forest

A general term for extensive wooded areas. In ancient Israel, forests were a source of timber for both local use and foreign export. Wood was important for a wide range of uses, such as domestic and industrial fuels, the construction of buildings, and the manufacture of furniture and household items. The highlands of Lebanon boasted forests of majestic cedars; oak and pistachio, the characteristic trees of the Mediterranean region, were especially common in the northern hill country. Stands of Aleppo pine, mixed with components of the oak forest, existed in Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Scrub forests in the foothills, composed of mixed evergreens, once provided shelter for wild animals such as boar and lions (Ps 80:13; Amos 3:4). Biblical references to specific stands of trees, such as the forest of Hereth (1Sam 22:5), the forests of the south (Negeb), the forests of Arabia (Isa 21:13), the king’s forest (Neh 2:8), and the forest (wood) of Ephraim (2Sam 18:6), indicate the importance of these natural resource areas.