He Is Like a Tree: Arboreal Imagery for Humans in Biblical Wisdom Literature

Abstract

Arboreal imagery used to describe human life and circumstances is fairly common in the Hebrew Bible’s wisdom literature. This study examines the varied uses of comparisons between trees and humans in several wisdom psalms, in Job, and in Song of Songs. It is concluded that this imagery was adaptable and malleable enough to serve the sages’ purposes in teaching moral and ethical values through vivid descriptions of trees and their various characteristics.

Keywords

• wisdom psalms
• arboreal imagery
• tree
• olive