Bible Dictionary
ROOT
A root is the underground part of a plant, but Scripture frequently uses it figuratively for ancestry, origin, stability, or the source of a people’s condition. The Messiah is called the Root of Jesse and the Root of David.
Definition
A root is the underground part of a plant and, figuratively, a source, foundation, origin, or means of stability. Scripture uses the image for the condition and endurance of individuals and peoples, for ancestry, and for the source from which a family or people arises.
Biblical Usage
The Bible speaks of the root of the righteous, a root bearing gall, a rotten or dried root, and peoples taking root or being uprooted. It also uses the titles “Root of Jesse” and “Root of David” in reference to the Messiah.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>root (shoresh; rhiza): Frequently mentioned in the Old Testament and New Testament, but almost always in a figurative sense, e.g. "root of the righteous" (Pr 12:3,12); "root that beareth gall" (De 29:18); "Their root shall be as rottenness" (Isa 5:24); "root of bitterness" (Heb 12:15). Also of peoples: "they whose root is in Amalek" (Jud 5:14); of Assyria (Eze 31:7); "Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up" (Ho 9:16); "Judah shall again take root downward" (2Ki 19:30; compare Isa 27:6; 37:31); the root of Jesse (Isa 11:10; Ro 15:12); root of David (Re 5:5; 22:16).</p>