Lexical Summary ya'ar: Forest, wood, thicket Original Word: יַעַר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance honeycomb, forest, wood 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, forest, wood. Brown-Driver-Briggs II. יַ֫עַר noun [masculine] honeycomb, — absolute יַעַר 1 Samuel 14:25,26; suffix יַעְרִי Songs 5:1; — honeycomb, containing honey 1 Samuel 14:25 (where read וְיַעַר הָיָה עַלמְּֿנֵּי הַשָּׂדֶה with ᵐ5 We Dr Kit in KauAT, instead of see as in MT); וַיָּבוֺא העם אֶלהַֿיַּעַר 1 Samuel 14:26 ("" דבשׁ1Samuel 14:25) and when the people came to the honeycomb behold its bees had departed (see ᵐ5 We Dr Kit VB); אָכַלְתִּי יַעְרִי עִםדִּֿבְשִׁי Songs 5:1; see also I.יַעֲרָה. Topical Lexicon Overview of the Idea of the ForestThe Hebrew term יַעַר refers to a tract of uncultivated woodland thick with trees and undergrowth. It ranges in sense from the majestic cedar ranges of Lebanon to brush-filled thickets along ravines. These forests appear in narrative, legal, poetic, prophetic, and wisdom texts, giving the concept a rich theological and practical profile that touches nearly every era of Israel’s history. Geographical Settings 1. Lebanon and Hermon The most celebrated forests were the cedar heights of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2; Isaiah 60:13). Their towering conifers became synonymous with grandeur, durability, and royal splendor. 2. Hill Country of Ephraim and Manasseh Joshua assigned Joseph’s descendants additional land in the “forest country” (Joshua 17:15-18). These wooded slopes supplied timber and grazing but also demanded faith-driven labor to clear and settle. 3. The Shephelah and the Jordan Valley Smaller riverine forests skirted the Jordan (2 Samuel 18:6-8) and the lowland wadis (Jeremiah 50:39). Such tangled growth could hide both wildlife and armed bands. 4. Royal Domains Nehemiah requested timber from “the king’s forest” (Nehemiah 2:8), probably an imperial preserve south or west of Jerusalem, reflecting Persian administrative control of major woodlands. Economic and Royal Importance 1. Construction Material Solomon’s “House of the Forest of Lebanon” (1 Kings 7:2-5) was a monumental armory and treasury paneled with imported cedar. The very name evoked abundance and strength. 2. Temple Service Lebanon’s trees, floated down the Mediterranean to Joppa, became beams and boards for both the First and Second Temples (1 Kings 5:6-10; Ezra 3:7). Thus the forest contributed directly to Israel’s worship. 3. Everyday Livelihood Forests yielded fuel (Isaiah 44:14-15), fodder, wild honey (1 Samuel 14:25-27), game (Psalm 104:20-21), and places for herds to browse (Jeremiah 50:19). They were both larder and workshop for rural households. Places of Refuge and Conflict 1. Sanctuary and Hiding David eluded Saul in wooded terrain (1 Samuel 23:15-19). Dense growth offered cover to prophets (1 Kings 18:4) and to Elijah’s disciples who felled logs by the Jordan (2 Kings 6:1-7). 2. Battlegrounds Absalom’s rebellion ended in “the forest of Ephraim” where “the forest devoured more people than the sword that day” (2 Samuel 18:8). Thick underbrush turned nature itself into a combatant, illustrating God’s sovereign use of environment. 3. Accidental Homicide Provision Mosaic law described the woodcutter whose axe-head flies off “when he goes into the forest” (Deuteronomy 19:5). The scenario grounds the ordinance of cities of refuge, showing how ordinary labor in the woods could yield extraordinary moral implications. Poetic and Prophetic Imagery 1. Majesty and Joy “Let the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD” (1 Chronicles 16:33; Psalm 96:12). Creation’s wooded choir anticipates universal praise when the LORD comes to judge. 2. Judgment and Desolation Forests become fuel in oracles of wrath: “He will completely destroy its thorns and briers in a single day… and what is left of the trees of his forest will be so few that a child could write them down” (Isaiah 10:17-19). Ezekiel pictures an all-consuming fire sweeping “from south to north so that every face will be scorched by it” (Ezekiel 20:47). 3. Transformation and Restoration Isaiah foresees a day when “Lebanon will be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field will seem like a forest” (Isaiah 29:17). The imagery reverses devastation, promising covenant renewal. Wisdom Literature Proverbs uses the axe-sharpening and wood-gathering motif to illustrate diligence and danger. Ecclesiastes 5:8-9 (in Hebrew text alluding to royal forests) warns against administrative profiteering, while Job 40:21 locates Behemoth under covert of the reeds and “in the shelter of the marsh,” parallel to the protective capacity of a forest. Theological Themes 1. Divine Ownership “For every beast of the forest is Mine” (Psalm 50:10). Forests testify to God’s absolute proprietorship over creation. 2. Sovereign Power When Assyria boasted of felling Lebanon’s cedar forest, the LORD replied, “Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it” (Isaiah 37:24-26), asserting His rule over the rise and fall of nations as readily as over trees. 3. Revelation and Worship Wood from the forest becomes both altar fuel (Leviticus 1:7-9 implied) and structural support for the sanctuary, turning natural resources into instruments of worship and revelation. Ministry and Discipleship Applications 1. Stewardship of Creation The forest passages encourage believers to value and responsibly manage natural resources as gifts entrusted by the Creator. 2. Spiritual Warfare and Refuge Just as David found safety among the trees, so today’s believer takes refuge in the LORD (Psalm 31:20). The forest episodes illustrate both concealment from enemies and the necessity of walking in God’s light lest the tangled world ensnare. 3. Preparation for Worship The transport of cedar for the Temple models sacrificial investment in corporate worship—time, labor, and material dedicated to God’s glory. 4. Proclamation of Judgment and Hope Prophetic “forest fires” warn of divine judgment, while the promised flourishing woodlands foreshadow the new creation. Gospel ministry echoes both notes: the call to repentance and the promise of restoration in Christ. Foreshadowings of Messiah The Branch imagery of Isaiah 11:1 grows out of the stump of Jesse, an echo of logged forest land awaiting redemption. Messiah gathers Gentiles as “the glory of Lebanon” adorns His sanctuary (Isaiah 60:13), uniting nations under one canopy of grace. Thus the forest motif culminates in the kingdom where the Tree of Life spans the New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2), fulfilling every hope latent in יַעַר across the Old Testament. Key References for Further Study Deuteronomy 19:5; Joshua 17:15-18 1 Samuel 14:25-27; 1 Samuel 23:15-19 Psalm 50:10; Psalm 96:12; Psalm 104:20-21 Isaiah 10:17-19, 29:17, 32:15-19, 37:24; Isaiah 60:13 Jeremiah 5:6; Jeremiah 21:14; Jeremiah 50:19 The forest, then, is more than scenery. It is classroom, armory, sanctuary, and stage upon which the Living God displays His wisdom, justice, and salvation. Forms and Transliterations בְּיַ֥עַר בְּיַעְרָ֔הּ בַּיְּעָרִֽים׃ בַּיַּ֔עַר בַּיַּ֤עַר בַּיָּֽעַר׃ בַיַּ֙עַר֙ בַיַּעַר֮ בַיָּ֑עַר ביער ביער׃ ביערה ביערים׃ הַיְּעָרִ֔ים הַיַּ֔עְרָה הַיַּ֔עַר הַיַּ֖עַר הַיַּ֙עַר֙ הַיָּ֑עַר הַיָּֽעַר׃ היער היער׃ היערה היערים יַ֔עַר יַ֖עַר יַ֣עַר יַ֥עַר יַעְר֖וֹ יַעְרִי֙ יַעְרָהּ֙ יַעְרוֹ֙ יָ֑עַר יָֽעַר׃ יער יער׃ יערה יערו יערי לְיַ֔עַר לְיַ֣עַר לַיַּ֥עַר ליער מִיַּ֗עַר מִיַּ֣עַר מִיָּ֑ עַ seg>ר מיער baiYaar baiyeaRim bay·ya·‘ar bay·yā·‘ar ḇay·ya·‘ar ḇay·yā·‘ar bay·yə·‘ā·rîm bayya‘ar bayyā‘ar ḇayya‘ar ḇayyā‘ar bayyə‘ārîm bə·ya‘·rāh bə·ya·‘ar bəya‘ar bəya‘rāh beYaar beyaRah haiYaar haiYarah haiyeaRim hay·ya‘·rāh hay·ya·‘ar hay·yā·‘ar hay·yə·‘ā·rîm hayya‘ar hayyā‘ar hayya‘rāh hayyə‘ārîm laiYaar lay·ya·‘ar layya‘ar lə·ya·‘ar ləya‘ar leYaar mî·ya·‘ar mî·yā·‘ar mîya‘ar mîyā‘ar miYaar vaiyaAr ya‘·rāh ya‘·rî ya‘·rōw ya‘ar yā‘ar ya‘rāh ya‘rî ya‘rōw ya·‘ar yā·‘ar Yaar yaRah yaRi yaRoLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 19:5 HEB: אֶת־ רֵעֵ֥הוּ בַיַּעַר֮ לַחְטֹ֣ב עֵצִים֒ NAS: [a man] goes into the forest with his friend KJV: As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour INT: with his friend the forest to cut wood Joshua 17:15 Joshua 17:18 1 Samuel 14:25 1 Samuel 14:26 1 Samuel 22:5 2 Samuel 18:6 2 Samuel 18:8 2 Samuel 18:17 1 Kings 7:2 1 Kings 10:17 1 Kings 10:21 2 Kings 2:24 2 Kings 19:23 1 Chronicles 16:33 2 Chronicles 9:16 2 Chronicles 9:20 Psalm 50:10 Psalm 80:13 Psalm 83:14 Psalm 96:12 Psalm 104:20 Psalm 132:6 Ecclesiastes 2:6 Songs 2:3 58 Occurrences |
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