Sacred Plants

 Plants have been an important part of everyday life for all life including human societies since the beginning.  In many traditions plants throughout generations have been deeply intertwined into sacred texts, folklore and mythology.

This section is part of an on-going effort to best associate plant art with historical textual references from the Bible, Qur'an and other holy texts.

These images are not yet available on my Fine Art America page yet, so if you see any you would like to have, please email me, kevinsonger@gmail.com

Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium
Jeremiah 9:15, 'I will feed them with wormwood (לַֽעֲנָ֑ה) ...' 

Willow, Salix spp.
Ezekiel 17:5, 'He took one of the seedlings of the land and put it in fertile soil.
He planted it like a willow (צַפְצָפָ֖ה or עֲרָבָה) by abundant water.'

Thyme, Thymus vulgares
Luke 2:7, Thyme grows prolifically in Palestine & was used for livestock feed & filled the manger
where the baby Jesus was born and laid. Thyme has also been used as a spice in cooking for millennia.

Thyine, Callitris quadrivalis, Rev. 18:12 'She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood (θύϊνον), ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble.

Tares, Lolium temulentum, Matt. 13:30;
'Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds (ζιζάνια) and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn'.

Sweet Flag, Acorus calamus; Song of Solomon 4:14,
'spikenard and saffron spikenard and saffron, calamus (קָנֶה֙) and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices.'

Storax-Styrax, Styrax officinalis; Gen. 37:25,
'As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices (נְכֹאת֙), balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.'

Mint, Mentha spp.; Luke 11:42, 

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint (ἡδύοσμον) and rue and every herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God.' 

Saffron, Crocus sativus, Song of Solomon 4:14,
'spikenard and saffron spikenard and saffron (וְכַרְכֹּ֗ם), calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree; myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices.'

Rue, Ruta graveolens, Luke 11:42,

But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every (πήγᾰνον) herb, but you bypass justice and the love of God.' 

Red Sandalwood; Pterocarpus santalinus, 1 Kings 10:11
'Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood (אַלְמֻגִּ֛ים)and precious stones.'

Papyrus; Cyperus papyrus, Job 8:11,
Can papyrus (גֹּ֭מֶא) grow where there's no marsh? Can reeds flourish without water?

Palestine Chamomile; Anthemis palaestina, Isaiah 40:6,
'A voice says, Cry out. And I said, What shall I cry? All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field (כְּצִ֥יץ).'

Olive; Olea europaea, Gen. 8:11,
The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive (זַ֖יִת) leaf plucked off. 

Myrrh, Commiphora abyssinica, Luke 7:38,
'and standing at his feet behind him weeping, began to wash his feet with tears; and she wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the myrrh (μύρῳ).'

Black Mustard, Sinapis nigru, Mark 4:31,
'It is like a mustard seed (κόκκῳ), which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.'

Grapes, Vitis spp. Matt. 7:16,
'When the time came to gather the grapes (καρπῶν τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος), he sent a slave to the tenants to receive from them his share of the harvest.'

Mandrake, Mandragora spp., Song of Solomon 7:13,
'The mandrakes (הַֽדּוּדָאִ֣ים) send forth a fragrance and at our door is every delicacy, new as well as old.'

Pine, Pinus spp., Isaiah 60:13,
The glory of Lebanon shall come to thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree (בְּר֛וֹשׁ), and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious.

Oak; Quercus spp. Joshua 24:26,
'Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a great stone, and set it up there under the oak (הָֽאַלָּ֔ה) that was by the sanctuary of Yahweh.'

Lentils; Lens esculenta, Gen. 25:34,
'Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil (עֲדָשִׁ֔ים) stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.'

Leeks; Allium porrum, Numbers 11:5
'We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks (הֶחָצִ֥יר), and the onions, and the garlic'

Jonah's Gourd, Curcurbita spp., Jonah 4:6,,
'Then the LORD God provided a gourd vine (קִיקָי֞וֹן) and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.'

Henna; Lawsonia inermis, Song of Solomon 1:14,
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna (הַכֹּ֤פֶר ׀) blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.

Cane, Rushes; Arundinaria spp., Mark 15:19,
'Then they began to beat Him on the head with a cane (καλάμῳ), to spit on Him, and to do Him homage on bended knees.'

Garlic; Allium sativum, Num. 11:5,
'We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks (הֶחָצִ֥יר), and the onions, and the garlic'

Flax; Linum usitatissimum, Proverbs 31:13,
'She seeks wool and flax (וּפִשְׁתִּ֑ים), and works eagerly with her hands'

Red Cedar; Juniperus spp., Song of Solomon 1:17,
'The beams of our house are cedars (אֲרָזִ֔ים). Our rafters are firs.'

Dewberry; Rubus trivialis, Isaiah 55:13,
'In place of the thorn will come up the fir-tree, and in place of the blackberry (הַסִּרְפַּ֖ד) the myrtle: and it will be to the Lord for a name, for an eternal sign which will not be cut off'

Date Palm; Phoenix dactylifera, Song of Solomon 7:8,
'I will climb up into the palm-tree (בְתָמָ֔ר), I will take hold of the branches thereof: Let thy breasts be as clusters of the vine, And the smell of thy breath like apples'

Cucumber; Cucumis sativus, Isaiah 1:8,
'Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, like a hut in a cucumber (בְמִקְשָׁ֖ה) field, like a city under siege.'

Cotton; Gossyplum herbaceum, Esther 1:6,
'The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton (כַּרְפַּ֣ס) curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars'

Coriander; Coriandrum sativa, Exodus 16:31,
'The house of Israel called its name Manna, and it was like coriander seed (גַּד֙), white; and its taste was like wafers with honey'

Caassia, Cinnamomum spp. , Ex. 30:24,
'and of cassia (וְקִדָּ֕ה) five hundred, after the shekel of the sanctuary; and a hint of olive oil'

Chicory; Cicorium intybus, Ex.12:8,
'That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs (מְרֹרִ֖ים), and bread made without yeast'

Cedar; Cedrus libani, Song of Solomon 1:17,

'The beams of our house are cedars (אֲרָזִ֔ים). Our rafters are firs.'

Carob Tree; Ceratonia siliqua, Luke 15:16,
'He longed to fill his stomach with the pods (κερατίων) that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything'

Burning Bush; Rubus sanctus,  Ex. 3:2,

'There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush (הַסְּנֶ֑ה). Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.  Note:  There is discussion as to whether the burning bush was strapflower or blackberry (see below).

Broom Bush; Genista monosperma, 1 Kings 19:5,
'Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree (רֹ֣תֶם). But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!'

Boxthorn; Paliurus spina-christi, John 19:2,
'The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns (ἀκανθῶν) and put it on his head.'

Black Walnut; Juglans nigra, Song of Solomon 6:11,
'I went down to the grove of nut trees (אֱגוֹז֙) to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.'

Beans; Vicia faba, 2 Samuel 17:28,
'...brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and meal, and parched grain, and beans (וּפ֥וֹל), and lentils, and parched pulse...'

Bdellium; Commiphora wightii, Gen. 2:12,
'And the gold of that land is good; bdellium (הַבְּדֹ֖לַח) and onyx stone are there.'

Barley; Horedum spp., John 6:9,
'There is a boy here who has five barley (κριθίνους) loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?'

Lilies of the Field; Anemone coronaria, Matt. 6:28,
'And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field (red anemone) (κρίνα) grow. They do not labor or spin.'

Aloe Tree; Aquilaria malaccenis, Num. 24:6,
'Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes (כַּאֲהָלִים֙) planted by the Lord like cedars beside the waters.'

Almonds; Amygdalus communis, Gen. 43:11,
'Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds (וּשְׁקֵדִֽים׃)...'

Acacia Strapflower; Loranthus acaciae,  Ex. 3:2,

'There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush (הַסְּנֶ֑ה). Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Note:  There is discussion as to whether the burning bush was strapflower or blackberry (see above).

Acacia; Acacia gerradii, Ex. 25:13,

'You shall make poles of acacia wood (שִׁטִּ֑ים), and overlay them with gold.'

Acacia; Acacia raddiana, Deut. 10:3,
'So I made the ark out of acacia wood (שִׁטִּ֔ים) and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands.'