Cypress

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Cypress . (1) tirzah (  Isaiah 44:14 , RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘ holm oak ’) stands for some tree with very hard wood, the meaning of the root (in Arabic) being to be hard . ‘Holm oak’ is the rendering of the oldest Latin translation. This is the Quercus ilex , a tree now rare W. of the Jordan, but still found in Gilead and Bashan; (2) te’ashshur (  Isaiah 41:19 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). Both AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] have ‘box tree’ (wh. see); (3) berôsh (  2 Samuel 6:5 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). Both AV [Note: Authorized Version.] and RV [Note: Revised Version.] have ‘ fir wood’ (see also   Isaiah 55:13 ). In Palestine to-day cypresses are extensively planted, especially in cemeteries.

E. W. G. Masterman.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

תדזה ,  Isaiah 44:14; and κυπαρισσοσ , Sir_24:13; Sir_50:10; a large evergreen tree. The wood is fragrant, very compact, and heavy. It scarcely ever rots, decays, or is worm-eaten; for which reason the ancients used to make the statues of their gods with it. The unperishable chests which contain the Egyptian mummies were of cypress. The gates of St. Peter's church at Rome, which had lasted from the time of Constantine to that of Pope Eugene IV, that is to say, eleven hundred years, were of cypress, and had in that time suffered no decay. But Celsius thinks that Isaiah speaks of the ilex, a kind of oak; and Bishop Lowth, that the pine is intended. The cypress, however, was more frequently used, and more fit for the purpose which the prophet mentions, than either of these trees.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Cypress. R. V. holm tree.  Isaiah 44:14. The Hebrew word indicates a tree with hard-grained wood, not the cypress, but probably the Syrian juniper which grows wild upon Lebanon, is meant, as the cypress never does in the Holy Land. The latter tree is a tall evergreen, the wood of which is heavy, aromatic, and remarkably durable. Its foliage is dark and gloomy, its form close and pyramidal, and it is usually planted in the cemeteries of the East. Coffins were made of it in the East, and the mummy-cases of Egypt are found at this day of the cypress wood. The timber has been known to suffer no decay by the lapse of 1100 years.

King James Dictionary

CYPRESS, n. L., Gr.

1. A genus of plants or trees. The most remarkable are the sempervirens or common cypress, the evergreen American cypress or white cedar, and the disticha or deciduous American cypress. The wood of these trees is remarkable for its durability. The coffins in which the Athenian heroes and the mummies of Egypt were deposited, are said to have been made of the first species.

2The emblem of mourning for the dead, cypress branches having been anciently used at funerals.

Had success attended the Americans, the death of Warren would have been sufficient to damp the joys of victory, and the cypress would have been united with the laurel.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

 Isaiah 44:14; Tirzah , from Taaraz "to be hard."  Sirach 24:13;  Sirach 1:1-21. A large, coniferous, evergreen tree; the wood very durable, hard, and fragrant. The cypress, which is a native of Taurus, is now only found in lower levels of Syria. Since it seldom rots, it was used for idol statues. The juniper is found 7,000 ft. up Lebanon, but not at the top, which is 10,500 ft. high.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Cypress. (Hebrew, tirzah ). The Hebrew word is found only in  Isaiah 44:14. We are quite unable to assign any definite rendering to it. The true cypress is a native of the Taurus. The Hebrew word points to some tree with a hard grain, and this is all that can be positively said of it.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

An evergreen tree, resembling in form and size the Lombardy poplar. Its wood is exceedingly durable, and seems to have been used for making idols,  Isaiah 44:14 . The cypress is thought to be intended in some of the passages where "fir-tree" occurs,  2 Samuel 6:5 , etc.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

A species of oak which preserves its fragrance: it will not easily rot, nor is it eaten by worms.  Isaiah 44:14 .

Webster's Dictionary

(n.) A coniferous tree of the genus Cupressus. The species are mostly evergreen, and have wood remarkable for its durability.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Isaiah 44:14

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

See Cluster

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bibliography Information McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Cypress'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/c/cypress.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.