Bible Dictionary
Terebinth
The terebinth was a large tree common in southern and eastern Palestine, sometimes translated “oak” in older English versions. It could grow to considerable size and yielded a form of turpentine.
Definition
The terebinth is Pistacia terebinthus, a tree common in southern and eastern Palestine. It is related to the pistachio tree, bears red berries, and yields a kind of turpentine.
Biblical Usage
The Hebrew terms translated “terebinth” are also rendered “oak,” “plain,” “elm,” or “trees” in different passages. Terebinths are associated with named places and with prominent trees in several Old Testament narratives.
Historical Background
The terebinth can grow to about forty feet and spread widely, especially where it is protected near a sacred tomb. Its leaves fall in autumn, and it may be found as a large isolated tree or as a dwarf tree among brushwood.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(R.V. marg. of Deut. 11:30, etc.), the Pistacia terebinthus of botanists; a tree very common in the south and east of Palestine. (See OAK.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ter'-e-binth:</p><p>(1) 'elah (Isa 6:13, the King James Version "teil tree"; Ho 4:13, the King James Version "elms"); in Ge 35:4 (the King James Version "oak"); Jud 6:11,19; 9:6 (the King James Version "plain"); 2Sa 18:9,10,14; 1Ki 13:14; 1Ch 10:12; Isa 1:30; Eze 6:13, translated "oak," and in margin "terebinth"; "vale of Elah," margin "the terebinth" in 1Sa 17:2,19; 21:9.</p><p>(2) 'elim (Isa 1:29, "oaks," margin "terebinths").</p><p>(3) 'allah (Jos 24:26, English Versions of the Bible have "oak," but the Septuagint terebinthos).</p><p>(4) 'elon, "oak (margin, "terebinth") of Zaanannim" (Jos 19:33; Jud 4:11); "oak (the Revised Version margin "terebinth," the King James Version "plain") of Tabor" (1Sa 10:3); also Ge 12:6; 13:18; 14:13; 1Sa 10:3; De 11:30; Jud 6:19 all translated "oak" or "oaks," with margin "terebinth" or "terebinths."</p><p>(5) In Ge 14:6 Septuagint has terebinthos, as the translation of the el of El-paran.</p><p>(6) In Ecclesiasticus 24:16 terem (b)inthos, the King James Version turpentine tree," the Revised Version (British and American) "terebinth."</p><p>It is clear that the translators are uncertain which translation is correct, and it would seem not improbable that then there was no clear distinction between oak and terebinth in the minds of the Old Testament. writers; yet the two are very different trees to any but the most superficial observation.</p><p>The terebinth--Pistacia terebinthus (Natural Order, Anacardiaceae), Arabic Butm]--is a tree allied to the P. vera, which produces the pistachio nut, and to the familiar "pepper tree" (Schinus molle) so extensively cultivated in modern Palestine. Like the latter the terebinth has red berries, like small immature grapes. The leaves are pinnate, four to six pairs, and they change color and fall in autumn, leaving the trunk bare (compare Isa 1:30). The terebinth is liable to be infected by many showy galls, some varieties looking like pieces of red coral. In Palestine, this tree assumes noble proportions, especially in situations when, from its association with some sacred tomb, it is allowed to flourish undisturbed. It is in such situations not infrequently as much as 40 ft. high and spreads its branches, with their thick, dark-green foliage, over a wide area (compare 2Sa 18:9 f,14; Ecclesiasticus 24:16). Dwarfed trees occur among the brushwood all over the land.</p><p>From this tree a kind of turpentine is obtained, hence, the alternative name "turpentine tree" (Ecclesiasticus 24:16 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "terebinth").</p><p>E. W. G. Masterman</p>