Cedar-Tree

CEDAR-TREE, a Tree much celebrated in the Scriptures. There are some still growing on Mount Libanus, but in a very small number above, Byblos and Tripoli to the East; and there are none elsewhere to be seen in all these Mountains. But it is probable, that in former times there was a much greater abundance of them, since they were made use of in so many great buildings. These Trees are prodigiously thick and tall. There are some among those which are at this day to be seen on Libanus, that are five and thirty and forty feet in the girt. The Cedar-tree shoots out its branches at ten or twelve feet from the ground. Its branches are large and at a distance from one another; its leaves are something like those of Rosemary; it is always green and distils a kind of gum, to which different effects are attributed. The wood of it is incorruptible, beautiful, solid, and inclining to a brown colour, It bears a small Apple like that of the Pine, except that the outward skin of it is finer, smoother, and not so open¹.

There are Cedars growing not only on Mount Libanus, but in some places also of Africk, in the Isle of Cyprus, and in that of Crete, or Candia. Cedars were used in making Statues, which were designed for long duration. The Temple of Jerusalem, and King Solomon’s Palace were built with Cedar; and there was so great a quantity of it in the Temple, that it is sometimes called Lebanon: Open thy doors, O Lebanon; Zech. xi. 1.Aperi, Libane, portas tuas: and the house which Solomon dwelt in at Jerusalem, is called the house of the forest of Libanon, 1 Kings vii. 2. and x. 10.Domus saltûs Libani. The roof of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus was likewise of Cedar, according to the account we have of it from Pliny². Josephus says, that Solomon planted Cedars in Judæa in so great a quantity, that there were as many of them in that Country as there were Sycomores, which are very common Trees there.

The Cedar loves cold and mountainous places, and if the top of it is cut, it dies. The branches which it shoots out at distant spaces and certain intervals lessening continually as they grow higher, form as it were a kind of wheel, and rise in the form of a pyramid³. Bruyn in his journey to the Holy Land says, that the leaves of the Cedar point upwards, and that the fruit hangs downwards. The Fruit grows like Persian Apples, but longer, harder, and fuller, and is not easily to be separated from the stalk. It contains seed like that of the Cypress-tree, and casts out a glutinous thick sort of rosin, transparent, and of a strong smell, which does not run, but falls drop by drop. This Author tells us, that having had the curiosity to measure two Cedars of Libanus which to him appeared to be the largest there, he found one to be fifty seven palms about, and the other forty seven. The Naturalists distinguish several sorts of Cedars; but we confine ourselves to that of Libanus, which is the only one the Scripture speaks of.

They made use of this wood not only for the beams and planks which covered edifices, and serv’d for cielings to apartments, but they placed them likewise in the substance of their walls, and so disposed them and the stone together, that there were, for example, three rows of stone, and 1 Kings vi. 36. and vii. 12. and Ezra vi. 3, 4.one of Cedar-wood. Sometimes these planks were laid from one course of the wall to the other⁴ alternately with rows of stone, which went likewise from one course to the other, and at every course made a sort of chequer-work.

The Cedar was thought in all probability to have a purging quality, since Moses ordains, that in the purification of a Leper this wood, together with hyssop, should be used in making up a Wisp, wherewith the Lev. xiv. 4.Leper was to be sprinkled. The manner of making this Wisp was as follows: they took a branch of Cedar, another of Hyssop, and a clean Bird: the whole was tied up together with a purple or crimson ribbon, so however that the bird’s head should be beside the handle: this Wisp they dip’d in water wherein the blood of another clean bird had been distilled, and with it sprinkled the Leper, then they loosed the living bird and set it at liberty. They used much such a Wisp, excepting only that no live bird was fastened to it, in the aspersions made on the great day of Expiation with Numb. xix. 6.the blood of a red heifer.

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