Scripture references are from The Illuminated Bible Text of the Authorized King James Version Copyright 1941

 

It is difficult to be sure which is the most important fruit tree of the Bible. Some would claim the vine. This certainly is mentioned many times, right from the time of Noah (Genesis 9:20) and all the way through to (Revelation 14:19), where there is a description of the angel gathering the vines of the earth and casting them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Others might make a case that the olive is extremely important. It was cultivated from time immemorial, for it was an olive leaf that was plucked by the dove and brought back to Noah in (Genesis 8:11). Olives in fact are mentioned very many times throughout Holy Scripture, the last reference being the two olive trees, “standing before the God of the earth” in (Revelation 11:4).

The third claimant might be the fig, which is mentioned in Genesis, “they sewed fig leaves together,” (Genesis 3:7), with the final reference in (Revelation 6:13), as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs”.

 

   Perhaps no fruit tree has been more illustrated than the Tree of Knowledge in (Genesis 3:6). Artists of all countries have pictured in many differing ways the picking of the fruit by Eve and the giving of it to her husband. In the picture somewhere is usually the Devil, depicted as a serpent. Actually he was not turned into a crawling serpent until after the temptation had taken place, when the Lord God cursed him. However, we are not going to conjecture about the temptation: the fact is that it did take place and that Adam and Eve fell. All down the ages, people have wondered as to the fruit itself. Some have claimed that it must have been the pomegranate, for this is a very attractive fruit. On the other hand, though oranges are never mentioned in the Old Testament, or in the New Testament for that matter, it has been said that the so-called apple was undoubtedly an orange. The argument is based on (Proverbs 25:11), as “apples of gold in pictures of silver:, the tree of knowledge would indeed have been exquisitely beautiful with its golden apples glittering among the silvery white flower. The wonder of the orange tree is that it produces its leaves, fruits and flowers simultaneously; and because it is thus so vigorous the Eastern people call it “a tree of life.”

 

   In the Apocrypha, the apple is described as having a refreshing perfume, with the fruit really sweet and with the foliage affording ample shade. This description is far truer of an orange tree than is of an apple, and especially one growing in that part of the world. It is not that the apple did not grow in Palestine, but the varieties grown there could never in any circumstances be regarded as refreshing or sweet. Things are changing in Palestine today and we may have delicious apples grown there before long.

   I have never been able to reasonably understand or discover why some individuals have claimed that the tree of knowledge was the quince, unless it is because it is golden in color, and is shaped somewhat like an apple. It is certainly unlikely to have been the lemon, for it is not sweet, but there is little doubt that King Solomon grew both lemons and limes, which would have been introduced to him by the Persians. He is said to have planted “trees of all kind of fruits” (Ecclesiastes 2:5) and it may be that his ships, which undoubtedly traded with India, brought back with them various rare fruit trees from that country.

 

   The last claimant to the title of the tree of good and evil is the apricot, and those who take this line contend that when Henry Vlll first ate apricots, they were called Armenian apples; and that great Palestinian traveler, Canon Tristram, thought that the apple must be the apricot, because it met the requirements of the word pictures painted in scripture. The flower of the apricot appears long before the fruit. It does not give quite the same shade as the orange and many find it difficult to understand why it was ever suggested. However, the fruit of that particular tree might not have been like any that is known or grown today.

 

   Of course, the word “fruit” in the Bible is sometimes used figuratively. For instance we read, “The land shall yield her fruits” in (Leviticus 25:19), or “Blessed shall be the fruit of the body” in (Deuteronomy 28:4). While in (Proverbs 11: 30) it talks about the “fruits of the righteous.”

 

   It is wondered whether the almond ought to be included under the heading of fruits because it is the seed in the center of a fruit. It could be argued also that “balm” which is mentioned in (Jeremiah 8:22), may come from the fruit of the Balantine tree. The cucumber is a fruit, but it is classified as a vegetable and is mentioned only twice in the Bible, (Isaiah 1: 8) and (Numbers 11: 5), where the word is “Qishshuim” which may mean watermelon, cucumber or gourd., while the mandrake found in (Genesis 30: 14) has been called “Devils apple” for the yellow fruits are like apples.

 

Many often wonder whether the corrupt fruits mentioned in (Luke 3: 9) are really trees that have arisen from self-sown seeds and which might therefore bear useless fruits. The “summer fruits” in (Amos 8: 1) seem to refer to the fruits that ripen at the end of the season, while the “hasty fruits” mentioned in (Isaiah 28: 4) are really the early ripeners of the summer, which must be eaten before they start to rot.

 

   There are many conjectures as to the references to apples in the Bible. For instance in (Proverbs 25:11), (Song of Solomon 2:5) and in (Song of Solomon 7:8) the Hebrew word tappuach appears to be quince, as for instance it does in (Joel 1:12). Whatever the tree was, it certainly afforded good shade, and its fruits were not only enticing, but also sweet to eat. Furthermore they were fragrant, and golden, with (as some people consider) silvery leaves, though many are sure that the silveriness refers to the flower petals.

 

   The apple certainly could have grown in Palestine, but does not seem to fit into the picture of the description given in the Bible. The fruit is much more likely to have been the golden apple, that is the orange.

 

   Those writers who have criticized the suggestion that the apple might be an orange, always said that an orange tree could not be large enough for it to produce much shade to sit under, as mentioned for instance in (Song of Solomon 2:3). This, of course, is untrue; on the other hand one noted, Dr.W.N.Thomson reported in 1886 that wonderful apples were grown at Askelon, and stated that these had both the right smell and color to fit into the description given in (Proverbs 25:11) and in other places.

 

   In Cyprus it has been reported that the apricots were called “golden apples”—could this fruit therefore be the answer to the quandary? The Cyprus apricot grows to a height of thirty feet and gives good shade, the fruits are golden and perfumed, and the leaves are a pale color, the undersurfaces are covered with down. The flowers are white with a pink tinge.

 

   There is also the reference in (Deuteronomy 32:10), (Psalm 17:8), (Proverbs 7:2), and (Lamentations 2:18) to “Apple of the Eye”—the Hebrew word Ishon meaning “bath.” Thus the translation should truly be “bath of the eye.” In (Zechariah 2:8) the Hebrew word used is babah. This means “gate of the eye.”

 

   An interesting fact of the Bible found in (Leviticus 19:23), concerning, laws concerning trees. It is quite clear that no fruit was to be picked for the first three years, that is to say the children of Israel were to encourage the trees to grow by pruning, and they were not to ruin them by trying to make them crop too early. In the fourth year all the fruit picked was to be offered to God, and in the fifth year the garden could pick the fruit for himself. Also one can turn over further to (Leviticus 27:30) and discover that a tenth of the fruit borne by trees was to be considered holy to the Lord God. Also while in (Deuteronomy 20:19) we see how God places the greatest importance on trees, for he says: “Thou shalt not cut them down “for the tree of the field is mans life.” Verse 20 reiterates this point very clear. We can therefore say that the gardens and trees of the Bible are largely places where trees grew happily to provide shade and food and where water abounded to give coolness.

 

 

Recipes

 

Orange Pea Salad

 

2 pkg’s, (10oz. Each) frozen peas

11/3 cup, chopped celery

1/2 tablespoon, chopped fresh mint or tarragon

1/4 cup, sour cream

2 teaspoons, grated orange rind

2 tablespoons, frozen orange juice thawed and undiluted

1/2 teaspoon, sugar

1 teaspoon, salt

Salad greens

Orange sections

 

Directions

Cook peas according to package directions. Drain and cool. Mix with celery, mint or tarragon, sour cream, orange rind, orange juice, sugar and salt. Chill.

Turn into bowl lined with salad greens and garnish with orange sections.

Makes 6 servings.

 

Baked Oranges

 

6 whole medium size oranges

21/2 cups, sugar

2 cups, water

1/2 cup, red cinnamon

 

Directions

Boil unpeeled oranges in water until tender. (Less than 1-hour) Cool oranges

Cut oranges in quarters or eighths and place in baking dish.

Combine sugar, water and cinnamon candies and heat until candies dissolve.

Pour this syrup over oranges.

Bake 1—hour at 350 degrees.

Chill, preferably overnight.

Serve as accompaniment to meat, poultry or casserole dish.

 

 

 

Eve’s Apple

 

1 slice, bread

2 ounces, Cheddar (sharp) cheese, grated

1 tablespoon, cold water

Pinch of salt

1 medium, baking apple

2 tablespoons, plain yogurt

1 teaspoon, brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon, cinnamon

 

Directions

To prepare dough, place bread, cheese, water and salt in small bowl and blend well to form into a ball. Knead 15 to 20 times. Roll dough between 2 pieces of wax paper to 1/8 to 1/4—inch thickness. Remove paper and place apple in center of dough. Wrap dough around apple. Enclose apple completely.

Combine yogurt, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour over hot apple.

 

Special Apples

 

6 small, sweet apples peeled and sliced in 1/4—inch slices

1/4 cup, raisins

1 ounce, chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon, cornstarch

1 teaspoon, ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon, ground nutmeg

1 cup, water

2 teaspoons, vanilla extract

* Artificial sweetener, equivalent to 6-teaspoons, sugar.

Directions

Place apples, raisins and walnuts in a large saucepan.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add water, vanilla and sweetener, stirring until cornstarch is dissolved. Add to apples.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and cook until apples are desired tenderness.

Stir frequently while cooking.

Serve hot or cold.

 

 

Spiced Apricots

 

1 (1-lb. 13 ounce) cans, whole apricots

1/2 teaspoon, pumpkin pie spice

2 tablespoons, brown sugar

1 teaspoon, white vinegar

 

Directions

Drain syrup from apricots, save 1-cup. Stir syrup into sugar, spice and vinegar in a large saucepan. When mixture has come to a boil, add apricots. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes.

Serves hot or cold.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 

Baked Apple Slices with Apricots

 

3 ounces, (1/2 cup firmly packed) dried apricots

1 pound, tart-cooking apples

2 teaspoons, lemon juice

1/2 cup, sugar

Pinch of cinnamon

1 tablespoons, finely chopped blanched almonds

4 Tablespoon, butter melted

1/4 teaspoon, vanilla

 

Directions

Cover apricots with boiling water and allow to stand 15 minutes. Drain well.

Peel, quarter and core apples. Cut into 1/4—inch slices and put in mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and 1-tablespoon sugar; mix gently.

Butter a 3 cup soufflé. Spread half the apples in souffle dish. Top with layer of apricots and then remaining apples.

Stir together remaining sugar, cinnamon, almonds, butter and vanilla and sprinkle over apples.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until browned.

Serve warm in crystal cups with milk or cream.

 

 

Fig Muffins

 

1/2 cup, butter or margarine softened

1/2 cup, sugar

2 eggs

11/2 cups, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons, baking powder

1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon, ground cloves

1/2 cup, milk

1/2 cup, fig preserves

1/2 cup, chopped pecans

 

Directions

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and spices; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, stirring just until moistened.

Stir in fig preserves and pecans.

Spoon batter into greased and floured muffin pans, filling three-fourths full.

Bake mini-muffins at 350 degrees for 18 minutes and regular muffins for 20 minutes.

Yield: 40 mini-muffins or 20 regular muffins.

 

 

 

Most Important Fruit Trees of the Bible