Almond
שָׁקֵד (shaked)
Plant food — the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 concern animals
Would you eat it?
Mentioned in 8 verses (KJV)
Description
The almond tree blooms earliest of all in the Judean hills, its white blossoms appearing while other trees are still bare — a detail the Bible turns into a picture of aging, when a person’s hair turns white before the rest of life’s vigor fades. Its blossoms were the pattern for the bowls of the tabernacle’s golden lampstand.
Key verses
“And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.”
Numbers 17:8
“Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:”
Ecclesiastes 12:5
Symbolism
The white hair of old age — ‘the almond tree shall flourish… because man goeth to his long home’ (Ecclesiastes 12:5).
Fun fact
Aaron’s rod was the one that sprouted overnight, budding, blossoming, and yielding almonds to settle a dispute over who God had chosen as priest (Numbers 17:8).
All 8 referencesshow
- Ecclesiastes 12:5
- Exodus 25:33
- Exodus 25:34
- Exodus 37:19
- Exodus 37:20
- Genesis 43:11
- Jeremiah 1:11
- Numbers 17:8