Plants of the Bible

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Plants of the Bible
Lytton John Musselman Old Dominion University
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About 125 different plants are mentioned in the
Bible. This includes crops about whose identity
is clear, and such obscure plants as almug wood
(II Chronicles 28) and costly wood
(Revelation 1812). In addition, there are
general terms as weeds and trees.
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More plants are mentioned in the Old Testament
than in the New Testament

• Isaiah mentions more plants than any other book
  (it is also one of the longest books).
• Song of Solomon mentions more unique plants,
  hapex legemon, than any other book.

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Few plants and plant products are unique to the
New Testament Papyrus Laurel
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Paper from the Egyptian river plant Cyperus
papyrus is mentioned in II John 12. It was
shipped to the Phoenician port of Byblos, the
present day Lebanese city of Jbail. Our English
word paper comes from papyrus and Bible Bible
from Byblos.
Ancient port of Byblos
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Laurel (Laurus nobilis), the bay leaf of cooking,
is implied in the victors crown in several New
Testament verses, especially Pauls writings.
It is a common shrub in the Mediterranean region.
you will receive a crown of glory that will
never fade. . . I Peter 54
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• Several plants are obvious imports to Israel.
  Examples are ebony (Ezekiel 2715) and the
  essential ingredients for the anointing oil and
  incensecalamus, frankincense, and myrrh (Exodus
  30)

Boswellia papyrifera near Kadugli, Sudan
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• Based on an agrarian society, the Bible includes
  many references to crops, like wheat, and
  associated plants. Certainly the best known is
  the mustard of Jesus teaching yet we have little
  idea of which plant is intended.

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• No clear correlation exists between the frequency
  of references and the frequency of plants in
  natural vegetation. A good example is the carob
  (kharoob in Arabic), Ceratonia siliqua, a common
  tree in much of the Middle East yet mentioned
  only once (the story of the prodigal son, Luke
  15).

Because of their uniform weight, the seeds of
carob were used to measure precious commodities,
like gold. Hence the word carat in English,
from Ceratonia.
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Chamaecyparis thyoides
Cedar of Lebanon

• Local people in different lands use Bible (or
  Quran) names for indigenous plants which never
  grew in Bible lands. The flora of Eastern North
  America, for example, has many "cedars," which
  are no relation to the cedar of Lebanon of the
  Bible.  

Atlantic white cedar, Dismal Swamp
Juniperus virginiana
Red cedar
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In eastern Sudan, the Beja people call the
large, arborescent Euphorbia abyssinca, zaqqm
after the tree of Hell mentioned in the Quran
(Al-Sfft 3765, Al-Dukhn 4449, Al-Waqiah 5651).
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• The vine (Vitis vinifera) and its products is
  mentioned more than any other plant with 372
  references. On the other hand, some plants are
  mentioned only once such as saffron.

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Current Research on Bible Plants
Cedar of Lebanon Cedrus libani
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The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar in Lebanon Psalm 9212
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Certainly the best known Lebanese plant is Cedrus
libani, Cedar of Lebanon
Tannourine cedar preserve
Cedars of the Lord, Bsherri
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Cedar requires fog from the Mediterranean to
thrive
Less than 3 of the original cedar forest is
extant in Lebanon
Ehden cedar preserve, March 2002
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A patriarch of cedars at the Arz el Rab (cedars
of God) Preserve near Bsherri, Lebanon
Wood craft from broken branches and damaged trees
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Artist Rudy Rahme has sculpted some dead
trees into objects of religious veneration,
perhaps a continuation of the ancient respect for
forest giants
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A cedar log about 300 years old when it was
toppled, probably by a flood, 7774 years
ago. Preserved on the campus of the
American University of Beirut
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Current research at the American University of
Beirut seeks to inventory cedars, determine
their reproductive potential, and understand
their importance in the local economy
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Mandrake Mandragora officinalis A relative of
tomato, potato, and tobacco. It contains
a complex chemical mixture.
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Mandrake Flowers in the winter with
specialized floral parts that repel rain.
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Mandrake
Fruits are often considered toxic
Fragrant fruits are produced in the late spring.
. . .the mandrakes send out their fragrance. .
. Song of Solomon 7 13.
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Current Research on Bible Plants
Frikeh Green Roasted Wheat
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What is the material in these verses?

• If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to
  the Lord, you shall bring as the grain offering
  of your first fruits coarse new grain from fresh
  ears parched with fire. Leviticus 214. New
  Revised Standard Version
• If you bring a grain offering of first fruits to
  the LORD, offer crushed heads of new grain
  roasted in the fire. Leviticus 214. New
  International Version

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Frikeh Production in Syria
Selecting the grain for burning
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Frikeh Production in Syria
Selecting the grain for burning
Burning the durum wheat
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Frikeh Production in Syria
The finished product.
Drying on an Aleppo sidewalk
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We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no
cost --also the cucumbers, melons, leeks and
garlic. Numbers 115
What are leeks in the Bible?
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Comparison of Allium porrum and A. kurrat
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Allium kurrat, Egypt
Allium porrum, England
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Kurrat
Culture of kurrat near Alexandria, Egypt March
2003
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Kurrat
Kurrat is easy to grow from seed. Flowers appear
after six months.
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What is the smallest seed in the Bible?
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Brassica alba White mustard
Mustard??
Brassica nigra Black mustard
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Brassica alba
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Mustard seed is not the smallest seed, only the
smallest of crop seeds.
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Wheat
Flax
Chickpea
Barley
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Wheat
Flax
Chickpea
Mustard
Barley
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Jesus said It The Kingdom of God is like a
mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you
plant. . . Mark 4 31.
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What feature makes it like the Kingdom of God?
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Perhaps its unusually rapid germination.
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What feature makes it like the Kingdom of God?
Leaven is also a symbol of the Kingdom of God.
Mustard seed 24 hours after sowing
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MustardWhat is mustard in the Bible?
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There is no archeological or ethnobotanical
evidence of culture of mustard.
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One candidate is Eruca sativa, known in
English as rocket or arugula.
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Eruca sativa, widely used in the Middle East
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Eruca sativa, widely used in the Middle East
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Some Bible Plants easy to grow in the
Tidewater area
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Myrtle
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Myrtle
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Myrtle
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Flax
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Flaxsource of linen, one of two fabrics in the
Bible
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Flaxsource of linseed, or flax seed, one of the
oldest known foods.
Toasted
Raw
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There are many other Bible plants suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Saffron Onion Dill
Garlic Cumin Broadbean Melon Rue Cucumb
er Myrtle Pomegranate Mustard
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There are many other Bible plants suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Saffron
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There are many other Bible plants suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Dill
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There are many other Bible plants suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Cumin
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There are many other Bible plants suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Pomegranate

Pomegranates on a frieze in Hagia
Sophia, Istanbul
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There are some Bible plants un-suitable for
Tidewater gardens including Poison hemlock
Deadly poison!! Caused the death of Socrates!
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Plants of the Bible
For more information on Bible Plants, go to the
ODU Bible plants Web site at http//web.odu.edu/p
lant
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Plants of the Bible
Scroll down to Bible Plants
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With thanks to
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American University of Beirut and Old Dominion
University
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John Musselman, eager field companion.
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My favorite Bible teacher, Libby Musselman
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Solo Deo Gloria
Wadi Jhannem, northern Lebanon
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(No Transcript)
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He Solomon spoke of plant life from
the cedar
of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows from the
wall. I Kings 4