PLANTS OF THE BIBLE. 



105 



Sandal- wood, which is very commonly used in India in carving 

 and cabinet-maldng. Another wood is the timber which was used 

 in the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the Shittim 

 wood, or wood of the Shittar tree, which is repeatedly referred to. 

 There is very little difficulty in identifying this, becaufse 

 practically the only tree available in the Arabian Desert 

 is the Acacia, which flourishes in the driest situations. 

 The timber of a tree growing very slowly would be hard 

 and close-grained. The tree is also of good commercial value, 

 as it yields gum-arabic. We find names of places derived from 

 the wood, such as the Plain of Shittim, from the trees 

 occurring there. As you will remember, it was the last 

 camping-place of the children of Israel before they crossed the 

 Jordan. 



Then it may perhaps be interesting to run through a few of 

 the trees and shrubs mentioned in the Bible, such as the Almond 

 tree, frequently mentioned, where the flowers appear before the 

 leaves; you read of Aaron's rod that budded. There is the 

 Apple which occurs in the Song of Solomon. "Feed me with 

 apples for I am sick of love." There is also a reference to the 

 fragrance of an apple, and also to the pleasant shade of the 

 apple tree. There is also an apple mentioned in Proverbs : 

 "Apples of gold in pictures of silver." There have been a great 

 many suggestions about this. It has been suggested that it 

 was a Quince which was meant ; but I do not think anybody 

 would have eaten a Quince. Then some say it was a Citron ; 

 but a Citron would not be eaten raw. 



Canon Tristram makes a suggestion which I think fulfils all 

 the necessary conditions — namely, the Apricot. This is a fruit 

 which is very beautiful to look at, is very fragrant and has a 

 very pleasant taste, and if we accept that I think we have an 

 explanation of " apples of gold in pictures of silver," for the 

 foliage is bright in contrast with the golden fruit. The Apricot 

 was not indigenous to Palestine, but was introduced from 

 Armenia, and is now one of the commonest trees in the country. 

 Then we find one or two references to the Chestnut tree, but 

 again the Chestnut is not indigenous to Palestine. The 

 Revised Version has altered this, and correctly rendered it the 

 Plane tree, which is a very familiar tree to us in London. 



Then there is the Cypress tree, which I have referred to as the 

 tree associated with the Gopher wood from which Noah built 

 the Ark. This is a native of Armenia, and very probably also 



