Leaves Leaf
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In the Bible, leaves are often mentioned in various contexts, symbolizing life, prosperity, and sometimes judgment. The imagery of leaves is used both literally and metaphorically throughout the Scriptures, reflecting the agrarian culture of the biblical world and the spiritual truths conveyed through nature.

Creation and Provision:
Leaves first appear in the biblical narrative in the account of creation. In Genesis 1:29 , God provides every seed-bearing plant and tree with fruit and leaves for food, indicating His provision for humanity and all living creatures. The lushness of leaves represents the abundance and sustenance found in God's creation.

The Fall:
In Genesis 3:7 , after Adam and Eve eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they realize their nakedness and sew fig leaves together to cover themselves. This act of using leaves for covering signifies the first human attempt to deal with sin and shame, albeit inadequately, highlighting the need for divine intervention and redemption.

Symbol of Prosperity and Righteousness:
Leaves are often associated with prosperity and righteousness. In Psalm 1:3 , the righteous man is likened to a tree planted by streams of water, "which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither." This imagery conveys the idea of spiritual vitality and the blessings that come from living in accordance with God's will.

Judgment and Withering:
Conversely, withering leaves symbolize judgment and the consequences of disobedience. In Isaiah 64:6 , the prophet laments, "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our sins sweep us away." Here, the withered leaf represents the frailty and impermanence of human righteousness apart from God.

Healing and Restoration:
In the prophetic vision of Ezekiel 47:12 , the leaves of the trees growing by the river flowing from the temple are described as having healing properties: "Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing." This imagery is echoed in Revelation 22:2 , where the leaves of the tree of life are "for the healing of the nations," symbolizing the ultimate restoration and healing that comes through God's redemptive plan.

Fig Tree and Faith:
The New Testament also uses the imagery of leaves in the context of faith and fruitfulness. In Mark 11:13-14 , Jesus curses a fig tree that has leaves but no fruit, illustrating the importance of genuine faith that produces spiritual fruit. The presence of leaves without fruit serves as a warning against hypocrisy and the appearance of godliness without true substance.

Throughout the Bible, leaves serve as a powerful symbol of life, growth, and the spiritual realities of blessing and judgment. They remind believers of God's provision, the consequences of sin, and the hope of restoration through His grace.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Leaves Leaf

The word occurs in the Authorized Version either in singular or plural number in three different senses.

  1. Leaf of a tree. The righteous are often compared to green leaves. (Jeremiah 17:8) The ungodly, on the other hand, are "as an oak whose leaf fadeth." (Isaiah 1:30)
  2. Leaves of doors. The hebrew word, which occurs very many times in the Bible, and which in (1 Kings 6:32) (margin) and 1Kin 6:34 Is translated "leaves" in the Authorized Version, signifies beams, ribs, sides, etc.
  3. Leaves of a book or roll occurs in this sense only in (Jeremiah 36:23) The Hebrew word (literally doors) would perhaps be more correctly translated columns.
Greek
5444. phullon -- a leaf
... Word Origin a prim. word Definition a leaf NASB Word Usage leaf (1), leaves (5).
leaf. From the same as phule; a sprout, ie Leaf -- leaf. see GREEK phule. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5444.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
5929. aleh -- leaf, leafage
... Definition: leaf. Word Origin from alah Definition leaf, leafage NASB Word
Usage branches (5), leaf (9), leaves (4). branch, leaf. From ...
/hebrew/5929.htm - 6k

2964. tereph -- prey, food, a leaf
... Word Origin from taraph Definition prey, food, a leaf NASB Word Usage food
(4), leaves (1), prey (17), torn (1). leaf, meat, prey, spoil. ...
/hebrew/2964.htm - 6k

1817. deleth -- a door
... door (21), door and leaves (1), doors (45), doors had leaves (1), gates (11), gateway
(1), leaves (1), lid (1), opening (1). door two-leaved, gate, leaf, lid. ...
/hebrew/1817.htm - 6k

6763. tsela -- rib, side
... leaves (1), one...another (1), rib (1), ribs (1), side (15), side chamber (1), side
chambers (10), sides (5), walls (1). beam, board, chamber, corner, leaf, ...
/hebrew/6763.htm - 6k

Library

Nothing but Leaves
... Whether it is so or no, let me remind you that leaves are an outcome of the life ...
exuberance of growth as that all the life of the tree runs to leaf, and there ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/nothing but leaves.htm

"And we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind ...
... of thy presence from among us, so that we did fade as a leaf before its ... of thy
indignation, and that, like a whirlwind, hath blown the withering leaves off the ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xvii and we all.htm

A Bibliographical Index of the Printed Editions of the Canons of ...
... the 3d ibid. in 1866, in quarto, 3 leaves + 373 pages + 1 leaf + 59 pages,
with the Slavonic text only; the 4th, ibid. in 1874, in ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/a bibliographical index of the.htm

Death to Sin's Penalty is the Way Out into a Life of Justification ...
... If you picked off one of the dead leaves and examined the leaf-stalk through a
microscope, you would find that the old channel is silted up by a barrier ...
/.../trotter/parables of the cross/death to sins penalty is.htm

Continues the Same Subject: Explains the Prayer of Union by a ...
... come into leaf, the little egg which was lifeless before its food was ready, begins
to live. The caterpillar nourishes itself upon the mulberry leaves until ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/chapter ii continues the same 3.htm

Nothing but Leaves
... Now, as the fig tree either brings forth the fig before the leaf, or else produces
figs and leaves at the same time, the major part of the trees, perhaps all ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 10 1864/nothing but leaves.htm

"All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as ...
... All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our ...
with them, and cover your nakedness of other faults with such leaves as Adam ...
/.../the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xvi all our righteousnesses.htm

What Sin Does to Men
... We see the picture of a blasted tree in the woods, while all around are in full
leaf, with tiny leaves half developed and all brown at the edges. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/what sin does to men.htm

section 3
... things were gain to me" (the words seem echoed from the fading leaves and the ... trying
to carry on two lives at once, nourishing root and stem, leaf and flower ...
//christianbookshelf.org/trotter/parables of the christ-life/section 3.htm

The Second Day in Passion-Week - the Barren Fig-Tree - the ...
... before the leaves,' [5081] and that this fig-tree, whether from its exposure or
soil, was precocious, is evident from the fact that it was in leaf, which is ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter ii the second day.htm

Resources
Does the Bible indicate that, in the end times, people will not be able to recognize the different seasons? | GotQuestions.org

Why did Jesus curse the fig tree? | GotQuestions.org

Why do Muslim women have to wear a hijab? | GotQuestions.org

Leaves: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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