Bible Dictionary
Apple
The biblical apple was a fragrant fruit or tree, possibly an apricot, quince, citron, or another local species rather than the modern apple. Scripture praises its beauty, fragrance, and refreshing fruit, and uses “apple of the eye” for the pupil.
Definition
The biblical apple denotes the fragrant fruit or tree called Hebrew tappuah. Its exact botanical identity is uncertain; proposed identifications include the apricot and quince.
Biblical Usage
The apple tree and its fruit are associated with beauty, fragrance, delight, and refreshment in Joel and the Song of Solomon. The apple of the eye denotes the pupil, or little manikin, of the eye.
Historical Background
The supplied material says Palestine was considered too hot for the modern apple proper and suggests that the apricot may fit the biblical descriptions especially well. The so-called apple of Sodom is distinguished from this fruit.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. tappuah, meaning “fragrance”). Probably the apricot or quince is intended by the word, as Palestine was too hot for the growth of apples proper. It is enumerated among the most valuable trees of Palestine (Joel 1:12), and frequently referred to in Canticles, and noted for its beauty (2:3, 5; 8:5). There is nothing to show that it was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Dr. Tristram has suggested that the apricot has better claims than any other fruit-tree to be the apple of Scripture. It grows to a height of 30 feet, has a roundish mass of glossy leaves, and bears an orange coloured fruit that gives out a delicious perfume. The “apple of the eye” is the Heb. ishon, meaning manikin, i.e., the pupil of the eye (Prov. 7:2). (Comp. the promise, Zech. 2:8; the prayer, Ps. 17:8; and its fulfilment, Deut. 32:10.) The so-called “apple of Sodom” some have supposed to be the Solanum sanctum (Heb. hedek), rendered “brier” (q.v.) in Micah 7:4, a thorny plant bearing fruit like the potato-apple. This shrub abounds in the Jordan valley. (See ENGEDI.)