Pine tree

Heb. tidhar, mentioned along with the fir-tree in Isa. 41:19; 60:13. This is probably the cypress; or it may be the stone-pine, which is common on the northern slopes of Lebanon. Some suppose that the elm, others that the oak, or holm, or ilex, is meant by the Hebrew word. In Neh. 8:15 the Revised Version has "wild olive" instead of "pine." (See [490]FIR.)

The pine appears in our translation three times, Neh. viii, 15; Isaiah xli, 19; lx, 13. Nehemiah, viii, 15, giving directions for observing the feast of tabernacles, says, “Fetch olive branches, pine branches, myrtle branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths.” The Hebrew phrase שמן, means literally _“branches of oily_ or _gummy plants_.” The LXX. say _cypress_. Scheuchzer says the Turks call the cypress _zemin_. The author of Scripture Illustrated” says, I should prefer the whole species called jasmin, on account of its verdure, its fragrance, and its flowers, which are highly esteemed. The word _jasmin_ and _jasemin_ of the Turks, resembles strongly the _shemen_ of the Hebrew original here. The Persians also name this plant _semen_ and _simsyk_.” The authority, however, of the Septuagint must prevail. In Isa. xli, 19; lx, 13, the Hebrew word is תדהר; a tree, says Parkhurst, so called from the springiness or elasticity of its wood. Luther thought it the elm, which is a lofty and spreading tree; and Dr. Stock renders it the ash. After all, it may be thought advisable to retain the pine. La Roche, describing, a valley near to Mount Lebanon, has this observation: “_La continuelle verdure des pins et des chênes verds fait toujours sa beauté_.” [The perpetual verdure of the pines and the live oaks makes it ever beautiful.]