Hebrew word · H1918

הֲדַס

hadas

myrtle

Myrtle (Myrtus communis), an evergreen shrub with fragrant leaves and white flowers. It grows in wet valley bottoms in the Levant. Its branches were used to build booths for the festival of Booths (Nehemiah 8:15). Esther's Hebrew name, Hadassah, comes from it (Esther 2:7).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

myrtle (tree)

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 Zechariah 1:10

Range of meaning

Myrtle (Myrtus communis), an evergreen shrub with fragrant leaves and white flowers. It grows in wet valley bottoms in the Levant. Its branches were used to build booths for the festival of Booths (Nehemiah 8:15). Esther's Hebrew name, Hadassah, comes from it (Esther 2:7).

Against the English

"Myrtle trees" (BSB, WEB) slightly overstates the size: the myrtle is usually a large shrub. KJV/YLT "myrtles" is closer.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 41:19 and 55:13 make the myrtle a sign of God's restoration of a ruined land ("instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle"). Nehemiah 8:15 records its use at the festival of Booths. Later Jewish tradition (the Targum and rabbinic comment) read the myrtles as Israel or the righteous in exile. The Septuagint has "mountains" here (see textual notes).

From the study of Zechariah 1:8

Range of meaning

Myrtle bushes (Myrtus communis): evergreen, aromatic, white-flowered shrubs of low, moist ground in the Levant.

Against the English

English versions say 'myrtle trees'. Biblical myrtle is usually a large shrub or small bushy tree, so 'thicket' or 'grove' is closer than a picture of tall trees.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 41:19 and 55:13 (myrtles replacing thorns, a sign of God restoring the land), Neh 8:15 (myrtle branches gathered for the booths of Sukkot, the Festival of Booths). Esther's Hebrew name was Hadassah, 'myrtle' (Esth 2:7). Later Jewish practice uses myrtle among the four species of Sukkot. The Septuagint does not have 'myrtles' here (see textual notes).

Where it appears

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 8:15 הֲדַס֙ myrtle

    and that they should proclaim this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 41:19 וַהֲדַ֖ס and myrtle tree[s]

    I will plant cedars in the wilderness, acacias, myrtles, and olive trees. I will set cypresses in the desert, elms and boxwood together,

    Here: 'And myrtle'. A sweet-smelling evergreen shrub that needs moisture. It was used for festival booths (Neh 8:15) and is a sign of blessing in Isa 55:13.

  2. Isaiah 55:13 הֲדַ֑ס a myrtle tree

    Instead of the thornbush, the cypress will grow, and instead of the brier, the myrtle will spring up; this will make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign, never to be destroyed.”

    Here: The myrtle, a fragrant evergreen shrub. Its branches were cut for the booths of the Feast of Tabernacles (Neh 8:15), and Esther's Hebrew name Hadassah comes from it. Sweet smell replaces sting.

Zechariah · 3

  1. Zechariah 1:8 הַהֲדַסִּ֖ים the myrtle trees

    I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.

    Here: Myrtle (Myrtus communis) is an evergreen, fragrant shrub that grows in damp low ground. The article ('the myrtles') points to one particular grove in the vision. Elsewhere myrtle stands for restored land (Isa 41:19; 55:13) and was used to build festival booths (Neh 8:15).

  2. Zechariah 1:10 הַהַדַסִּ֖ים the myrtle trees

    Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, “They are the ones the LORD has sent to patrol the earth.”

    Here: "The myrtles." The myrtle is a low evergreen, fragrant shrub that grows in moist hollows. In Isaiah's promises of restoration it stands for God's renewing of the land (Isaiah 41:19; 55:13).

  3. Zechariah 1:11 הַהֲדַסִּ֔ים the myrtle trees

    And the riders answered the angel of the LORD who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is at rest and tranquil.”

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