from an unused root probably meaning to thicken with verdure; a copse of bushes; hence, a forest; hence, honey in the comb (as hived in trees); (honey-) comb, forest, wood.
### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **yaʻar**, represented by `{{H3293}}`, primarily signifies a **forest**, wood, or a copse of bushes. Its root is thought to mean "to thicken with verdure." It also carries the distinct meaning of **honeycomb**, likely because honey was often hived in trees. This term appears 58 times in 58 unique verses, illustrating its diverse applications in scripture.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In biblical narratives, `{{H3293}}` is used to describe both literal and figurative landscapes. It denotes a wild, uncultivated area, often filled with trees and home to wild animals like bears [[2 Kings 2:24]], lions [[Jeremiah 5:6]], and boars [[Psalms 80:13]]. The "wood of Ephraim" was the site of a pivotal battle [[2 Samuel 18:6]], and David once hid in the "forest of Hareth" [[1 Samuel 22:5]]. The word is also famously used for Solomon’s "house of the forest of Lebanon," a grand structure built with cedar [[1 Kings 7:2]]. In a different context, it refers to honeycomb, a sweet provision found in the wild [[1 Samuel 14:26]] and featured in poetic passages [[Song of Solomon 5:1]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help define the biblical concept of a forest:
* `{{H6086}}` **ʻêts** (a tree): As the fundamental component of a forest, this word frequently appears alongside `yaʻar`. The phrase "trees of the wood" is common, comparing a beloved to a unique apple tree among the other trees of the wood [[Song of Solomon 2:3]].
* `{{H3759}}` **karmel** (a planted field): Often used in contrast to a forest, a `karmel` represents a cultivated, fruitful place. Prophetic passages describe Lebanon being turned into a fruitful field, which in turn will be esteemed as a forest, showing a great transformation [[Isaiah 29:17]].
* `{{H4057}}` **midbâr** (a wilderness): This term for a desert or pasture is also contrasted with a forest. In a vision of future blessing, the wilderness will become a fruitful field, and that field will be counted as a forest [[Isaiah 32:15]].
* `{{H5442}}` **çᵉbâk** (a copse): This word for a thicket is used to describe the dense undergrowth within a forest. In a depiction of judgment, wickedness is a fire that kindles in the "thickets of the forest" [[Isaiah 9:18]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H3293}}` is often expressed through its symbolic duality:
* **Symbol of Judgment:** A forest can represent desolation and divine punishment. God threatens to kindle a fire in the forest of the unrighteous [[Jeremiah 21:14]] and turn cultivated lands into a wild forest overrun by beasts [[Hosea 2:12]]. The "mountain of the house" becoming "as the high places of a forest" is a metaphor for utter ruin [[Micah 3:12]].
* **Realm of Danger:** The forest is the untamed domain of predators [[Jeremiah 5:6]] and a perilous place where more of Absalom's army was devoured by the wood itself than by the sword [[2 Samuel 18:8]].
* **Image of Divine Blessing:** In prophetic hope, the transformation of a wilderness into a forest signifies God's restorative power [[Isaiah 32:15]]. In praise, all the "trees of the wood rejoice" and sing out before the Lord ([[Psalms 96:12]], [[1 Chronicles 16:33]]).
* **Place of Provision and Security:** The forest provides honeycomb [[1 Samuel 14:25]] and timber for building [[Jeremiah 10:3]]. In God's covenant of peace, his people will be able to dwell safely in the wilderness and "sleep in the woods" [[Ezekiel 34:25]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H3293}}` is more than just a word for a wooded area. It represents the untamed natural world, a setting for both danger and divine provision. As a metaphor, `yaʻar` powerfully illustrates themes of judgment, where civilization is reduced to wildness, and of ultimate redemption, where even the wilderness and the forest erupt in praise to their Creator. Its dual meaning of forest and honeycomb encapsulates this tension between the wild and the sweet, the perilous and the provided for.
TRV