Hebrew word · H1266

בְּרוֹת

berotim

cypress

A form of bərôš (H1265) that occurs only here. Bərôš is a tall conifer of Lebanon, identified variously as Phoenician juniper (Juniperus excelsa), Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Aleppo pine, or Cilician fir. The -t in place of -š matches the regular Aramaic sound shift.

Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

cypress, fir, juniper, pine

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Song of Songs 1:17

Range of meaning

A form of bərôš (H1265) that occurs only here. Bərôš is a tall conifer of Lebanon, identified variously as Phoenician juniper (Juniperus excelsa), Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), Aleppo pine, or Cilician fir. The -t in place of -š matches the regular Aramaic sound shift.

Against the English

KJV, WEB and NIV have 'fir(s)', BSB has 'fragrant firs', NASB has 'cypresses' and ESV has 'pine'. These are all reasonable guesses at a tree the Hebrew does not pin down botanically. BSB's 'fragrant' is not in the Hebrew, though these conifers are aromatic.

How it drifted

'Fir' came from older translations (KJV). It leads modern readers to picture an Abies, a Christmas-tree fir. Most botanists of the Bible prefer juniper or cypress.

Used elsewhere in the period

Bərôš is cedar's regular partner in royal and temple building: Solomon's floors and doors (1 Kings 5:8, 10; 6:15, 34), Hiram's timber deal, and the 'glory of Lebanon' in Isaiah 60:13. The Septuagint here has kyparissoi, 'cypresses', and the Vulgate has cypressina. The Aramaic-looking spelling is one of several features scholars cite when dating the Song's language.

Where it appears

Song of Songs · 1

  1. Song of Songs 1:17 בְּרוֹתִֽים׃ [are] cypress<es>

    The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are fragrant firs.

    Here: An Aramaic-looking form of the usual Hebrew bərôš: a tall, fragrant conifer of Lebanon, paired with cedar in Solomon's building works. The exact species is uncertain. Juniper and cypress are the likeliest.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.