Verdure, a term denoting lush greenery and flourishing vegetation, is a concept that appears in various forms throughout the Bible. It symbolizes life, prosperity, and divine blessing, often used metaphorically to describe spiritual vitality and the flourishing of God's people.

Biblical References and Symbolism

1. Creation and Divine Provision: In the account of creation, God establishes the earth with abundant vegetation. Genesis 1:11-12 states, "Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth vegetation, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.' And it was so. The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good." This initial act of creation underscores God's provision and the inherent goodness of verdant life.

2. Symbol of Prosperity and Blessing: Verdure is often associated with prosperity and divine favor. In Psalm 1:3 , the righteous man is likened to "a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does." Here, the imagery of a flourishing tree represents the spiritual health and prosperity of those who delight in the law of the Lord.

3. Spiritual Renewal and Restoration: The prophets frequently use verdure as a metaphor for spiritual renewal and restoration. Isaiah 55:12-13 declares, "You will indeed go out with joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will grow, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will spring up. This will be a memorial to the LORD, an everlasting sign that will never be destroyed." This passage illustrates the transformative power of God's word, bringing life and beauty where desolation once reigned.

4. Judgment and Withering: Conversely, the absence of verdure can symbolize judgment and desolation. In Jeremiah 12:4 , the prophet laments, "How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, the beasts and birds have been swept away, for they said, 'He will not see our end.'" The withering of the land serves as a tangible sign of divine judgment due to the people's unfaithfulness.

5. Eternal Verdure in the New Creation: The imagery of verdure extends into eschatological visions, where it represents the eternal life and abundance in the new creation. Revelation 22:1-2 describes the river of the water of life, "flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On either side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." This vision encapsulates the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise of life and healing.

Theological Implications

Verdure in the biblical narrative serves as a powerful symbol of God's life-giving presence and the flourishing that comes from living in accordance with His will. It reflects the beauty and abundance of creation, the blessings of obedience, and the hope of restoration and eternal life. Through verdure, Scripture communicates the profound truth that true prosperity and vitality are found in a relationship with the Creator, who sustains all life.(n.) Green; greenness; freshness of vegetation; as, the verdure of the meadows in June.3418. yereq -- green, greenness
... From yaraq (in the sense of vacuity of color); properly, pallor, ie Hence, the
yellowish green of young and sickly vegetation; concretely, verdure, ie Grass or ...
/hebrew/3418.htm - 6k

3293. ya'ar -- wood, forest, thicket
... From an unused root probably meaning to thicken with verdure; a copse of bushes;
hence, a forest; hence, honey in the comb (as hived in trees) -- (honey-)comb ...
/hebrew/3293.htm - 5k

The Healing of the Waters
... The stream that goes singing on its way leaves behind its gift of verdure
and fruitfulness. The grass on its banks is a fresher ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 18 the healing of.htm

Trinidad
... He was surprised, says Washington Irving, at the verdure and fertility of the country,
having expected to find it more parched and sterile as he approached the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter iii trinidad.htm

"As Thy Days, So Shall Thy Strength Be"
... When we have seen the hills clad with verdure to their summit, and the seas laving
their base with a silver glory; when we have stretched our eye faraway, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/as thy days so shall.htm

Job 8:11-22
... and flags beside the stream; But soon their verdure fades and dies. before the
scorching beam. ... Fair in his garden, to the sun. his boughs with verdure smile; ...
/.../anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/6 job 8 11-22.htm

The Fig-Tree.
... others in the plantation, true to the order of development, were yet bare and leafless,
or else the buds of spring only flushing them with verdure, the broad ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/xix the fig-tree.htm

Thirst and Satisfaction
... It is a land of arid mountains without a blade of verdure, blazing in their ghastly
whiteness under the fierce sunshine, and with gaunt ravines in which there ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/thirst and satisfaction.htm

Prepositional Phrases
... majesty of despair. man of iron. mantle of verdure [verdure = lush greenness of
flourishing vegetation]. martyrdom of ambition. marvel of competency. ...
/.../kleiser/fifteen thousand useful phrases/section v prepositional phrases.htm

The River of Life
... Throne of God and of the Lamb.' So then, all through Scripture, we may say that
we hear the murmur of the stream, and can catch the line of verdure upon its ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the river of life.htm

The Beams of Our Houses are of Cedar and Our Carved Ceilings are ...
... Not that they have contracted any new deformity; not at all; everything
was there before, but hidden by their abundant verdure. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/guyon/song of songs of solomon/16 the beams of our.htm

Egypt and Greece.
... There were ranges of enormous columns, colossal statues, towering obelisks, and
pyramids rising like mountains from the verdure of the plain. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter ii egypt and greece.htm

Verdure (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Green; greenness; freshness of vegetation; as,
the verdure of the meadows in June. ...Verdure (2 Occurrences). ...
/v/verdure.htm - 7k

Verified (4 Occurrences)

/v/verified.htm - 7k

Verdigris

/v/verdigris.htm - 6k

En-gedi (6 Occurrences)
... The spot is rendered attractive by the verdure clothing it by reason of immense
fountains of warm water, 80 degrees F., which pour out from beneath the ...
/e/en-gedi.htm - 10k

Euphrates (36 Occurrences)
... Beyond the rocky banks on both sides is the open desert, covered in spring with
a luxuriant verdure, and dotted here and there with the black tent of the ...
/e/euphrates.htm - 26k

Engedi (6 Occurrences)
... The spot is rendered attractive by the verdure clothing it by reason of immense
fountains of warm water, 80 degrees F., which pour out from beneath the ...
/e/engedi.htm - 11k

Blossomed (5 Occurrences)
... Song of Songs 6:11 I went down into the garden of nuts, To see the verdure of the
valley, To see whether the vine budded, Whether the pomegranates blossomed. ...
/b/blossomed.htm - 8k

Carmel (33 Occurrences)
... are few but luxuriant; it is no place for crags and precipices or rocks of wild
goats; but its surface is covered with a rich and constant verdure." "The whole ...
/c/carmel.htm - 25k

Chloe (1 Occurrence)
...Verdure, a female Christian (1 Corinthians 1:11), some of whose household had
informed Paul of the divided state of the Corinthian church. ...
/c/chloe.htm - 7k

Apparel (38 Occurrences)
... 7. (vt) To dress with external ornaments; to cover with something ornamental; to
deck; to embellish; as, trees appareled with flowers, or a garden with verdure...
/a/apparel.htm - 24k

Verdure: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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