Almonds
The blossoms, and fruit of the almond resembles the peach tree. Its blossoms are of a very pale pink color, and appear before its leaves. Three species of almond tree are found in Israel; two wild species, Prunus amygdalus and Amygdalus communis, have bitter and inedible fruit, while the third, domesticated species, Prunus dulcis, has an edible nut and produces a mild almond oil. (Moore Bishop. 2000. P.44).
The Almond is listed as one of the best fruits in the land by father Israel. (Genesis 43:11). The three bowls of the tabernacle were made like almonds with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick. And in the candlestick shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers. (Exodus 25:33-34).
The rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. (Numbers 17:8). The Prophet Jeremiah saw a rod of an almond tree. (Jeremiah 1:11). The almond tree was named the “awake tree” because in Palestine it is the first tree in the year to bud and bear fruit. Its blooms precede its leaves, as the tree bursts into blossom in late January. Then said the LORD unto Jeremiah, you have well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. The almond branch represented the LORD God who was watching to see that His word is fulfilled. (Jeremiah 1:12).
Ecclesiastes 12:5 tell us the almond tree shall flourish, to spurn or to cause to contemn. (Strong.2001. #05006) and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets. This uses the almond blossom to illustrate declining old age.
Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor. He had claimed twenty nine remedies that the almonds were good for. (Pliny the Elder.1855. ps.4512-4513).
He claimed the decoction of the root of the bitter almond helps to clear the complexion. The bitter almond also helps in promoting sleep, stimulates the appetite and acts as a diuretic. The bitter almond can be used topically for headache, and cures of scaly eruptions on the face, and bites that are inflicted by dogs. (Pliny the Elder.1855. ps.4512-4513).
The sweet almonds remedial properties are not so extensive. They are of a cleansing nature, and are a diuretic. Eaten fresh, they are difficult to digest. (Pliny the Elder.1855. ps.4512-4513).
Reference:
Moore Bishop, Megan Bishop and Younker, Randall W. (2000). “Almond” in Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, ed. David Noel Freedman, Allen C. Myers and Astrid B. Beck. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
Pliny the Elder. (1855).The Natural History, ed. John Bostock. Medford, MA: Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street.
Strong, James. (2001).The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
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MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Almonds:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Feb 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2364 ,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, February) “Almonds:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2364 ,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Almonds:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (February), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2364 , (accessed).
