1. terebinth, oak tree — A large deciduous tree (Pistacia terebinthus or Quercus species) commonly found in the hill country of ancient Israel, often serving as a landmark or sacred meeting place. The Hebrew term is used somewhat interchangeably for both terebinth and oak species, as reflected in the multilingual gloss variation (Arabic alternates between بُطْمَة 'terebinth' and بَلُّوطَة 'oak'; Spanish consistently uses 'encina'). All occurrences refer to the same botanical referent used as a geographic or narrative marker: under the terebinth at Shechem (Gen 35:4), the terebinth at Ophrah (Judg 6:11, 19), the tree where Absalom was caught (2 Sam 18:9-14), the oak/terebinth under which Saul was buried (1 Chr 10:12), and metaphorically in prophetic imagery comparing Israel to a fading oak (Isa 1:30; 6:13; Hos 4:13). The cluster labels 'terebinth' vs. 'oak' and the prepositional variants ('like oak', 'and terebinth') reflect translation and syntactic context, not distinct semantic senses. 13×
AR["البُطْمَة","الـ-بَلُّوطَةِ","الْبَلّوطَةِ","الْبُطْمَةِ","بَلُّوطَةٍ","في-الْبُطْمَةِ","كَالبُطمَةِ","كَبُطمَةٍ","وَالبُطمِ"]·ben["-এলা-গাছের","-এলাহ-গাছের-মতো","-ওক-গাছের-মতো","এবং-এলার","এলা-গাছে","এলা-গাছের","ওক-গাছ","বৃক্ষের","সিন্ধু-গাছ","সেই-এলা-গাছের"]·DE["[האלה]","[כאלה]","der-Terebinthe","der-oak","der-terebinth","diese","in-der-terebinth","und-diese"]·EN["and-terebinth","as-the-terebinth","in-the-terebinth","like-oak","oak","the-oak","the-terebinth"]·FR["[האלה]","ces","comme-un-térébinthe","dans-le-terebinth","et-ces","le-oak","le-terebinth"]·heb["אלה","ב-אלה","ה-אלה","ו-אלה","כ-אלה"]·HI["और-एलाह","जैसे-बांजवृक्ष","बलूत","बलूत-की","बलूत-के","बलूत-के-पेड़","बलूत-के-वृक्ष","बलूत-में","बाँज-के","बांज-के-पेड़"]·ID["-pohon-ek","dan-pohon-ara","di-pohon-ek","pohon-besar","pohon-tarbantin","seperti-pohon-terebint"]·IT["[האלה]","come-un-terebinto","e-questi","il-oak","il-terebinth","il-terebinto","in-il-terebinto","questi"]·jav["kados-wit-oak","lan-wit-jati","wit-ara","wit-èk","wit-èlah","wit-ék","wit-éla","wonten-wit-ara"]·KO["그-상수리나무","그-상수리나무의","그리고-느티나무","상수리나무","상수리나무-같고","상수리나무-같이","상수리나무의","에-그-상수리나무","에-그-상수리나무에"]·PT["Como-carvalho","carvalho","como-carvalho","e-terebinto","no-carvalho","o-carvalho"]·RU["в-дубе","дуб","дуба","дубом","и-теревинфом","как-дуб","на-дубе","теревинфом"]·ES["Como-encina","como-encina","el-tamarisco","en-la-encina","encina","la-encina","y-terebinto"]·SW["asher","kama-mwaloni","katika-mwaloni","mti-wa-mwaloni","mwaloni","na-mterebintho","wa-mwaloni"]·TR["-meşe-ağacının","de-meşenin","de-meşesinin","meşe'de","meşe'nin","meşe-ağacının","meşe-gibi","ve-ilamurun"]·urd["ال-بلوط","اور-ایلاہ","بلوط","بلوط-میں","بلوط-کی-طرح","بلوط-کے"]
Gen 35:4, Judg 6:11, Judg 6:19, 2 Sam 18:9, 2 Sam 18:9, 2 Sam 18:10, 2 Sam 18:14, 1 Kgs 13:14, 1 Chr 10:12, Isa 1:30, Isa 6:13, Ezek 6:13 (+1 more)
Senses
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. אֵלָה n.f. terebinth (= אֵילָה (?) v. iv. איל > StaGesch. 455 wh. derives from אֵל = divine; but cf. ib. on lack of clear distinction betw. אֵלָה, אֵלוֹן & אַלּוֹן)—Gn 35:4 + 15 times + אֵילָה Gn 49:21 (for MT אַיָּלָה v. infr.)—terebinth = Pistacia terebinthus, Linn, a deciduous tree with pinnate leaves & red berries; occasional in Palestine; grows to great age; always of single tree; near…