The Search for Roots—Israel’s Biblical Landscape Reserve

1.

The numbering of chapters and verses in the Hebrew Bible sometimes differs from the numbering in English translations. My citations are to the Hebrew Bible; following in brackets, when they differ from the Hebrew, are the chapter and verse as they appear in the New English Bible.

2.

“Sycomore” is not a misspelling of sycamore. The sycomore (Ficus sycomorus L.) is a totally distinct family and genus from both the American plane tree (Platanus occidentalis) and the English maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), both of which are commonly called sycamore. The New English Bible uses the correct spelling, sycomore.

3.

Both Majorana syriaca [L.] Rafin. and Origanum syriacum [L.] Sieb. are scientific names used in botanical guides to designate the hyssop plant. The two Latin words indicate, first, the genus and second, the particular species to which this plant belongs. [L.] stands for Linnaeus, the great 18th century Swedish botanist who named many thousands of plants and created the nomenclature system used today. Rafin. and Sieb. are abbreviations for Rafinesque and Siebold, botanists who amended the classifications.

4.

As used in the Bible, Arava is a general term, as well as a specific geographic designation for various areas in the Afro-Syrian Rift. For instance in Deuteronomy 2:8 [7], the region of Eilat is called Arava. In numerous Biblical references the Dead Sea is called the Arava Sea (for example, Joshua 3:16). In Joshua 11:2 the area south of Lake Kinneret is called Arava. In other places the Arava Valley of Jericho is mentioned (for example, 2 Kings 25:5). I am referring to the latter designation as the habitat of the ar’ar.