cypress

September 25, 2016

The joyful new Exodus (Isa 55:12-55:13)

“You shall go out in joy!

You shall be led back in peace!

The mountains before you

Shall burst into song.

The hills before you

Shall break out into singing.

All the trees of the field

Shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn bushes,

The cypress tree shall come up.

Instead of the briar patch,

The myrtle tree shall come up.

It shall be a memorial to Yahweh.

It shall be an everlasting sign

That you shall not be cut off.”

Second Isaiah concludes this section by talking about a happy return to Jerusalem. The Israelites will return in joy and peace because the singing mountains and hills are alive with the sound of music. The trees of the field will clap with their branches, as if they were hands. Instead of thorn bushes and briar patches, cypress and myrtle trees will grow. This will be a memorial to Yahweh as an everlasting sign that they will never be cut off from Yahweh again.

September 2, 2016

God of trees (Isa 41:19-41:20)

“I will put in the wilderness

The cedar tree,

The acacia tree,

The myrtle tree,

The olive tree.

I will set in the desert

The cypress tree,

The plane tree,

Together with the pine tree.

Thus all may see,

All may know,

All may consider,

All may understand together,

That the hand of Yahweh

Has done this.

The Holy One of Israel

Has created it.”

Once again, assuming the first person singular in Second Isaiah, Yahweh says that he is the one who planted a bunch of trees in the desert wilderness. These trees include the cedar trees, the acacia trees, the myrtle trees, the olive trees, the cypress trees, the plane trees, and the pine trees. Once you realize this, you will see, know, consider, and understand that the hand of Yahweh has done all this. The Holy One of Israel has created all these trees.

July 23, 2016

The dead tyrant (Isa 14:4-14:8)

“How the oppressor has ceased!

How the insolence has ceased!

Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked.

He has broken the scepter of rulers

That had struck down the peoples in wrath.

With unceasing blows,

This staff ruled the nations in anger.

It had ruled with unrelenting persecution.

The whole earth is at rest.

The whole earth is quiet.

They break forth into singing.

The cypresses exult over you.

The cedars of Lebanon say.

‘Since you were laid low,

No one comes to cut us down.’”

Yahweh has brought about the death of the tyrant who oppressed people with insolence. The staff of this wicked ruler has been broken. While he was in power, this wicked king had struck down people with many blows. He had ruled in anger and persecuted people. Now the whole world is at rest and quiet. They will break into singing. The cypress and cedar trees are happy also, since there will be no cutting wood for more building of huge palaces.

May 21, 2016

The tall growth of wisdom (Sir 24:13-24:14)

“‘I grew tall

Like a cedar in Lebanon.

I grew tall

Like a cypress on the heights of Hermon.

I grew tall

Like a palm tree in En-gedi.

I grew tall

Like rosebushes in Jericho.

I grew tall

Like a fair olive tree in the field.

I grew tall

Like a plane tree beside water.’”

Sirach continues with his personification of wisdom in the first person singular. Wisdom points out how she has grown tall like the various trees around Israel. First, she was tall like the cedar and cypress trees in the northern area of Lebanon and Hermon. Then she was like the palm trees on the west side of the Dead Sea in En-gedi and the rosebushes nearby in Jericho. Finally, she was tall like the various planted olive trees and the trees that were planted beside water. Wisdom was a like a tall tree, no matter where she was.