Ancient religious significance of trees

Genesis 12:6 in the KJV Bible reads like this

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.

Reading a different translation last week, I noticed that "plain" is from the Hebrew word, "elon". This appears to be a bad translation. Elon means oak or terebinth tree and virtually every other translation agrees. It presents a challenge because the tree is mentioned as if the reader knows which tree the text is referring to. There are billions of trees so what was special about that one tree in Moreh? We don't know. But even though most translations use the singular form, some claim that it might refer to a grove of trees. My knowledge of Hebrew is not even close to adequate to determine who is right. In any case, I assume the tree or grove is mentioned for a reason. It marks a sacred spot. The Lord appeared to him there and gave him promises, and Abraham built an altar. Interestingly, there is no mention of a sacrifice, which is usually the case when there is an altar. In fact, no ancient Near Eastern document refers to altars used for anything other than sacrifices in the presence of deity. Whatever happened at Moreh, other than the little information we get from the text, it was significant and God was present.

The NRSV cultural backgrounds study bible states:

No hint is given that trees themselves were worshiped, but notable trees became places where various sacred rituals were performed. The significance given to certain trees in the Biblical text suggests that they designated sacred space (cf. 13.18; 35.4,8; Deut 11.30; Judg 4.5; 6.11; 9.37). Note the eventual indictment of the Israelites that they set up sacred stones and Asherah poles “under every green tree” (2 Kings 17.10). Moreh. The name given to the oak here has been interpreted as suggesting that oracular information was gained here (Moreh means “teacher”).

This Hebrew word for tree has both a masculine and feminine version, elon and elah, respectively. Some scholars believe that elon means oak and elah means terebinth. I'm speculating here, but I believe this may be because of the strength of the large oak that can be associated with masculinity and the feminine nurture and protection that the terebinth tree gives in the form of fruit and shade (it is very dense). People in some parts of the world, like myself, don't usually value shade very highly since the hot sun is a relatively rare occurrence. But I understand it was very different for people in the Near East. See for instance Genesis 18:4, where Abraham shows his hospitality by offering his visitors to rest under a tree, among other things. 

The other thing about these words, elon and elah, is the close resemblance to El and Eloah, meaning God. As explained in this post, there is close linguistic resemblance between the tree and God that follows the same pattern as the resemblance between the ground and man.

I have written extensively about trees and tree symbolism in the scriptures before. But this detail from Abraham's life was new to me. There is a very similar description in Genesis 13:18:

So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD. (This is from the English Standard Version since the KJV keeps insisting on "plain")

So we have another grove followed by the building of an altar. In Genesis 18:1, the Lord appears to Abraham at that grove. As I have written before, I think that most of the tree symbolism in the scriptures can be traced back to the Garden of Eden and the House of Israel symbolism in Zenos' allegory. There is a relationship between the covenant people and the tree of life. As the story of Abraham indicates, trees may have been a more important part of ancient Israelite worship than we might think. Especially considering the fact that Josiah's reform included the destruction of all the Asherah/tree symbols.

This all makes me think of Alma-1 in the Book of Mormon. As we know, he was one of King Noah's priests, believed Abinadi's words and secretly starting to teach the people. They gathered at a place called Mormon.

Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king. (Mosiah 18:5)

The "small trees" is not a fitting description for the oaks of Abraham and with a different flora in the Americas, there were probably no terebinth trees either. But the symbolism is familiar, the trees offer protection and gives Alma a place to hide. It is also coupled with a fountain of pure water, just like the tree of life in Lehi's dream and in Revelations 21. It was certainly considered a special place

the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. (Mosiah 18:30)

Pondering on this, my thoughts go to the sacred grove in Palmyra. This was certainly a monumental event, but there is something sacred about the place too. Considering the role of trees in the story of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Alma and the ancient tree symbolism associated with the divine, it is interesting to me that a grove of trees is where the Father and the Son appeared to Joseph Smith, ushering in the restoration in the fullness of times. They appeared amidst ancient symbols of the divine and gave young Joseph instructions, like Abraham in the grove of Moreh (Hebr. teacher).

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 2b -- The (second half of the) Big Picture

This post will continue detailing five additional examples of the "endowment pattern" I am describing in this series. By the end of this post, I hope you will be convinced that there is a pattern. Future posts will detail the deeper meaning of the pattern.  

Please read part 1 and part 2a if you haven't already. I will discuss the significance and possible symbolic significance of each symbol in future posts. I will also outline how this pattern fits a pattern we also see in the accounts of Adam and Eve, Abraham, and Moses.

As a side note -- The first two examples given below are variants of the main pattern. I'll explain more about this in a future post. I believe there is a purpose for these stories, and the contrast between the two accounts helps teach an important spiritual lessons. This is a technique frequently employed by Mormon, as detailed in a recent series of posts (here, here, and here).

Let's get into the details for the five additional examples:

Limhi

	Detail	Limhi (variant account -- no prophet among them)
1	Warned to depart	By Gideon and a consensus of the people (Mosiah 22: 1, 3)
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	"Bondage by the sword" (Mosiah 22:2)
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	The people prosper by hearkening to Gideon (Mosiah 22:3,9)
4	Pass through a wilderness	Mosiah 22:2, 6, 8, 11-13
5	"Many days"	Mosiah 22:13
6	Tents	Mosiah 22:2
7	Animals	Mosiah 22:2, 6, 8, 10, 11
8	Inherit a new land	Joined Mosiah's people (Mosiah 22:13)
9	New names	---
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	---
11	Abundance/Prosper	---
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	No prophet among them -- their king was a good man but not a prophet

Alma-1

	Detail	Alma-1 (double pattern)	second pattern (escaping Amulon)
1	Warned to depart	Mosiah 23:1	Mosiah 24:13
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	"wicked priests of King Noah would come upon them" (Mosiah 23:1)	"persecution" Mosiah 24:8, see also verse 11
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Mosiah 18:3	---
4	Pass through a wilderness	Mosiah 23:1	Mosiah 24:20
5	"Many days"	"eight days' journey" (Mosiah 23:3)	"all day" Mosiah 24:20
6	Tents	Mosiah 23:5	Mosiah 24:20
7	Animals	Mosiah 23:1	Mosiah 24:18
8	Inherit a new land	Mosiah 23:4	"Valley of Alma" Mosiah 24:20
9	New names	(see Mosiah 18:10)	Mosiah 24:20
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	Mosiah 23:18	---
11	Abundance/Prosper	Mosiah 23:19	---
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Alma-1 refused to be their king	Alma-1 refused to be their king

Additional Notes: There is a third mini-iteration of the pattern when Alma is warned by the Lord that the enemy is approaching and they "took their journey into the wilderness" for twelve days and traveled to Zarahemla

Anti-Nephi-Lehi

	Detail	Anti-Nephi Lehi
1	Warned to depart	Alma 27:11-12
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	Alma 27:2
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	** (see Alma 27:14)
4	Pass through a wilderness	Alma 27:14
5	"Many days"	implied in Alma 27:15-25
6	Tents	Alma 27:25
7	Animals	Alma 27:14
8	Inherit a new land	Alma 27:22, 24
9	New names	"they were called by the Nephites the people of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after." (Alma 27:26)
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	"perfectly honest and upright in all things" (Alma 27:27)
11	Abundance/Prosper	"a highly favored people of the Lord" (Alma 27:30)
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Lamoni -- ANL; also Ammon son of Mosiah

Jared

	Detail	Jared
1	Warned to depart	The Lord commands them to gather and depart in Ether 1:40-41
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	N/A (but the Lord was confounding and scattering the people because of the Tower of Babel
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Families and "friends" (Ether 1:37)
4	Pass through a wilderness	"the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been." (Ether 2:5)
5	"Many days"	four years (Ether 2:13-14)
6	Tents	Ether 2:13
7	Animals	"of every kind" Ether 1:41; 6:4
8	Inherit a new land	Ether 1:38, 42; 2:7-12, 15;
9	New names	---
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	Ether 6:17
11	Abundance/Prosper	Ether 6:28
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	First prophet is BoJ; first king is his son Orihah

Additional notes: They are commanded to gather animals and grain "of every kind" (Ether 1:; see also Ether 2:3 "all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind."

Omer

	Detail	Omer - Emer -- Corinatumr
1	Warned to depart	Ether 9:3
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	Ether 9:1, 5
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	"all his household but Jared" (Ether 9:3)
4	Pass through a wilderness	Shim and Ablom; no definite wilderness
5	"Many days"	Ether 9:3
6	Tents	Ether 9:3
7	Animals	Ether 9:17-18
8	Inherit a new land	"a place which was called Ablom" (Ether 9:3)
9	New names	---
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	Ether 9:21
11	Abundance/Prosper	"All manner of ..." Ether 9:17-19; "Exceedingly rich" Ether 9:16
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Omer -- Emer -- Coriantumr

Conclusion of this part

Between this post and part 2a, we have detailed eight examples of this same pattern. I hope you will take the time to read each account in this set of examples and notice how tight the pattern is.  It seems clear to me that the author of each of these accounts was intending to show that each of these groups were embarking on a new path and playing the role of Adam and Eve on their journey to a new land.

As I stated above, in the next part I'll begin detailing what these symbols mean and how they fit into a temple/covenant context.

Qodesh (קֹדֶשׁ): Holy

I have studied the Hebrew root, קֹדֶשׁ - qodesh, which is related to that which is holy. There are several words based on this root:

Qodesh: Apartness, sacredness (noun)

Qadash: To be set apart, consecrated (verb)

Qadosh: Sacred, holy (adjective)

In the Bible, words for "holiness" appear more often than words for "love". This is definitely not the case in typical modern English texts. The idea of holiness and something sacred is almost lost in modern western culture. There is much to say about this, but my takeaway after having studied the concept in an ancient Israelite context is this: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. They were not the same. Heaven is associated with holiness, whereas the (fallen) earth is where the common and profane is found. They stand in contrast to each other. In the exchange between Ammon and King Lamoni, we read

28 ...And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?

29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.

30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels. (Mosiah 18)

The common man does not know the heavens. But God wants us to become holy. Since the normal state of earthly things is common, it requires a special act to bring a thing or person into a state of holiness. Sanctification is the preparation for heaven. This is what the temple is for, both ancient and modern. The vast majority of uses of the words for "holiness" in the Old Testament is related to the temple. It is all over the tabernacle descriptions in the Pentateuch, Solomon's temple in Kings and Chronicles and Ezekiel 40-48, where we find Ezekiel's temple vision. Both the holy place and the holy of holies were found in the temple, the latter being a replica of heaven. Here was the throne of God and the cherubim (angels) like Ammon described, like Lehi saw in his vision in the first chapter of the Book of Mormon, etc. A temple on earth offered man the opportunity to enter into the sacred and become holy, a prerequisite for communing with God. It is almost like we can consider the temple, and Christ's sacrifice symbolized there, as the portal to the otherwise unreachable heaven. It is the way to holiness, the connection point between heaven and earth.

In a previous post, I shared Leviticus 10:10.

And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean

The strong emphasis on separation from the unclean in the Old Testament, especially in temple settings, is another indicator of becoming holy as an essential prerequisite for being in God's presence. Here is another example.

And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. (2 Chronicles 29:5)

Under wicked kings in Judah, the temple had become corrupt and needed to be sanctified as did the Levites who performed the temple service.

This context is not that different from our understanding of the concept of holiness and sanctification in the church today. Still, it does influence my reading of Book of Mormon passages containing these words and sheds new light on them. I obviously don't know but I imagine that the Nephites, who came from an ancient Israelite culture, had a word that similarly encompassed holiness, sanctification, consecration and setting apart or separating from the unclean and related that primarily to the temple.

Let's read Alma 5:53-54 through this lens

53 And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?

54 Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance

The words in bold are all related to the Hebrew 'qds' root, or at least would probably be if this were an English translation of a Hebrew text. "Holy One" is a name for God used in the Old Testament, often combined with Israel to become "Holy One of Israel". Nephi makes it clear that this is Christ. The Holy One invites us to separate from the unclean and become sanctified (qadash) like He is. This happens by the Holy Spirit ("ruach ha-qodesh" in Hebrew) according to Alma. Instead of trampling the Holy One under their feet, Alma invites them to become holy instead, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

"The holy order of God" is a term that is quite unique in the Book of Mormon. It is explained in the D&C but is completely absent from the Bible. Interestingly, it makes a lot of sense in an Old Testament context even though the term is not found there. The holy order of God describes what we today call the priesthood. In Old Testament times this was inseparably linked to the temple. The primary responsibility of a priest was temple service. To "walk after the holy order of God", as Alma puts it, may describe participation in ancient temple rites where the way to holiness (i.e. God's presence) is found. According to Alma, it was also the means by which they were brought into the church in the first place.

The pattern is clear. God is holy and dwells in heaven. We can only get there by separating from the unclean of this earth. By the way of holiness in the temple, the holy order of God and the Holy Spirit, we can become sanctified.

I will spend my next post commenting on Alma 13 within this context.