanity must endure as a result of the Fall.

Divine Encounter

One of the most notable appearances of a thorn-bush in the Bible is in the account of Moses and the burning bush. In Exodus 3:2, Moses encounters a bush that is on fire but not consumed: "There the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed!" . This miraculous event marks a divine encounter where God calls Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. The thorn-bush, in this context, becomes a symbol of God's presence and holiness, as well as His ability to sustain and protect.

Symbol of Judgment and Desolation

Thorn-bushes are also used metaphorically to describe judgment and desolation. In Isaiah 34:13, the prophet speaks of the desolation that will come upon Edom: "Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her fortresses. She will become a haunt for jackals, a dwelling for ostriches." . The imagery of thorn-bushes overtaking once-fortified places underscores the totality of God's judgment and the resulting desolation.

Moral and Spiritual Lessons

In the New Testament, thorn-bushes are used in parables to convey moral and spiritual lessons. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus describes seed falling among thorns, which choke the plants, preventing them from bearing fruit (Matthew 13:7, 22). This represents those who hear the word of God but are distracted by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth, rendering them unfruitful.

Crown of Thorns

The thorn-bush also plays a crucial role in the Passion of Christ. In Matthew 27:29, the Roman soldiers mock Jesus by placing a crown of thorns on His head: "And they twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, 'Hail, King of the Jews!'" . This act of mockery and cruelty fulfills the symbolism of thorns as a representation of sin and suffering, as Jesus bears the curse of sin on behalf of humanity.

In summary, the thorn-bush in the Bible serves as a multifaceted symbol, representing the consequences of sin, divine encounters, judgment, and the redemptive suffering of Christ. Its presence in Scripture provides profound insights into the human condition and God's redemptive plan.942. batos -- a bramble bush
... a bramble bush. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine; Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
batos Phonetic Spelling: (bat'-os) Short Definition: a thorn bush or bramble ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/942.htm - 6k

173. akantha -- a prickly plant, thorn
... a prickly plant, thorn. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: akantha
Phonetic Spelling: (ak'-an-thah) Short Definition: a thorn-bush Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/173.htm - 6k

5285. naatsuts -- a thorn bush
... 5284, 5285. naatsuts. 5286 . a thorn bush. Transliteration: naatsuts
Phonetic Spelling: (nah-ats-oots') Short Definition: bush. ...
/hebrew/5285.htm - 6k

6975. qots -- a thorn, thornbush
... 6974, 6975. qots. 6976 . a thorn, thornbush. Transliteration: qots Phonetic
Spelling: (kotse) Short Definition: thorns. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6975.htm - 6k

619. Asnah -- perhaps "thornbush," one of the Nethinim
... 618, 619. Asnah. 620 . perhaps "thornbush," one of the Nethinim. Transliteration:
Asnah Phonetic Spelling: (as-naw') Short Definition: Asnah. ...
/hebrew/619.htm - 6k

2336. choach -- briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter
... Definition briar, bramble, hook, ring, fetter NASB Word Usage briars (1), hook
(1), hooks (1), thickets (1), thistles (1), thorn (1), thorn bush (4), thorns (2 ...
/hebrew/2336.htm - 6k

The Bush that Burned, and did not Burn Out
... Regarding the lowly thorn-bush as an emblem of Israel"which unquestionably it is,
though the fire be the symbol of God"in the fact that the symbolical ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the bush that burned and.htm

"Do Men Gather Grapes of Thorns?"
... well what the answer would be. We should suspect a man of insanity who
looked for grapes on a thorn bush. And yet we see numbers ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/champness/broken bread/xxxviii do men gather grapes.htm

The Voice from the Bush
... There the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of
a thorn bush. As he looked, the bush flamed up without being burned. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the voice from the bush.htm

Concerning the Burning Bush and the Rod of Moses.
... dwelt there, the shepherds not daring to ascend up to it; and here it was that a
wonderful prodigy happened to Moses; for a fire fed upon a thorn bush, yet did ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 12 concerning the burning.htm

St. Ambrose, Reflecting Upon the Account He Will have to Give of ...
... spring from our knots also. And why should we despair that God should speak
in men, Who spoke in the thorn bush? [3164] God did not ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter i st ambrose reflecting.htm

The Baptism in Fire
... When the great revelation of the divine Name was given to Moses, which prepared
for the great deliverance from Egypt, the sign of it was a thorn-bush"one of ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the baptism in fire.htm

The Creed Chasm
... They stopped when they got to a big thorn bush, and then danced round it, carrying
their idols raised on platforms, and borne by two or three dozen to each. ...
/.../wilson-carmichael/things as they are/chapter x the creed chasm.htm

Are You Prepared to Die?
... a creed as that. I would sooner have beneath my head the most prickly
thornbush, than have that for my dying pillow. Oh, we want ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 11 1865/are you prepared to die.htm

Fourth Day. Holiness and Revelation.
... To be holy, I must look upon God. I bless Thee for the revelation of Thyself in
the flames of the thorn-bush, in the fire of the accursed tree. ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/fourth day holiness and revelation.htm

The Training of a Statesman.
... Bible I, 161-5). According to the early Judean prophetic account Jehovah
spoke audibly to Moses from the flaming thorn bush. In ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study viii the training of.htm

Thornbush (4 Occurrences)
...Thornbush (4 Occurrences). ... (See NIV). Proverbs 26:9 Like a thornbush that goes into
the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. (WEB NIV). ...
/t/thornbush.htm - 7k

Thorn-bush (5 Occurrences)
Thorn-bush. Thornbush, Thorn-bush. Thornbushes . Multi-Version Concordance ...
(DBY). Thornbush, Thorn-bush. Thornbushes . Reference Bible.
/t/thorn-bush.htm - 8k

Bush (14 Occurrences)
... The generally accepted view that it was some kind of thornbush is an assumption
with scarcely other ground than that there are so many thorny bushes in that ...
/b/bush.htm - 19k

Thorn (30 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS NAS RSV NIV). Proverbs 26:9 Like a thornbush that goes
into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. ...
/t/thorn.htm - 35k

Thornbushes (6 Occurrences)

/t/thornbushes.htm - 7k

Drunkard (15 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV NIV). Proverbs 26:9 Like a thornbush that goes into
the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools. ...
/d/drunkard.htm - 11k

Parched (37 Occurrences)
... attached, are gathered and bound together and then, holding the bunch by the lower
ends of the stalks, the heads are toasted over a fire of straw or thornbush...
/p/parched.htm - 20k

Burning (415 Occurrences)
... The generally accepted view that it was some kind of thornbush is an assumption
with scarcely other ground than that there are so many thorny bushes in that ...
/b/burning.htm - 42k

Asnah (1 Occurrence)
... ASNAH. as'-na ('acnah, "thornbush"): One of the Nethinim, who returned with
Zerubbabel from the exile (Ezra 2:50). Multi-Version Concordance ...
/a/asnah.htm - 6k

Sansannah (1 Occurrence)
... A palm branch, or a thornbush, a town in the south (the negeb) of Judah (Joshua
15:31); called also Hazarsusah (19:5), or Hazar-susim (1 Chronicles 4:31). ...
/s/sansannah.htm - 7k

Why did God speak to Moses out of the burning bush? | GotQuestions.org

What was Paul's thorn in the flesh? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that God is a God of miracles? | GotQuestions.org

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