willow

There are two kinds of willow in Palestine, the White Willow Salix alba being the northern one, and the Common Willow Salix acmophylla being the southern, more heat-tolerant one. In the Jordan Valley the willow gives way to the salt-tolerant Euphrates poplar as the river gets close to the Dead Sea. Some confusion of names arises from the fact that the Euphrates poplar has two kinds of leaves. The younger shoots produce a narrow leaf like the willow, and the mature shoots produce a wider, ovate leaf.

The willow is found along streams, where it can grow to a height of 6 meters (20 feet). It has long, narrow leaves which drop during the winter and the tiny green flowers appear around October.

If “willow” is indeed the correct translation of ‘aravah in Leviticus (23:40), then it is one of the four species recommended for use in building shelters for the Festival of Shelters. In Job it is the habitat of the mysterious Behemoth that no man can tame. In Isaiah and Ezekiel it is a metaphor for something that grows luxuriantly.

Over three hundred Salix species are found around the world in temperate regions. They are sometimes known as ossiers or sallows. At least one Salix species (Safsaf Willow Salix subserrata) is found in sub-Saharan Africa in addition to being found in Egypt, Libya, and Israel. Flora of West Tropical Africa lists three other species. People who make round, thatched houses use thin, flexible sticks from a shrub to form the concentric rings that hold the radial sticks (either bamboo or sorghum stalks) in place. Some of these may be willows, and if so, the local word would be appropriate in the biblical context where shelters are being constructed.

In Isaiah 44:4 and Ezekiel 17:5 the willow is symbolic of quick growth and may require an appropriate local equivalent of a thriving plant.

Salix acmophilla, Wikimedia Commons

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 17:5

Then he took of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil: Next the eagle took a seed and planted it. This seed seems to have nothing to do with the cedar branch mentioned in the previous verses. But such a complete break is unlikely. Since the seed later grows into a vine (see Ezek 17.6), and vines are not normally grown from seeds, it is better to translate seed as “seedling” or “young plant” (Good News Translation). Thus in the story the cedar branch changes into a vine seedling; such a change in a story like this is quite acceptable. The identity of the land is unclear here, but that is deliberate. Its identity becomes known in the explanation of the story (verses 11-21), where it is clear that the land refers to the land around Jerusalem. It is best if translators do not make that explicit at this point, so Good News Translation is not a good model here by saying “the land of Israel” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Translations that make it seem that the land refers to the land of merchants (so Revised Standard Version) are also not good models. The land is better rendered “a land” or “a country.” The Hebrew expression for fertile soil (literally “a field of seeds” [Osty]) refers to a carefully cultivated plot of ground where a new plant will have the best chance to grow. Parole de Vie says “a plant nursery,” Revised English Bible has “a prepared plot,” and Bible en français courant (1982) translates “a cultivated field.”

He placed it beside abundant waters: The eagle planted the seedling in an area where it always had plenty of water. The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered he placed it is uncertain, so some translations omit it (so Good News Translation). This is the only place this word is used in the Old Testament, but a similar word in related languages means “small plant” or “shoot.” Therefore here it probably refers to a young seedling that is just beginning to grow. Revised English Bible renders this clause well, saying “a shoot beside abundant water.” Another possible model is “It was a seedling in a well-watered location.”

He set it like a willow twig: Willow trees are fast-growing and usually grow on the banks of rivers where they can get plenty of water. If these trees are unknown in a region, like a willow twig may be rendered “like a tree that grows by the river.”

A model for this verse is:

• Then the eagle took a seedling from a country [or, land] and planted it in cultivated soil; the eagle planted it like a willow tree, a tender young plant beside plenty of water.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .