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Trees and Kings: A Comparative Analysis of Tree Imagery in Israel's Prophetic Tradition and the Ancient Near East
The Old Testament prophets did not hesitate to use the rhetorical conventions accessible to them when delivering their sermons of salvation and judgment. One source of comparison used frequently in the prophets and widely throughout the ancient Near East is the image of a tree. In Trees and Kings, William Osborne evaluates the cultural and cognitive setting that potentially gave rise to this figurative tree imagery, drawing on both comparative study with ancient Near Eastern tree imagery and the cognitive-linguistic approach to metaphor theory.
Osborne examines tree metaphors that appear in the texts of Israel's writing prophets, specifically Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He takes this material as largely reflective of the Israelite prophetic tradition from the 8th-6th centuries BC. Tree imagery in the Old Testament is certainly not limited to these prophetic books, and this study takes many of these texts into consideration in seeking to understand tree imagery in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel better. The question is rarely asked, why do the prophets often defer to the metaphorical use of the tree? The goal of this study is to answer this important question by comparing and contrasting tree metaphors in much of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament with tree imagery and metaphors encountered from the ancient Near East.
Osborne examines tree metaphors that appear in the texts of Israel's writing prophets, specifically Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. He takes this material as largely reflective of the Israelite prophetic tradition from the 8th-6th centuries BC. Tree imagery in the Old Testament is certainly not limited to these prophetic books, and this study takes many of these texts into consideration in seeking to understand tree imagery in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel better. The question is rarely asked, why do the prophets often defer to the metaphorical use of the tree? The goal of this study is to answer this important question by comparing and contrasting tree metaphors in much of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament with tree imagery and metaphors encountered from the ancient Near East.
- GenresChristian
224 pages, Hardcover
Published January 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 13, 2021
A fantastic study of tree imagery in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah in comparison to ancient near eastern uses of the imagery. This book is extremely well referenced and is a necessary citation for anyone looking to understand whether or not there exists a working typology of tree imagery in the Old Testament. My head is rich in imagery after reading this book.
April 27, 2025
A worthy read regarding tree and king imagery in the Bible. I found the pagan tree rituals of greater importance and the interpretations of Biblical trees and kings sometimes lacking or looking entirely over Messianic meaning. However, I do appreciate the insight on the Assyrian and Babylonian tree traditions as it brings the meaning to the scriptures to life.
December 2, 2025
Knowing the greater cultural context of the tree metaphors through Isaiah Ezekiel and Jeremiah either for polemic purposes or expanding the nuances has been a helpful tool leading to a greater application to various parts of the Bible. Will be looking for more from this author!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews