fir

The Cilician fir Abies cilicica grew abundantly in the forests of Lebanon along with cedars, evergreen cypresses, and Grecian junipers. The Hebrew word berosh probably included fir, cypress, and juniper. According to 1 Kings 5:8 and elsewhere, berosh was used in King Solomon’s building projects. The reference in Ezekiel 27:5 to the use of berosh for the timbers/planks of ships could well be talking about fir trees since they are very straight, but the association of berosh there with Mount Senir rather favors the Grecian juniper, which was abundant there.

The Cilician fir is a tall and almost perfectly straight evergreen tree, in the same family with pines, cedars, and cypresses. It can reach a height of 25 meters (82 feet). Its flat seeds are contained in cones that fall from the tree when mature. Firs are the major source for turpentine, used by painters to dilute paint and clean brushes.

The Abies genus is represented throughout the world in temperate climates at high altitudes (for example, in Kenya, Japan, and North America). Since there are no firs or anything quite like them in tropical Africa, translators can use a transliteration, for example, firi or pir. In Ezekiel 27:5 we recommend following Zohary by rendering berosh as “fir.” The majority of English translations are divided among “fir,” “cypress,” and “pine.” In 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles we recommend rendering berosh as “fir” or “juniper.” Elsewhere berosh may be considered a generic word referring to cypress, fir, pine, or all of them together. In those places a general word for this type of cone-bearing tree should be used.

Cilician fir in North Lebanon, Wikimedia Commons

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

See also cypress.

Grecian juniper

A tall evergreen, the Grecian Juniper Juniperus excelsa, also known as the Eastern Savin, grew in the mountains of Lebanon along with cedars, firs, and cypress (the Hebrew word berosh probably covered all three of these trees). The association of berosh with Mount Senir in Ezekiel 27:5 argues for the Grecian juniper there, since Mount Senir was known to have plenty of Grecian junipers. Lebanese people up to today refer to the juniper as brotha, a likely cognate with berosh. King Solomon undoubtedly hauled these trees to Jerusalem along with cedars and firs to use in constructing his palace and the Temple of Yahweh.

The Grecian juniper is a conical tree reaching a height of 20 meters (65 feet). Its “leaves” are round rather than flat, and the fruit is an inedible seed-bearing, fleshy cone.

There is no single Hebrew or Greek word that refers specifically to the Grecian juniper. In our discussion of cypress and fir, we have advocated translating berosh generically or as “fir” or “juniper” in 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles (where it is typically associated with Lebanon or cedar). If no generic word is available in the receptor language, a descriptive phrase such as “strong, beautiful tree/wood” can be used. In poetical passages, local poetic equivalents could be considered.

Grecian juniper, photo by Ray Pritz

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

complete verse (Isaiah 60:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Isaiah 60:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “The wealth of Lebanon shall come to you,
    podo, fir and cedar.
    My house shall be adorned with them
    and I shall prepare there where I can rest.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The glory of Lebanon will come to your place,
    the pine, the fir and the cypress together
    my holy place will become very beautiful.
    And my holy place will be full of glory. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The wealth of Lebanon will-be yours (sing.) — their pine trees, enebro, and cypress — so-that the temple which is my dwelling-place will-be-beautiful.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

sanctuary

The Hebrew, Greek and Latin that is translated as “sanctuary” in English is translated in the Contemporary Chichewa translation (2002/2016) with opatulika or “separated place.” This is understood in a religious setup as a place designated for worship. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

cypress

The Hebrew word berosh probably covered cypress, fir, and juniper; we are including here only those instances of berosh that possibly refer specifically to the cypress. The Cypress Cupressus sempervirens, native to Israel, was once common in the mountains of Judea. It also grew abundantly in Lebanon along with cedars, firs, and Grecian junipers. Cypresses also grew in Judea, Gilead and Edom, and do so up to the present day.

A comparison of English versions reflects the disagreement among scholars on the identification of the coniferous trees. For example, the Hebrew word berosh in 1 Kings 5:8 is translated as “cypress,” “pine,” “juniper,” or “fir.”

The disagreement here arises from the fact that berosh is probably a generic term, and it should probably be translated generically, if possible, or differently according to the context. We take the word berosh in 1-2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, where it is usually paired with ’erez (“cedar”) and/or Lebanon, to refer to the Cilician fir or to the Grecian juniper rather than to the cypress (see fir and Grecian juniper). In the few other places where it occurs, it may refer to any one of the three conifers. The logic here is that since cypresses grew in Judea, King Solomon would not need to import them from Lebanon. However, it could also be argued that Lebanon may have produced better specimens than King Solomon could find in Israel and he might have imported some of them. In either case, this does not argue against berosh as a generic term.

Closely related to the pines, firs and cedars, the cypress may reach 9-15 meters (30-50 feet) high. It has small scale-like leaves and round cones. The tall, narrow specimens that are common today in Israel and other countries are a modern variety (pyramidalis) that has been specially developed.

Cypress, photo by Ray Pritz
Cypress branch with seed cones, photo by Nigel Hepper

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

Translation commentary on Isaiah 60:13

The list of foreign goods that flow into Jerusalem and Judah is briefly resumed here. The list began in verse 5 with precious goods coming from the south. This time they come from the north in the form of valuable timber from Lebanon.

The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and the pine: Lebanon was famous throughout the ancient world for its trees and the timber derived from them, especially the cypress and the cedar (see 2.13; 10.34). The glory of Lebanon is a poetic reference to its trees (see the comments on 35.2). Good News Translation renders this phrase as “The finest wood from the forests of Lebanon.” For the cypress tree, see the comments on 14.8; for the plane tree and the pine tree, see 41.19. Good News Translation renders these three trees as “the pine, the juniper, and the cypress,” while Revised English Bible has “pine, fir and boxwood.” Other versions give slightly different names, making it obvious that the identity of these trees is not certain. Using the names of local tree types may not be suitable since these trees may not necessarily be found in Lebanon’s cool mountains. If so, a possible model for these two lines is “The glory/beauty of Lebanon’s valuable trees will come to you.”

To beautify the place of my sanctuary: The timber from Lebanon will be used to rebuild the Temple (compare 1 Kgs 5.5-6, which refers to King Solomon using the same type of timber to build the original Temple). The Hebrew verb rendered beautify is the same one translated “glorify/glorified” in verses 7 and 9. Here it means “to decorate/adorn.” The place of my sanctuary refers to the Temple (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant). My sanctuary is literally “my holy place” (see 43.28).

And I will make the place of my feet glorious is parallel to the previous line. The place of my feet is a figurative expression for the Temple, or perhaps the Covenant Box. The Temple is Yahweh’s “footstool,” the place where he is present. Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bible en français courant render this phrase as “the place where I stand,” which other languages may find helpful. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “the place where My feet rest” (similarly New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version), but this could be misunderstood to mean that Yahweh was giving his feet a rest because he was tired of standing, so this may not be the best example to follow. The Hebrew verb rendered make … glorious comes from the same Hebrew root (meaning “be heavy”) as the noun for glory here and in verses 1-2 (see the comments on 9.1). This whole line means that Yahweh will bring honor to the Temple through its beautiful construction. Bible en français courant catches the sense well with “In this way I will demonstrate the glory of the place where I stand.” Revised English Bible is similar with “to honor the place where I stand.”

Good News Translation suggests a slightly different interpretation for this verse by saying the precious wood from Lebanon will not only be used to make the Temple beautiful but also to rebuild Jerusalem. However, most other versions understand this verse as only referring to the rebuilding of the Temple.

Translation examples for this verse are:

• Lebanon’s glory is its timber of cypress, fir and pine;
these will flow to you to adorn my holy place,
and I will show forth the wonder of the place where I stand.

• Valuable timber from Lebanon’s wonderful trees
will be brought to you to decorate my sanctuary,
and so I will demonstrate the beauty/glory of the place where I stand.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .