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Bible Dictionaries
Tree
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or (ξύλον)
‘Tree’ is used five times in the NT as a synonym for the Cross (Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39; Acts 13:29, Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24). In classical Greek ξύλον means wood cut, timber (as in 1 Corinthians 3:12, Revelation 18:12); an instrument of punishment, resembling the pillory (Herod. vi. 75, ix. 37; so in Acts 16:24); rarely a living tree (as in Revelation 22:2; Revelation 22:14; Revelation 22:19); and never a cross. But in the Septuagint , where ξύλον is used for עַץ, ‘tree,’ the phrase ‘hang on a tree’ occurs several times (Genesis 40:19, Deuteronomy 21:22, Joshua 10:26); and the dread saying, κατηραμένος ὑπὸ θεοῦ πᾶς κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλον (‘maledictus a Deo est qui pendet in ligno’), seems to have been applied very early in the Christian Church-apparently many years before the writing of the Epistle to the Galatians-with a deep theological meaning as well as a poignant pathos, to the death of Christ, whose Cross then came to be commonly known as ‘the tree.’
Among the ancient Israelites the criminal was not executed by being hanged, but hanged after execution, his corpse being exposed before all eyes as a proof that he had met the reward of his deeds (2 Samuel 4:12; 2 Samuel 21:9-10). But Genesis 40:19, which refers to a case in Egypt, may denote a death by suspension (see J. Skinner, International Critical Commentary , ‘Genesis,’ Edinburgh, 1910). Be that as it may, the tree used for this gruesome purpose was no doubt a literal living tree, not an artificial ‘gallows-tree.’
The Cross is called ‘a tree’ in two addresses which are said to have been delivered by St. Peter (Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39), and 1 Peter 2:24 refers to Christ bearing our sins in His body upon the tree. Cf. also St. Paul’s words in Acts 13:29 with Galatians 3:18. The theme ‘crux est arbor’ is a favourite one in mediaeval poetry, and ‘the tree’ is a common synonym for ‘the Cross’ in modern hymnology.
In Judges 1:12 apostates are compared to autumn trees without fruit. The writer of the Apocalypse refers to a conflagration among forest trees (Revelation 8:7); also to trees spared by hurricanes (Revelation 7:1; Revelation 7:3) and by locusts (Revelation 9:4). See also Tree of Life.
James Strahan.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Tree'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/t/tree.html. 1906-1918.
