Pine-Tree

This tree is spoken of in Scripture by the Lord himself, as one of the trees which the Lord would take to beautify his sanctuary, (Isa. lx. 13.) No doubt, it is figuratively spoken in allusion to believers. See Cedar Tree.

The pine appears in our translation three times, Neh 8:15; Isa 41:19; Isa 60:13. Neh 8:15, giving directions for observing the feast of tabernacles, says, “Fetch olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths.” The Hebrew phrase עצ שמן , means literally branches of oily or gummy plants. The LXX say cypress. Scheuchzer says the Turks call the cypress zemin. The author of “Scripture Illustrated” says,” I should prefer the whole species called jasmin, on account of its verdure, its fragrance, and its flowers, which are highly esteemed. The word jasmin and jasemin of the Turks, resembles strongly the shemen of the Hebrew original here. The Persians also name this plant semen and simsyk.” The authority, however, of the Septuagint must prevail. In Isa 41:19; Isa 60:13, the Hebrew word is תדהר ; a tree, says Parkhurst, so called from the springiness or elasticity of its wood. Luther thought it the elm, which is a lofty and spreading tree; and Dr. Stock renders it the ash. After all, it may be thought advisable to retain the pine. La Roche, describing a valley near to Mount Lebanon, has this observation: “La continuelle verdure des pins et des chenes verds fait toujours sa beaute.” [The perpetual verdure of the pines and the live oaks makes it ever beautiful.]

The Hebrew name, Oren, occurs only once in Scripture, and is variously translated; but from the manner in which it is introduced, it is impossible to determine whether any of the translations are correct. The oren is mentioned with other trees, of whose timber idols were made, in Isa 44:14: ’He heweth him down cedars (eres)and taketh the cypress (tirzah), and the oak (allon), which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest; he planteth an ash (oren), and the rain doth nourish it.’ Though the English version renders it ash, others consider pine-tree to be the correct translation; but for neither does there appear to be any decisive proof, nor for the rubus or bramble, adopted for oren in the fable of the Cedar and Rubus.

Pine Tree.

1. (Hebrew, tidhar.) Isa 41:19; Isa 60:13. What tree is intended is not certain: but the rendering "pine," seems least probable of any.

2. (Hebrew, Shemen,) Neh 8:16, is probably the wild olive.

1. tidhar. A tree that grew on Mount Lebanon, but of what sort is uncertain. Isa 41:19; Isa 60:13.

2. ets shemen , ’trees of oil,’ Neh 8:15. See OIL TREE.

PINE TREE.—1. ‘çts-shemen, Neh 8:15, see Oil Tree. 2. tidhâr. Isa 41:19 [RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ‘plane’] 60:13. From similarity to the Syr. daddâr (‘elm’), the tidhâr has been supposed to be the elm, but quite as probably may have been a kind of pine; of these the two common varieties known in Syria are the Aleppo or maritime (Pinus halepensis), and the stone (P. pinea) with its umbrella-like top.

E. W. G. Masterman.

pı̄n trē: (1) שׁמן עץ, ‛ēc shemen, translated the Revised Version (British and American) “wild olive,” the King James Version “pine” (Neh 8:15); the Revised Version (British and American) “oil-tree,” m “oleaster” (Isa 41:19); “olive-wood” (1Ki 6:23, 1Ki 6:31-33). See OIL TREE. (2) תּדהר, tidhhār (Isa 41:19, margin “plane”; Isa 60:13); πεύκη, peúke, “fir.” Lagarde, from similarity of tidhhār to the Syriac deddar, usually the “elm,” considers this the best translation. Symmachus also translated tidhhār (Isa 41:19) by πτελέα, pteléa, the “elm.” The elm, Ulmus campestris, is rare in Palestine and the Lebanon, though it is found today N. of Aleppo. Post (HDB, III, 592-93) considers that (1) should be translated as “pine,” which he describes as a “fat wood tree”; it is perhaps as probably a correct translation for (2), but great uncertainty remains. Two species of pine are plentiful in the Lebanon and flourish in most parts of Palestine when given a chance. These are the stone pine, Pinus pinea, and the Aleppo pine, Pinus halepensis; all the highlands looking toward the sea are suited to their growth.

Isa 41:19 (c) This is a type of the Christian who is made useful, profitable and beautiful by the Lord in the midst of unhappy situations and conditions which surround him.

A pine tree is an evergreen tree with needle-shaped leaves in clusters and seed-bearing cones. While there is some confusion about which exact conifer trees the Bible mentions, pines are likely referred to in several passages such as Leviticus 23:40; Nehemiah 8:15; Isaiah 41:19; and 60:13.

One of the pine trees found in Israel and the surrounding areas is the Brutian pine (Pinus brutia). This tree grows in the mountain regions of northern Palestine. It can grow from 3 to 10.7 meters (10 to 35 feet) tall with spread-out growth and branches that circle around the trunk in rings.

Another type is the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis). In the Berean Standard Bible, the Hebrew words sometimes translated as "fir" in older versions are more accurately translated as "cypress" or "pine." These trees may refer to the Aleppo pine or a similar species, such as the cypress (2 Samuel 6:5; 1 Kings 5:8, 10; 6:34; 2 Kings 19:23; 2 Chronicles 2:8; Psalms 104:17; Song of Songs 1:17; Isaiah 14:8; 37:24; 55:13; 60:13; Ezekiel 27:5; 31:8; Hosea 14:8; Nahum 2:3; Zechariah 11:2). The Aleppo pine grows from 2.7 to 18.3 meters tall (9 to 60 feet) with upward-spreading branches and yellowish or brownish smaller branches.

Aquifer Open Bible Dictionary © 2026 Mission Mutual, an adaptation of the Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.