Mulberry

The mulberry tree of the English Bible translates two Hebrew words that may not refer to the same species. In Psalm 84:6, the Hebrew baka (meaning to weep, from the resinous drops the tree exudes) gives its name to the "Valley of Baca" — a place of weeping transformed by the pilgrims into a place of springs, a common rendering of which is "valley of tears." More significant historically are the bekaim trees of 2 Samuel 5:23–24 and 1 Chronicles 14:14–15, in whose tops the sound of marching was to serve as God's signal for David to attack the Philistines. Most scholars now identify these trees as aspen or trembling poplar (Populus tremula), whose leaves rustle conspicuously in even slight breezes, making the rustling sound an identifiable signal. The true mulberry (Morus nigra) was grown in Palestine but is likely not the species intended in these military contexts.