Bible Dictionary: Willows

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Smith's Bible Dictionary

Willows

are mentioned in (Leviticus 23:40; Job 40:22; Psalms 137:2; Isaiah 44:4) With respect to the tree upon which the captive Israelites hung their harps, there can be no doubt that the weeping willow Salix babylonica , is intended. This tree grows abundantly on the banks of the Euphrates, in other parts of Asia as in Palestine. The Hebrew word translated willows is generic, and includes several species of the large family of Salices , which is well represented in Palestine and the Bible lands, such as the Salix alba, S. viminalis (osier), S. aegyptiaca .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Hebrews `arabim (Leviticus 23:40; Job 40:22; Isaiah 15:7; 44:3, 4; Psalm 137:1, 2). This was supposed to be the weeping willow, called by Linnaeus Salix Babylonica, from the reference in Psalm 137. This tree is frequently found "on the coast, overhanging wells and pools. There is a conspicuous tree of this species over a pond in the plain of Acre, and others on the Phoenician plain." There are several species of the salix in Palestine, but it is not indigenous to Babylonia, nor was it cultivated there. Some are of opinion that the tree intended is the tamarisk or poplar.

(2.) Hebrews tzaphtzaphah (Ezek. 17:5), called by the Arabs the safsaf, the general name for the willow. This may be the Salix AEgyptica of naturalists.

Tristram thinks that by the "willow by the water-courses," the Nerium oleander, the rose-bay oleander, is meant. He says, "It fringes the Upper Jordan, dipping its wavy crown of red into the spray in the rapids under Hermon, and is nutured by the oozy marshes in the Lower Jordan nearly as far as to Jericho...On the Arnon, on the Jabbok, and the Yarmuk it forms a continuous fringe. In many of the streams of Moab it forms a complete screen, which the sun's rays can never penetrate to evaporate the precious moisture. The wild boar lies safely ensconced under its impervious cover."

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

WILLOWS

wil'-oz (`arabhim); itea (Leviticus 23:40 Job 40:22 Psalm 137:2 Isaiah 15:7; Isaiah 44:4)): In all references this tree is mentioned as beside running water. They may all refer to the willow, two varieties of which, Salix fragilis and S. alba, occur commonly in Palestine, or to the closely allied Populus euphratus (also Natural Order Salicaceae), which is even more plentiful, especially on the Jordan and its tributaries. The Brook of the Willows (Isaiah 15:7) must have been some stream running from Moab to the Jordan or Dead Sea. Popular fancy has associated the willows of Psalm 137:2 with the so-called "weeping willow" (Salix babylonica), but though this tree is found today in Palestine, it is an introduction from Japan and cannot have existed "by the waters of Babylon" at the time of the captivity.

E. W. G. Masterman

WILLOWS, THE BROOK OF THE

Evidently mentioned as the boundary of Moab (Isaiah 15:7) and generally identified with the brook Zered.

See BROOK; ZERED.

Strong's Hebrew

6155. arab -- (a kind of tree) perhaps poplar, also a wadi in Moab
... (a kind of tree) perhaps poplar, also a wadi in Moab. Transliteration: arab or
arabah Phonetic Spelling: (aw-rawb') Short Definition: willows. ...
/hebrew/6155.htm - 6k

Library

My Harp Upon the Willows, Grave,
... ASPIRATIONS My harp upon the willows, grave,. tr., John Brownlie 8,8,8,8. I. My
harp upon the willows, grave,. In weeping days is sadly hung,. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns from the morningland/my harp upon the willows.htm

That Passage of David Explained; what the Harps Hung Upon the ...
... Chapter III."That Passage of David Explained; What the Harps Hung Upon the Willows
Signify; The Willow a Symbol of Chastity; The Willows Watered by Streams. ...
/.../chapter iii that passage of david.htm

Bowed with Grief and Anguish Low,
... V. Lead me, O Thou Christ of God,. Where the willows weeping sigh; ... E'en with
dangers lurking nigh,". Past the willows and the grave,. ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the apostolic church/bowed with grief and anguish.htm

Psalm CXXXVII.
... 5. "On the willows in the midst thereof we hung up our instruments of music"
(ver.2). The citizens of Jerusalem have their "instruments of music," God's ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxxxvii.htm

The Banquet of the Ten Virgins, or Concerning Chastity
... Chapter III.--That Passage of David Explained; What the Harps Hung Upon the Willows
Signify; The Willow a Symbol of Chastity; The Willows Watered by Streams. ...
/.../methodius/the banquet of the ten virgins or concerning chastity/

Concerning the Sacrament of Penance
... We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof." (Psalm 137:1, 2.)
May the Lord curse the barren willows of those rivers! Amen. ...
/.../first principles of the reformation/concerning the sacrament of penance.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

Funeral Oration on Meletius .
... The words run thus: "We hung our harps upon the willows, and condemned ourselves
as well as our harps to silence." I make this song my own. ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/funeral oration on meletius.htm

The World Turned Upside Down
... anoint their face, that they appear not unto men to fast, but still secretly before
God they have to groan; they hang their harps upon the willows; they mourn ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the world turned upside down.htm

Hymns from the Morningland
... Like music at the stilly hour,. O Lord, Thou in the hour of need,. My harp upon
the willows, grave,. To Thee my soul enraptured sings,. MODERN GREEK HYMNS. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns from the morningland/

Thesaurus

Willows (5 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. WILLOWS. ... The Brook of the Willows (Isaiah 15:7)
must have been some stream running from Moab to the Jordan or Dead Sea. ...
/w/willows.htm - 11k

Poplars (5 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 ...
/p/poplars.htm - 7k

Willow (1 Occurrence)

/w/willow.htm - 7k

Brook (75 Occurrences)
... etc. Isaiah (15:7) speaks of the "book of the willows," probably the
Wady-el-Asha. (2 ... Mochmur. WILLOWS, THE BROOK OF THE. Evidently ...
/b/brook.htm - 45k

Leafy (22 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 23:40 And ye shall take on the first day the fruit of beautiful trees,
palm branches and the boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook; and ye ...
/l/leafy.htm - 12k

Lotus-trees (2 Occurrences)
... (ASV JPS). Job 40:22 The lotus-trees cover him with their shade; The willows of
the brook compass him about. (ASV JPS). Lotuses, Lotus-trees. Loud . ...
/l/lotus-trees.htm - 6k

Lotuses (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Lotuses (1 Occurrence). Job 40:22 The lotuses cover him
with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him. (WEB NIV). ...
/l/lotuses.htm - 6k

Lotus (2 Occurrences)
... (WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV). Job 40:22 The lotuses cover him with their shade.
The willows of the brook surround him. (Root in WEB JPS ASV DBY NAS RSV NIV). ...
/l/lotus.htm - 8k

Lotus-bushes (2 Occurrences)
... Job 40:22 Lotus-bushes cover him with their shade; the willows of the brook surround
him. (DBY). Lotus, Lotus-bushes. Lotuses . Reference Bible.
/l/lotus-bushes.htm - 6k

Water-courses (9 Occurrences)
... the towers fall. (DBY). Isaiah 44:4 And they shall spring up among the
grass, as willows by the water-courses. (DBY). Ezekiel 6:3 ...
/w/water-courses.htm - 9k

Bible Concordance

Willows (5 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)

Job 40:22 The lotuses cover him with their shade. The willows of the brook surround him.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Psalms 137:2 On the willows in its midst, we hung up our harps.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Isaiah 15:7 Therefore they will carry away the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have stored up, over the brook of the willows.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV)

Isaiah 44:4 and they will spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV)

Subtopics

Willows

Related Terms

Poplars (5 Occurrences)

Willow (1 Occurrence)

Brook (75 Occurrences)

Leafy (22 Occurrences)

Lotus-trees (2 Occurrences)

Lotuses (1 Occurrence)

Lotus (2 Occurrences)

Lotus-bushes (2 Occurrences)