Bible Dictionary
CAPERBERRY
The caperberry is the fruit of the thorny caper plant, which grows in Palestine. Ecclesiastes 12:5 may refer to its failure or bursting, though the identification of the Hebrew term remains uncertain.
Definition
The caperberry is the fruit of the thorny caper plant, Capparis spinosa, a common Palestinian plant with white flowers and brightly colored stamens. The familiar commercial capers are its young buds, while the berries were more used in ancient times.
Biblical Usage
Ecclesiastes 12:5 may refer to the caperberry failing or bursting, though the identification of the Hebrew term is uncertain. The alternative is the traditional rendering “desire shall fail.”
Historical Background
The caper commonly grows from crevices in old walls and has therefore been identified by some with hyssop. Its berries were regarded as stimulants of sexual desire, and parts of the plant were still used medicinally by Palestinian peasants.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ka'-per-ber-i ('abhiyonah; kapparis; Ec 12:5 the Revised Version, margin): The translation "the caperberry shall fail" (the Revised Version (British and American) "burst") instead of "desire shall fail" (the King James Version) has the support of the Septuagint and of some Talmudic writers (see G. F. Moore, JBL, X, 55-64), but it is doubtful.</p><p>The caperberry is the fruit of the thorny caper, Capparis spinosa (Natural Order Capparidaceae), a common Palestine plant with pretty white flowers and brightly colored stamens. Largely on account of its habit of growing out of crevasses in old walls it has been identified by some with the HYSSOP (which see). The familiar "capers" of commerce are the young buds, but the berries were the parts most used in ancient times; their repute as excitants of sexual desire is ancient and widespread. Various parts of this plant are still used for medical purposes by the modern peasants of Palestine.</p><p>E. W. G. Masterman</p>