Table of Contents

List of Figures

Preface

Abbreviations

1. Background and MethodologyIntroduction

Prophetic Rhetoric

Methodological Considerations

Previous Research and the Present Study

Conclusion

2. Tree Imagery in the Ancient Near East: Egypt and MesopotamiaTrees in the Ancient Near East

Tree Imagery, Gods, and Kings in Ancient Egypt

Gods and Trees in Ancient Egypt

Trees, Temples, and Kings in Ancient Egypt

Tree Imagery, Gods, and Kings in Mesopotamia

3. Tree Imagery in the Ancient Near East: Syria-Palestine and the BibleTree Imagery in Syria-Palestine

Tree Metaphors and Imagery in and around the Biblical Text

Trees and the Righteous

Trees and Love Songs

Trees as Sacred Sites in Ancient Israel

Conclusion

4. Trees and Kings in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and EzekielIntroduction

Trees and Kings in Isaiah

Tree and Kings in Jeremiah

Trees and Kings in Ezekiel

Conclusion

5. Summary and ConclusionsSummary

Areas of Future Research

Appendix: A Catalog of Tree Imagery in the Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel

Bibliography

About the Author

William R. Osborne is Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological studies at College of the Ozarks.

Reviews

“Osborne’s study offers additional nuance to prior examinations of prophetic agricultural imagery, demonstrating that both ancient Israel and its surrounding cultures commonly utilized tree imagery in distinct ways that bear upon one’s understanding of the prophetic texts.”—Joseph W. Mueller Religious Studies Review