Wild thorny plants that overrun neglected land, serving as prophetic symbols of judgment and abandonment. Whether thistles or nettles, these invasive weeds represented nature reclaiming what unfaithful humans had forfeited. In Hosea, thorns occupy Israel's silver treasures; in Isaiah, they choke ruined palaces; in Proverbs, they mark the sluggard's field. The specific botanical identity matters less than the consistent message: thorns signify the curse, the reversal of cultivation, the undoing of human dominion when covenant relationship breaks down. What should have been fruitful becomes hostile and worthless.