cypress

A kind of tall evergreen found among stands of cedar and oak. Because of their beauty, cypresses were used as ornamentals in gardens and cemeteries. The hard fragrant wood was preferred for buildings and furniture (Isa 44:14, NRSV: “holm tree”). The fir trees supplied by Hiram of Tyre to Solomon for his Temple and palace (1Kgs 9:11) were cypress, as was the “gopher wood” of Noah’s ark (Gen 6:14).