Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

shittîym - שִׁףִּים (Strong's #7848)
Acacia wood

The word שִׁףִּים shittîym is actually the plural of שִׁףָּה shittâh (Strong's #7848, x28) and is left untranslated in the KJV as shittim, and translated as "acacia" in later bible versions. The singular only occurs once in Isaiah 41:19, "I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the shittah tree". The remaining occurrences refer to the wood rather the tree itself. The tree is quite common in otherwise arid semi-desert terrains like Sinai, Egypt, Iraq and North East Africa. Although a palm tree in the desert might signify nearby water, shade and fruit, at night an acacia/shittah tree meant an easy supply of firewood and forage for hardy animals such as goats and camels, with the pods also eaten by sheep.

Shittim was significant in that the wood was pale, hard and durable, from the acacia tree - source of gum Arabic, a thorny tree whose name derives from its sharp points. שִׁףִּים shittîym comes from שׁטֵט shôtêt "to pierce" (Strong's #7850), for Christians, therefore, Shittim may hint or "point" to the piercing of Christ on the cross and his crown of thorns. The root verb also means to whip and scourge, another feature of Christ's trial and crucifixion.

To the ancient Egyptians, shittim/acacia was also important. As a hard wearing insect-resistant wood if was used for making mummy cases to take the occupant into the next life.

According to the 18th century physician and minister, Frederick Dalcho, Second Oration, p. 27, the Jews always planted a sprig of acacia at the head of the grave of the departed, perhaps to better mark the spot, avoid uncleanness through accidental stumbling across the plot, or to symbolise the afterlife because of the resilience and evergreen nature of the acacia. Indeed, acacia symbolises the immortality of the soul for Freemasons and they infer that idea from this historical Jewish usage.

The longevity and beauty of the fine grain of the acacia made it ideal for Moses' construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:15,26), the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10-13), the table for the showbread (Exodus 25:23), the altar of shittim wood (Exodus 27:1; 30:1), as well as the rest of the sacred furniture for the Tabernacle. Apart from the solitary reference to the singular שִׁףָּה shittâh in Isaiah, noted above, שִׁףִּים shittîym occurs entirely in the plural and on every occasion refers to the religious furniture designed by God and implemented by Moses.

There is also a place called Abelshittim (Strong's #63) in Numbers 33:49, a meadow or valley in the land of Moab where the Israelites camped after their victories over Sihon and Og, and where formerly they had compromised with the women of Moab (Numbers 25:1). It is also referred to as שִׁףִּים shittîym (Strong's #7851, x5), from which Joshua sent forth his spies (Joshua 2:1; 3:1).

God promises in Joel 3:18 that "the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills with milk and the brooks with water ... to water the valley of acacias". Finally, Micah 6:5 calls the people, to "know the righteousness of the LORD" from the "Acacia Grove to Gilgal".

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