Forest (Hastings' Dictionary)

There are five Heb. words for collec- tions of trees and shrubs : — 1. nn; ya'ar, dpv/x6s. This word, which is by far the most common, is tr. sometimes /or&s< (Jer 46^, Mic 3'-), more frequently wood (Dt 19' RV 'forest,' 2K 2«, Ps 96'^ etc.) Its Arab, equivalent, wa'r, signifies difficult, and is used for rugged and stony regions, whether wooded or not. The expression 'thickets of the forest' (Is 9'*) refers to a forest with tangled undergrowth. 2. a-m horr.

sh is used twice for collections of trees :— (a) Wvod{l S 23" etc.), where (reading vin) LXX has the proper name Kaifi;. RV text has wood, marg. the proper name fforcsh (wh. see, and cf. Driver, Text of Samuel, ad loc). Many believe that the reference here is to a town and not to a_ forest. (4) Forest (2 Ch 27^), where it is tr in LXX by Spv/ids. The same word is used for dense foliage (EzkSP 'shadowing shroud'). It is also used for a ' bough ' (RV ' wood ') Is 17. The LXX here tr.

'of the Araorites and the Hivites,' and this is probably correct. In every instance of the genuine occurrence of this word, the proper meaning appears to be ' wooded height.' 3. Tijp sibhak, thicket (Is g's IQi^, Jer 4'). This word is given as a proper name in LXX (Gn 22" •ZapiK). It is also tr'' by Spviibs, Ps 74' (AV ' thick trees,' RV ' a thicket of trees '). i. D'5J/ 'dbhim, dXirri, ' thickets ' (Jer 4^9), called so on account of the darkness of such places. 5. D"n5 pardis, vapaSet<TO!.

This is a word of Persian origin, found in Sanskrit, paradeza \ Armenian, pardes ; Syriac, pnrdaysd ; Arab. firdaus. It is used once (Neh 2') of a royal (AV) 'forest' or (RVm) 'park,' under the care of an officer, whose permission had to be obtained in order to fell wood within its limits. It is twic« used for orchards (Ca 4", Ec 2' pi. RV ' parks '). Pal. and Syria were doubtless much more heavily wooded in ancient times than now. Numerous forests are mentioned in Scripture.

(1) The wood lands of the Canaanites and Rephaim clothed the mountains of Samaria and Galilee, and extended apparently to Beth-shean (Jos 17"""). Tabor is a representative of tlnswoodof Ejihraim. For another ' wood of Epliraim ' see (9) below. (2) There was a forest near Bethel, clothin" the sides of the r.avines coming up from the Jordan Valley (2 K 2-^- ^). (3) The ' forest of Hareth ' was on the W. slopes of the Judaian hills (1 S 22=).

(4) A forest in the hill-country, probably near Aijalon (1 S H'-''- •", cf. v."), where Jonathan ate the honey. (5) The ' fields of the wood ' (Ps 132') refer to the region of Kiriath-jearim, the 'village of the woods' (1 S 7"). (6) The forests where Jotham 'built castles and towers ' (2 Ch 27^) were in the mountains of Jutlah. (7) If horesh (1 S 23" etc.) refers to a wood, then there was a forest at the edge of the Jud:ean desert, near Ziph. The LXX seems to regard it as a place, Kahri.

Conder located it at Khurbct- Khureisa. Tristram, however, thinks that a forest was intended. (8) The latter opinion is strengthened by the allusion (Ezk 20^"- ■") to the 'forest of the south field ' and ' forest of the south' (AV), and ' forest of the field in the south ' (Nejieb), ' forest of the south ' (RV). These must haveoeen forests of S. Judaea, overlooking the Jud.tan wilderness and et-Tih.

(9) There were extensive forests in Bashan (Is 2") and Gilead (2 S 18" ' the wood [RV 'forest'] of Ephraim'). (10) Lebanon was noted for its forests (1 K 7"), as also Carmel (2 K 19'^). RV tr» itenj in this passage ' fruitful field ' {sc. of Lebanon, which seems demanded by the con- text). Forests are mentioned in Apocr. (1 Mac 4™). Forests were an emblem oi pride (Zee 1 P). They were contrasted with cultivated ground, as an emblem of neglect (Is 29").

Notwithstanding the ravages of conquerors, and the improvidence of the people, there are still con- siderable wooded regions, even in W. Palestine. The slopes of the hills, and not a few of the sides of the ravines, are clothed with thickets, and in a few places there are groves of trees, as on the flanks of Carmel and Tabor. Gilead and Bashan have quite extensive open woods of oak, terebinth, arbutus, and pine.

There are stUl traces of the old cedar groves of Lebanon, and large open groves of pine, oak, cypress, juniper, and spruce. There are also many scrubs of dwarf oaks and carobs. Willows and poplars and plane trees are abundant along the watercourses, and tamarisks along the seashore and in the deserts. Acacias are fairly numerous in the valleys around the Dead Sea, and southward to Sinai.

Terebinths, carobs, evergreen oaks, ash, hackberry, and Pride of India are scattered freely over the whole country. Large forests of full-grown trees are found in 5f. Lebanon, and in the heart of Amanus in N. Syria. In the latter chain are large districts, wholly occupied by forests of cedar of Lebanon, beech, pine, oak, hornbeam, cypress, spruce, and yew. G. E. Post.