pomegranate

A small tree whose bright red fruit resembles an apple. Its hard shiny rind encloses a pulp of fleshy seeds, the juice of which is especially refreshing (Song 8:2; Deut 8:8). The fruit was a common decorative motif used on the hems of the robes of the Temple priests (Exod 28:33-34) and carved into the timbers and beams of Solomon’s Temple (1Kgs 7:18; 1Kgs 7:20). Extract of the rind was used medicinally and as a red dye as well as in tanning leather. The pomegranate was regarded as a symbol of fertility and eternal life.