Box-tree

Box-tree appears in Isaiah 41:19 and 60:13 (King James Version) as the translation of the Hebrew te'ashshur, one of several trees promised to appear in the transformed wilderness as signs of divine restoration. Modern translations render it variously as “cypress,” “box,” or “pine,” as the precise identification remains uncertain. Ezekiel 27:6 uses the related term for the fine wood used in the oars of Tyrian ships, suggesting a hard, high-quality timber.

Isaiah 41:19 lists the box-tree alongside the cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, fir, and pine as trees God will plant in the desert as a visible sign of his power and purpose: “that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this.” Isaiah 60:13 envisions the glory of Lebanon—its cedars, firs, and box-trees—coming to beautify the sanctuary of the restored Zion. The repeated clustering of these trees in eschatological restoration passages gives the imagery of flourishing woodland a prophetic and theological depth beyond mere botanical description.