Cedars of Lebanon in the Bible

• Solomon spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop in the wall1 Kgs 4:33
  The verses

  1 Kgs 4:33He spoke of trees, from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing in the wall, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
• A psalm: the cedars of Lebanon have their fillPs 104:16
  The verses

  Ps 104:16The trees of the LORD have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted,
• In Solomon’s day cedar was as plentiful as sycamore in the foothills1 Kgs 10:27, 2 Chr 1:15
  The verses

  1 Kgs 10:27The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.

  2 Chr 1:15The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
• People would replace felled sycamores with cedarsIsa 9:10
  The verses

  Isa 9:10“The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.”
• A cedar from Lebanon made a ship’s mast for TyreEzek 27:5
  The verses

  Ezek 27:5They constructed all your planking with cypress from Senir. They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.
• Cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn were used in cleansing ritesLev 14:4, Num 19:6
  The verses

  Lev 14:4the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.

  Num 19:6The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet wool and throw them onto the burning heifer.

Building with cedar

• Hiram of Tyre sent David cedar logs, carpenters and stonemasons for his palace2 Sam 5:11
  The verses

  2 Sam 5:11Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.
• David: “I live in a house of cedar, while the ark is under a tent”1 Chr 17:1
  The verses

  1 Chr 17:1After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.”
• Solomon asked Hiram for cedars; no one logged like the Sidonians1 Kgs 5:6
  The verses

  1 Kgs 5:6Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
• The logs were hauled to the sea and floated as rafts1 Kgs 5:8–9, 2 Chr 2:16
  The verses

  1 Kgs 5:8–9Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying: “I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.”

  2 Chr 2:16We will cut logs from Lebanon, as many as you need, and we will float them to you as rafts by sea down to Joppa. Then you can take them up to Jerusalem.”
• Hiram’s woodcutters were paid in wheat, barley, wine and olive oil2 Chr 2:10
  The verses

  2 Chr 2:10I will pay your servants, the woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.”
• 30,000 Israelites worked in Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,0001 Kgs 5:13–14
  The verses

  1 Kgs 5:13–14Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
• Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in Galilee for the cedar and cypress1 Kgs 9:11
  The verses

  1 Kgs 9:11King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire.
• The temple was roofed with cedar beams and planks1 Kgs 6:9–10
  The verses

  1 Kgs 6:9–10So Solomon built the temple and finished it, roofing it with beams and planks of cedar. He built chambers all along the temple, each five cubits high and attached to the temple with beams of cedar.
• Inside, cedar carved with gourds and flowers; not a stone could be seen1 Kgs 6:15, 1 Kgs 6:18
  The verses

  1 Kgs 6:15He lined the interior walls with cedar paneling from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and he covered the floor with cypress boards.

  1 Kgs 6:18The cedar paneling inside the temple was carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; not a stone could be seen.
• The inner court: three rows of dressed stone and one of cedar beams1 Kgs 6:36
  The verses

  1 Kgs 6:36Solomon built the inner courtyard with three rows of dressed stone and one row of trimmed cedar beams.
• The House of the Forest of Lebanon stood on four rows of cedar pillars1 Kgs 7:2–3
  The verses

  1 Kgs 7:2–3He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high, with four rows of cedar pillars supporting the cedar beams. The house was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the pillars—forty-five beams, fifteen per row.
• The returning exiles shipped cedar logs from Lebanon to JoppaEzra 3:7
  The verses

  Ezra 3:7They gave money to the masons and carpenters, and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to Joppa by sea, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.
• A king panels his palace with cedar and paints it with vermilionJer 22:14
  The verses

  Jer 22:14who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion.
• “The beams of our house are cedars”Song 1:17
  The verses

  Song 1:17The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

Sayings and fables

• Jehoash’s fable: a thistle asks a cedar for its daughter2 Kgs 14:9
  The verses

  2 Kgs 14:9But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle.
• Jotham’s fable: fire from the thornbush consumes the cedarsJudg 9:15
  The verses

  Judg 9:15But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
• The Amorite, with height like the cedars and strength like the oaksAmos 2:9
  The verses

  Amos 2:9Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them, though his height was like that of the cedars, and he was as strong as the oaks. Yet I destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
• A psalm: “grow like a cedar in Lebanon”Ps 92:12
  The verses

  Ps 92:12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
• “The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars”Ps 29:5
  The verses

  Ps 29:5The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
• “As majestic as the cedars”Song 5:15
  The verses

  Song 5:15His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of pure gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, as majestic as the cedars.
• The cedars rejoice: “no woodcutter comes against us”Isa 14:8
  The verses

  Isa 14:8Even the cypresses and cedars of Lebanon exult over you: “Since you have been laid low, no woodcutter comes against us.”
• “Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen”Zech 11:2
  The verses

  Zech 11:2Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!