Nuts

Nuts appear in two distinct contexts in the Old Testament. In Genesis 43:11, Jacob instructed his sons to take gifts to the ruler of Egypt (Joseph, whom they did not yet recognize), including "nuts" (Hebrew botnim), identified as pistachios — prized as a luxury item and delicacy in the ancient Near East. This was among the "best fruits in the land" of Canaan that Jacob sent as a conciliatory gift. In Song of Solomon 6:11, the beloved descends to "the garden of nuts" (Hebrew egoz, walnuts) to see the blossoms of the valley — a scene of springtime beauty and budding life. Walnut trees were common in the region of Lebanon and the Jordan valley.