In the biblical context, forests are often depicted as significant geographical and symbolic elements. They are mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, serving as settings for events, sources of resources, and metaphors for spiritual truths.

Geographical Significance:

Forests in the Bible are primarily located in the regions of Lebanon, Bashan, and Carmel. The "cedars of Lebanon" are particularly renowned for their grandeur and strength. These trees were highly valued for construction, including the building of Solomon's Temple. In 1 Kings 5:6, Solomon requests timber from Lebanon, saying, "So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My servants will work with yours, and I will pay you for your servants according to whatever you say."

The forests of Bashan are also noted for their mighty oaks. Isaiah 2:13 references these trees: "against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; against all the oaks of Bashan."

Symbolic and Spiritual Significance:

Forests often symbolize abundance and provision. In the prophetic literature, they can represent nations or peoples. For example, in Isaiah 10:18-19, the destruction of a forest symbolizes the judgment and reduction of a nation: "The splendor of his forest and his fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down."

Forests also serve as places of refuge and solitude. David sought refuge in the forest of Hereth (1 Samuel 22:5), and Absalom met his demise in the forest of Ephraim (2 Samuel 18:6-8).

Resources and Economy:

Forests provided essential resources in biblical times. Timber from forests was used for building and crafting. The cedars of Lebanon were particularly prized for their quality and durability. Ezekiel 27:5 describes the use of these cedars in shipbuilding: "They made all your timbers of juniper from Senir; they took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you."

Metaphorical Usage:

In biblical poetry and prophecy, forests are often used metaphorically to convey messages of growth, strength, and sometimes judgment. In Isaiah 44:23, the forest is called to rejoice: "Sing for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done this; shout aloud, O depths of the earth. Break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob and will display His glory in Israel."

Judgment and Restoration:

Forests can also symbolize judgment and restoration. In Isaiah 32:15, the transformation of a forest into a fertile field symbolizes the outpouring of the Spirit and the resulting renewal: "until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest."

In summary, forests in the Bible are rich in both literal and symbolic meaning. They are depicted as sources of material wealth, settings for historical events, and symbols of spiritual truths, reflecting the multifaceted role they play in the biblical narrative.4297. prokope -- progress
... obstacles . [This root () is also used in antiquity of and -- clearing away
(chopping down) forests in order to reach their destination.]. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4297.htm - 7k7157. Qiryath Yearim -- "city of forests," a city given to Judah ...
Qiryath Yearim or Qiryath Arim. 7156, 7157. Qiryath Yearim or Qiryath Arim. 7158 .
"city of forests," a city given to Judah, then to Benjamin. Transliteration ...
/hebrew/7157.htm - 6k

3293a. yaar -- wood, forest, thicket
... Word Origin from an unused word Definition wood, forest, thicket NASB Word Usage
forest (51), forests (2), Jaar (1), thickets (1), woodland (1), woods (2). ...
/hebrew/3293a.htm - 5k

3297. Yearim -- a mountain in Palestine
... NASB Word Usage Jearim (1). Jearim. Plural of ya'ar; forests; Jearim, a place in
Palestine -- Jearim. Compare Qiryath y'ariym. see HEBREW ya'ar. ...
/hebrew/3297.htm - 6k

Thus, Look at Every Free People, from the Mountains of Helvetia to ...
... XVII. Thus, look at every free People, from the mountains of Helvetia
to the forests of? Thus, look at every free People, from ...
/.../lamartine/atheism among the people/xvii thus look at every.htm

Psalm CXXXII.
... A place for the Lord. "We heard of it at Ephrata: and found it in the plains
of the forests." [5592] Did he hear it where he found it? ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxxxii.htm

The Bereavements of the Christian Home. [A]
... Some separate for another world; some are borne by the winds and waves to distant
lands; others enter the deep forests of the West, and are heard of no more ...
/.../philips/the christian home/chapter xxvi the bereavements of.htm

Elijah
... Consider his strange and wild life, wandering about in forests and mountains, suddenly
appearing, and suddenly disappearing again, so that no man knew where to ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xix elijah.htm

But, Says My Opponent, if He was not a God...
... what if it swam across it? what if it hid itself in the dense forests? ... [5007] Here
the ms. and both Roman edd. insert the last clause, "what...forests.". ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/46 but says my opponent.htm

The Savanna of Aripo
... 'The northern chain of mountains, covered nearly everywhere with dense forests,
is intersected at various angles by numbers of valleys presenting the most ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xii the savanna of.htm

God, the All-Seeing One
... of the wild waves"the thousands who have perished in battle unnumbered and unnoticed"
the many who have died alone amid dreary forests, frozen seas, and ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/god the all-seeing one.htm

The Death of Cyrus.
... by savage tribes, who lived on roots and herbs, and who were elevated very little,
in any respect, above the wild beasts that roamed in the forests around them ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter xii the death of.htm

God, the All-Seeing One
... of the wild waves"the thousands who have perished in battle, unnumbered and
unnoticed"the many who have died alone, amid dreary forests, frozen seas, and ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/god the all-seeing one.htm

National Wealth
... small yeomen; to till miserable little patches of corn, of which we should be now
ashamed, and to feed cattle on the moors, and swine in the forests"and that ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon xvi national wealth.htm

Forests (12 Occurrences)
...Forests (12 Occurrences). ... (See NIV). 2 Chronicles 27:4 Moreover he built cities in
the hill country of Judah, and in the forests he built castles and towers. ...
/f/forests.htm - 10k

Discover (28 Occurrences)
... discovereth the forests," where the Revised Version (British and American) reads,
"strippeth the forests bare," ie "strippeth the forests of their leaves ...
/d/discover.htm - 17k

Forest (67 Occurrences)
... Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Ecclesiastes 2:6; Isaiah 44:14; Jeremiah
5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of ...
/f/forest.htm - 37k

Armenia (2 Occurrences)
... In early Babylonian legends Armenia figures as an almost unknown land far to the
North, full of high mountains and dense forests, containing the entrance to ...
/a/armenia.htm - 21k

Cyprus (12 Occurrences)
... intended. The chief source of the island's wealth, however, lay in its
mines and forests. Silver is mentioned by Strabo (loc. cit ...
/c/cyprus.htm - 27k

Phoenicians
... with cedar, oak, and pine trees, which are still found in considerable numbers,
but by far the larger part of the mountain has been denuded of forests, and the ...
/p/phoenicians.htm - 38k

Phoenicia (6 Occurrences)
... with cedar, oak, and pine trees, which are still found in considerable numbers,
but by far the larger part of the mountain has been denuded of forests, and the ...
/p/phoenicia.htm - 40k

Cattle (277 Occurrences)
... This is a forest-dwelling species and is now confined to the forests of
Lithuania and the Caucasus. It was formerly more widely ...
/c/cattle.htm - 52k

Botany
... evident. Not only in small forests such as those mentioned, but also in
isolated groups all over the land they may be found. Their ...
/b/botany.htm - 38k

Kirjath-jearim (17 Occurrences)
... City of jaars; ie, of woods or forests, a Gibeonite town (Joshua 9:17) on the
border of Benjamin, to which tribe it was assigned (18:15, 28). ...
/k/kirjath-jearim.htm - 13k

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Forests: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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