Apple
תַּפּוּחַ (tappuach)
Plant food — the dietary laws of Leviticus 11 concern animals
Would you eat it?
Mentioned in 11 verses (KJV)
Description
Scholars debate whether the Hebrew word rendered ‘apple’ in the King James Version meant the fruit we know today or something closer to an apricot or quince, since true apples grow poorly in the Near East’s climate. Whatever the fruit, biblical writers reached for it as a picture of something rare, sweet, and worth treasuring.
Key verses
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
Proverbs 25:11
“As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”
Song of Solomon 2:3
Symbolism
Shelter and delight found in the Beloved — ‘I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste’ (Song of Solomon 2:3).
Fun fact
Because apples struggle in the Mediterranean climate of the biblical world, many scholars think the Hebrew word actually named an apricot or quince.
All 11 referencesshow
- Deuteronomy 32:10
- Joel 1:12
- Lamentations 2:18
- Proverbs 7:2
- Proverbs 25:11
- Psalms 17:8
- Song of Solomon 2:3
- Song of Solomon 2:5
- Song of Solomon 7:8
- Song of Solomon 8:5
- Zechariah 2:8