Topical Bible: Boughs

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical literature, "boughs" refer to the branches of trees, often used symbolically or in religious practices. The term appears in various contexts throughout the Bible, highlighting its significance in both practical and spiritual aspects of ancient Israelite life.

Symbolism and Use in Worship

Boughs are frequently associated with celebrations and acts of worship. One of the most notable instances is during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), where the Israelites were commanded to use boughs in constructing temporary shelters. Leviticus 23:40 instructs, "On the first day you are to take the branches of majestic trees—palm branches, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook—and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days." This use of boughs symbolizes joy and thanksgiving, as well as a reminder of God's provision during the Israelites' wilderness journey.

Prophetic Imagery

Boughs are also used in prophetic literature to convey messages of judgment or restoration. In Ezekiel 17:22-24 , God speaks through the prophet, saying, "This is what the Lord GOD says: I will take a shoot from the lofty top of the cedar and plant it. I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots, and I will plant it on a high and prominent mountain." Here, the bough represents the future hope and restoration of Israel, a tender sprig that will grow into a mighty cedar under God's care.

Metaphorical Significance

In the poetic and wisdom literature, boughs often serve as metaphors for strength, prosperity, or the flourishing of the righteous. Psalm 80:10-11 describes the growth and spread of Israel using the imagery of a vine: "The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. It sent out its boughs to the Sea, and its shoots toward the River." This metaphor illustrates the expansive blessing and influence of God's people when they are faithful to Him.

Judgment and Desolation

Conversely, the breaking or withering of boughs can symbolize judgment and desolation. In Isaiah 10:33-34 , the prophet declares, "Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be felled, and the lofty ones will be brought low. He will clear the forest thickets with an ax, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One." This imagery underscores the severity of God's judgment against pride and disobedience.

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, boughs serve as powerful symbols and practical elements in the religious and cultural life of Israel. Whether used in celebration, prophecy, or metaphor, they reflect the broader themes of God's provision, judgment, and the flourishing of His people.

Strong's Hebrew

6333a. purah -- boughs
... purah. 6333b . boughs. Transliteration: purah Short Definition: boughs. Word Origin
from the same as porah Definition boughs NASB Word Usage boughs (1). ...
/hebrew/6333a.htm - 5k

7730. sobek -- a network (of boughs)
... 7729, 7730. sobek. 7731 . a network (of boughs). Transliteration: sobek Phonetic
Spelling: (so'-bek) Short Definition: branches. ... thick boughs. ...
/hebrew/7730.htm - 6k

6287a. peer -- to go over the boughs
... 6287, 6287a. peer. 6287b . to go over the boughs. Transliteration: peer
Short Definition: over. Word Origin denominative verb from ...
/hebrew/6287a.htm - 5k

5586. saaph -- to lop off (boughs)
... 5585, 5586. saaph. 5587 . to lop off (boughs). Transliteration: saaph Phonetic
Spelling: (saw-af') Short Definition: off. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/5586.htm - 6k

7105b. qatsir -- boughs, branches
... 7105a, 7105b. qatsir. 7106 . boughs, branches. Transliteration: qatsir
Short Definition: branch. Word Origin perhaps from qatsar ...
/hebrew/7105b.htm - 5k

6287. p'er -- to go over the boughs
... p'er. 6287a . to go over the boughs. Transliteration: p'er Phonetic Spelling:
(peh-ayr') Short Definition: beauty. beauty, bonnet, goodly, ornament, tire ...
/hebrew/6287.htm - 5k

6333. puwrah -- boughs
... 6332, 6333. puwrah. 6333a . boughs. Transliteration: puwrah Phonetic
Spelling: (poo-raw') Short Definition: winepress. winepress ...
/hebrew/6333.htm - 5k

5634. sarappah -- a bough
... 5633b, 5634. sarappah. 5635 . a bough. Transliteration: sarappah Phonetic
Spelling: (sar-ap-paw') Short Definition: boughs. Word ...
/hebrew/5634.htm - 6k

5589a. seappah -- a bough, branch
... a bough, branch. Transliteration: seappah Short Definition: boughs. Word Origin
from the same as saiph Definition a bough, branch NASB Word Usage boughs (2). ...
/hebrew/5589a.htm - 5k

6057. anaph -- a branch, bough
... 6056, 6057. anaph. 6058 . a branch, bough. Transliteration: anaph Phonetic
Spelling: (aw-nawf') Short Definition: boughs. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/6057.htm - 6k

Library

The Mind Clearer when Cleansed from Sin; the Ornaments of the Mind ...
... "And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of
palm-trees." [2771] This signifies the exercise of divine discipline, by which ...
/.../chapter iv the mind clearer when.htm

The Mystery of the vision of Zechariah.
... thereof." [2801] And after a few words, the prophet, asking what are the olives
on the right and left of the candlestick, and what the two olive-boughs in the ...
/.../chapter vi the mystery of the.htm

How Each one Ought to Prepare Himself for the Future Resurrection.
... I am examined whether I bring these things which are commanded, whether I am adorned
with virtuous works, whether I am overshadowed by the boughs of chastity. ...
/.../chapter iii how each one ought.htm

The Next Morning Dawned with all the Strange Half Mystical Glow of ...
... had a special "permesso" to go whenever she chose, and trod the mossy paths, where
the morning sun struck golden shafts between the dark ilex-boughs, as though ...
/.../corelli/the master-christian/xxiv the next morning dawned.htm

The Ascent of the Body
... This simple dwelling-place was a one-roomed hut or tent of skin and boughs, and
so completely does it satisfy the rude man's needs that down to the present ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter i the ascent of.htm

Fragment xxxi. Observe That, by Means of the Grain of Mustard Seed ...
... Sprouting out from Him, the twelve apostles, having become fair and fruitful boughs,
were made a shelter for the nations as for the fowls of heaven, under ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment xxxi observe that by.htm

Chastity the Chief Ornament of the True Tabernacle; Seven
... And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of
palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows [2756] of the brook; and ...
/.../chapter i chastity the chief ornament.htm

The Consecration of Joy
... And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of
palm-trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the consecration of joy.htm

Psalm 80
... as with a covering; Like goodly cedars were the boughs. which out from it did spring.
^11Upon the one hand to the sea. her boughs she did out send; ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/psalm 80.htm

Of the Example of Patience Given by Abbot Paphnutius.
... an opportunity when Paphnutius had left his cell to go to Church on Sunday: and
secretly entering his cell he slyly hid his own book among the boughs which he ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter xv of the example.htm

Thesaurus

Boughs (29 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Boughs (29 Occurrences). Leviticus 23:40 You shall
take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches ...
/b/boughs.htm - 16k

Bough (8 Occurrences)
... Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great
oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the ...
/b/bough.htm - 9k

Towered (4 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 19:11 It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their
stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their ...
/t/towered.htm - 7k

Shoots (32 Occurrences)
... not cease. (See NAS RSV NIV). Job 14:9 yet through the scent of water it
will bud, and put forth boughs like a plant. (See NIV). Job ...
/s/shoots.htm - 15k

Stature (22 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 19:11 It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their
stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their ...
/s/stature.htm - 15k

Branchbough
... only) (Ezekiel 31:5, 8). (13) tsammereth, "foliage" or "boughs of trees," literally
"locks" or "fleece" of trees (Ezekiel 17:3; Ezekiel 31:3). (14) qatsir ...
/b/branchbough.htm - 12k

Amidst (13 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 31:3 Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and a shadowing
shroud, and of a high stature: and his top was amidst the thick boughs. ...
/a/amidst.htm - 10k

Goodly (46 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Goodly trees. Boughs of, were to be carried in festive
procession on the first day of the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:40). ...
/g/goodly.htm - 25k

Thin (39 Occurrences)
... a spreading vine, humble of stature, To turn its thin shoots toward itself, And
its roots are under it, And it becometh a vine, and maketh boughs, And sendeth ...
/t/thin.htm - 19k

Branches (103 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 23:40 You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches
of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you ...
/b/branches.htm - 39k

Resources

What are the cedars of Lebanon the Bible mentions? | GotQuestions.org

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Concordance

Boughs (29 Occurrences)

Leviticus 23:40
You shall take on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before Yahweh your God seven days.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Deuteronomy 24:20
When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS NAS RSV)

2 Samuel 18:9
Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the sky and earth; and the mule that was under him went on.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Job 14:9
yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a plant.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Psalms 80:10
The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God's cedars.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS)

Psalms 80:11
She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river.
(KJV DBY WBS NIV)

Psalms 118:27
Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light: Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
(See JPS NIV)

Song of Songs 7:8
I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
(KJV DBY WBS YLT)

Isaiah 10:33
Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.
(WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 17:6
And a gleaning shall be left in it, as at the shaking of an olive-tree: two, three berries above, in the tree-top; four, five in its fruitful boughs, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.
(DBY YLT NIV)

Isaiah 17:11
In the day of thy planting thou hedgest it in, and in the morning thou makest thy seed to blossom; but the harvest fleeth away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
(See JPS)

Isaiah 27:10
For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness; there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume its boughs.
(DBY)

Isaiah 27:11
When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off. The women will come and set them on fire, for they are a people of no understanding. Therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them, and he who formed them will show them no favor.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 17:6
And it springeth up, and becometh a spreading vine, humble of stature, To turn its thin shoots toward itself, And its roots are under it, And it becometh a vine, and maketh boughs, And sendeth forth beauteous branches.
(YLT NIV)

Ezekiel 17:23
in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of its branches shall they dwell.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Ezekiel 19:10
Thy mother 'is' as a vine in thy blood by waters planted, Fruitful and full of boughs it hath been, Because of many waters.
(YLT)

Ezekiel 19:11
It had strong rods for the scepters of those who bore rule, and their stature was exalted among the thick boughs, and they were seen in their height with the multitude of their branches.
(WEB ASV DBY RSV)

Ezekiel 19:14
And go forth doth fire from a rod of its boughs, Its fruit it hath devoured, And it hath no rod of strength -- a sceptre to rule, Lamentation it 'is' -- and it is for a lamentation!'
(YLT)

Ezekiel 31:3
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful branches, and with a forest-like shade, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Ezekiel 31:5
Therefore its stature was exalted above all the trees of the field; and its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long by reason of many waters, when it shot them forth.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 31:6
All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches did all the animals of the field bring forth their young; and under its shadow lived all great nations.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 31:7
Thus was it beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; for its root was by many waters.
(See NIV)

Ezekiel 31:8
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; the fir trees were not like its boughs, and the plane trees were not as its branches; nor was any tree in the garden of God like it in its beauty.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 31:10
Therefore thus said the Lord Yahweh: Because you are exalted in stature, and he has set his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Ezekiel 31:12
Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 31:13
On his ruin dwell do all fowls of the heavens, And on his boughs have been all the beasts of the field,
(YLT)

Ezekiel 31:14
to the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves in their stature, neither set their top among the thick boughs, nor that their mighty ones stand up on their height, even all who drink water: for they are all delivered to death, to the lower parts of the earth, in the midst of the children of men, with those who go down to the pit.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS)

Daniel 4:12
The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
(KJV WBS YLT)

Daniel 4:21
and its leaves 'are' fair, and its budding great, and food for all 'is' in it, under it dwell doth the beast of the field, and on its boughs sit do the birds of the heavens.
(YLT)

Subtopics

Boughs

Related Terms

Sold (92 Occurrences)

Hamor (13 Occurrences)

Ephron (13 Occurrences)

Sepulchre (57 Occurrences)

Paid (86 Occurrences)

Revert (6 Occurrences)

Area (66 Occurrences)

Shemer (4 Occurrences)

Circumcised (58 Occurrences)