Very few flowers are named in the Bible. The most commonly mentioned are those of the lily family (Song of Song of Solomon 2:16; Song of Solomon 6:2; Hosea 14:5; Matthew 6:28). A kind of wild rose is also mentioned (Song of Song of Solomon 2:1; Isaiah 35:1). The flower of the mandrake plant had a strong smell that people believed could excite sexual passion (Genesis 30:14-16; Song of Song of Solomon 7:13).
People have always seen beauty in flowers, and flower patterns were prominent in the decorations of the tabernacle and the temple (Exodus 25:31-34; 1 Kings 6:18; 1 Kings 6:29-35; 1 Kings 7:26; 1 Kings 7:49). Although they are beautiful, flowers do not last long. Because of this the Bible sometimes refers to them as symbols of the brevity and impermanence of life (Job 14:2; Nahum 1:4; James 1:10-11; 1 Peter 1:24).