Oak Of Meonenim
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible [1]
Meonenim, Oak Of A place mentioned only in Judges 9:37 as being near Shechem. It is agreed that the rendering should be ‘oak of the diviners,’ but the derivation of the word mÄ•‘ônÄ•nîm is uncertain. There is a cognate Arabic word, however, which is used of the hum of insects and the whispering of leaves, and it is tempting, therefore, to connect me‘ônÄ•nîm with such a phenomenon as the ‘sound of a marching in the tops of the balsams’ of 2 Samuel 5:24 , where the rustling of the leaves is the sign of the presence of Jahweh, as the rustling of the leaves of the oaks of Dodona proclaimed the will of Zeus.
W. F. Cobb.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [2]
mḗ - on´ḗ - nim , mḗ - ō´nḗ - nim : ( מעוננים אלון , 'ēlōn me‛ōnenı̄m ; Codex Vaticanus, Ἠλωνμαωνεμείν , Ēlōnmaōnemeı́n , Codex Alexandrinus, δρυὸς ἀποβλεπόντων , druós apoblepóntōn ; the King James Version Plain of ): This was a sacred tree which apparently could be seen from the gate of Shechem ( Judges 9:37 ). No doubt it took its name from the soothsayers who sat under it, practicing augury, etc. Several times mention is made of sacred trees in the vicinity of Shechem ( Genesis 35:4; Joshua 24:26; Judges 9:6 , etc.). Where this tree stood is not known. See &AUGURS' Oak .
