When I first started these A-Z lists, I started one on Bible verses and really wanted to just challenge myself to find a verse for the letter x or y, or even z.
After doing that post, I felt excited and pumped. I was beginning to see the Bible in a new and different way. Studying it in different ways than I had before (expositorily, topical, by character name, etc.) So I created another A – Z list…Christian words.
I wanted to see how many words really had a root of them in the Bible. How many times I just said the words or glossed over them in our English language and never gave a thought to how long they’ve been around.
Then I started to get hooked. I wanted to dive deeper into the pages of Scripture and see the Bible from different angles. Things I never noticed before, patterns I never realized, lessons I never saw.
By the second or third A-Z list, I got hooked!
If you’re like me and you’ve read the Bible through several times, you’ve done character studies, you’ve studied expositorily or by topic to learn about God more, but can’t quite afford to go to seminary and learn, these lists are a great middle ground.
They give you MEAT and help you to see things from a different perspective. I love doing them. I love researching for them. I love putting them together, and I love sharing with you what I’ve learned along the way.
Today is no exception. As I’m putting on an essential oil this morning, I wanted to create an essential oils A-Z list (which is coming soon) and this led me to think about ALL the plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers that are named in the Bible.
Some of them you’ve never even heard of and so it’s fun to then go and research what type of plant or tree that is and learn more about the Bible in historical context (which is my all-time FAVORITE way to study the Bible!!!) 💎
When we can see the Bible from the writer’s point of view, from where their headspace was at the time, their topography, landscape, their culture, it puts things in a much DIFFERENT meaning sometimes than what we think about as we read a passage.
Here’s a quick example…
I’ve read through Psalm 23 so many times and in western culture, where we live, we think of belly-high alfalfa as the “grass” or “green pastures” they are referring to there in Psalm 23:2.
But if you study it out, in historical context, in that culture, they never let the grazing animals in belly-high alfalfa. That was people food, not animal food. No. The animals grazed along the rocks, in the dry mountains – that was THEIR pasture.
There’s a tuft of grass here and a tuft of grass there as the wind from the sea and the dew makes its way around the rocks. The streams were not the Garden of Eden, lush and beautiful. It was dry, barren mountainscape, with a stream here or there.
When God leads us along, He’s not leading us along this super fertile Amazon rainforest. Is your life like a fertile Amazon rainforest? I don’t know anyone in the world who doesn’t have problems. Who is led and everything is great, perfect, beautiful all the time, like paradise.
He leads us in the dry, barren wasteland we call this earth. He leads us in the midst of a culture of people who hate us and hate our God.
He’s not leading us or making us lie down in this perfect rainforest. It’s the dry, barrenness of the mountains.
It’s a picture of our lives. This earth is not SUPPOSED to be perfect. If it were, we wouldn’t look forward to Heaven. We wouldn’t need Jesus, because we wouldn’t need someone to lead us and guide us at all. “I’ve got this, Lord”, would be our response.
He leads us through the desert, like He did the Israelites. Always there for us, always taking care of us, always tenderly loving us like a shepherd cares for His flock.
Understanding what THEY understood in the Bible times, helps us to understand God more. It helps us to understand exactly what God is meaning and see things from HIS point of view, instead of our own.
In THIS way, we can know God more and so these A-Z lists for me are FUN! They’ve become for me, a great way to study my Bibles. To learn and see things from new and exciting perspectives that I never would have known, had I not of studied the Bible out in this way.
I hope that these posts encourage you, enlighten you, and that the fire inside of you that burns for Christ is lit in such a way that you want to know more about our dear Lord and Savior more as you study out the Bible in fascinating and unique ways.
The biggest thing I learned from this study is that the KJV has a lot of the specific plant types so we can learn more about EXACTLY what was there and over the decades, with newer version Bibles, the specifics are often taken out. Instead of saying the exact type of tree, for example, it’s just said that it’s a tree.
Knowing the type of tree or plant helps paint the scene more vividly in our minds.
So, join me today as I share with you all the plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible (and I’ve even added in flowers into the mix too!)
Enjoy!!! ❤️💎😍
Plants, Trees, and Shrubs in the Bible That Starts with A – Z
Isn’t it amazing how God uses everything in His creation to teach us something? Even plants, trees, and shrubs. 🌿 They’re not just background details. God included them for a reason. From the tiny mustard seed (here’s a great craft to do with your Sunday School kids on the mustard seed) to the towering cedar tree. Each one has a story and a purpose tucked into the pages of Scripture.
I had so much fun putting this list together, it’s like a little treasure hunt through God’s Word! Some of these you’ll recognize right away (hello, fig tree 🍃), and others might surprise you (yes, stinkweed is actually in the Bible 😅).
Whether you’re doing a Bible study, teaching kids, or just love random Bible facts (guilty!), you’re going to love this A–Z list.
Be sure to check out my other A-Z lists too, for more fun! 🥳
All plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible are found in the ESV version unless otherwise noted.
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with A
- Acacia (Isaiah 41:19)
- Algum Tree (2 Chronicles 2:8)
- Almond Tree (Jeremiah 1:11, Numbers 17:8)
- Aloe (Psalm 45:8)
- Anise (Matthew 23:23 KJV)
- Apple Tree (Joel 1:12)
- Apricot Tree (Song of Solomon 2:3 CSB)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with B
- Balsam Tree (2 Samuel 5:24)
- Barley (2 Samuel 17:28)
- Bay Tree (Psalm 37:35 KJV)
- Bdellium (Numbers 11:7)
- Beans (2 Samuel 17:28)
- Box Tree (Isaiah 60:13 NKJV)
- Bramble Bush (Luke 6:44)
- Brier Shrub (Judges 8:7)
- Broom Tree (Job 30:4)
- Bulrush (Isaiah 19:7 NASB)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with C
- Calamus (Song of Solomon 4:14)
- Cane (Exodus 30:23)
- Caper Bush (Ecclesiastes 12:5)
- Carob (Luke 15:16 NASB)
- Cassia (Psalm 45:8)
- Cedar Tree (Isaiah 44:14, Numbers 24:6)
- Chestnut Tree (Ezekiel 31:8 NKJV)
- Cilantro (Coriander comes from Cilantro plants; Exodus 16:31)
- Cinnamon Tree (Exodus 30:23)
- Citron (Revelation 18:12 NIV)
- Cockle (Job 31:40 KJV)
- Corn (Joshua 5:11 KJV)
- Cotton (Esther 1:6)
- Crocus (Isaiah 35:1-2)
- Cucumbers (Numbers 11:5)
- Cumin (Isaiah 28:25)
- Cypress (Isaiah 55:13, Isaiah 41:19)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with D
- Dates (2 Samuel 6:19 NASB)
- Dill (Matthew 23:23)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with E
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with F
- Fig Tree (Matthew 24:32)
- Fir (Isaiah 60:13 NIV)
- Flax (Isaiah 19:9)
- Frankincense (Song of Solomon 4:14)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with G
- Galbanum (Exodus 30:34)
- Garlic (Numbers 11:5)
- Gourd Bush (Jonah 4:6 KJV)
- Grapevine (James 3:12)
- Grass (Isaiah 40:7)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with H
- Heath Shrub (Jeremiah 17:6 KJV)
- Hemlock (poisonous plant; Hosea 10:4 KJV)
- Henna (Song of Solomon 1:14)
- Hyssop (Psalm 51:7, Exodus 12:2)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with I
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with J
- Juniper (Isaiah 60:13 NIV)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with K
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with L
- Laurel Tree (Psalm 37:35)
- Leeks (Numbers 11:5)
- Lentils (2 Samuel 17:28)
- Lily (Matthew 6:28; Song of Solomon 6:2)
- Lotus (Job 40:21)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with M
- Mallow (Job 30:4 KJV)
- Mandrake (Song of Solomon 7:13)
- Melon (Numbers 11:5)
- Millet (Ezekiel 4:9)
- Mint (Luke 11:42)
- Mulberry Tree (2 Samuel 5:24 KJV)
- Mustard (Matthew 13:31)
- Myrrh (Song of Solomon 4:14)
- Myrtle (Isaiah 55:13)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with N
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with O
- Oak Tree (Isaiah 44:14)
- Olive Tree (Psalm 52:8)
- Onion (Numbers 11:5)
- Onycha (Exodus 30:34)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with P
- Palm Tree (Leviticus 23:40)
- Papyrus (Exodus 2:3 NIV)
- Pine (Isaiah 60:13)
- Pistachio (Genesis 43:11)
- Plane Tree (Ezekiel 31:8)
- Pomegranate Tree (Song of Solomon 6:7)
- Poplar Tree (Genesis 30:37)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with Q
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with R
- Reeds (Exodus 2:3)
- Rose (Isaiah 35:1 KJV)
- Rue (Luke 11:42)
- Rush (Job 8:11 NASB)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with S
- Saffron (Song of Solomon 4:14)
- Seaweed (Jonah 2:5 NIV)
- Shittah Tree (Isaiah 41:19 KJV)
- Spelt (Exodus 9:32 NIV)
- Spikenard (John 12:3)
- Stacte (Exodus 30:34)
- Stinkweed (Job 31:40 NIV)
- Sycamore Tree (Luke 19:4)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with T
- Tamarisk (1 Samuel 22:6)
- Tare (Matthew 13:40 KJV)
- Terebinth (Isaiah 6:13)
- Thistle (Matthew 7:16)
- Thyine (Revelation 18:12 KJV)
- Tumbleweed (Psalm 83:13 NIV)
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with U
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with V
• Plants, trees, and shrubs in the Bible that starts with W
- Walnut (Song of Solomon 6:11 CSV)
- Wheat (2 Samuel 17:28, Matthew 13:25)
- Willow (Psalm 137:2)
- Wormwood (Proverbs 5:4)