Heath
“From a root meaning to be naked or bare”
Summary
The heath mentioned in Scripture refers to a juniper plant (likely Juniperus sabina) that grows in the most sterile desert places, used by Jeremiah as a symbol of one who trusts in man rather than God.
☩Identification
The Hebrew words arar and aroer, translated "heath," are most likely the Arabic arar, a species of juniper, probably the Juniperus sabina or savin. The common English heath (Hyssopus officinalis) is incorrect, though Hasselquist mentions finding heath near Jericho. The juniper savin is a gloomy-looking bush with small scale-like leaves pressed close to the stem, inhabiting the most sterile soil. Dr. Robinson found juniper trees ten to fifteen feet high in proceeding from Hebron to Wady Musa, hanging upon the rocks even to the summits of cliffs.
☩Symbolic Usage
In Jeremiah 17:6, the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm is compared to a heath in the desert: "He shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land, and not inhabited." This contrast is powerful: the shrub in arid soil stands against "a tree planted by the waters" representing the man who trusts in the Lord. The Hebrew word derives from a root meaning "to be naked," alluding to the bare rocks on which the juniper often grows. In Jeremiah 48:6, Moab under God's judgment is told to "flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness."
See Also
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Heath," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Heath," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 3.George Morrish, "Heath," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).