Sycamore

The sycamore (more precisely sycomore or sycamore-fig; Hebrew: shikmah; Greek: sykomoros) is Ficus sycomorus, a large fig-bearing tree with mulberry-like leaves that provided both shade and fruit for the poor in ancient Palestine. Its wood was plentiful and valuable enough to be stored in great quantities by the kings of Israel and Judah (1 Kings 10:27; 2 Chr. 1:15), and David appointed a special overseer for the sycamore groves (1 Chr. 27:28). Amos identified himself as a "dresser of sycamore trees" before his prophetic call (Amos 7:14), meaning he notched the fruit to accelerate ripening.

The most famous New Testament sycamore is the tree climbed by the tax collector Zacchaeus of Jericho to see Jesus over the crowd (Luke 19:4). The large, low-branching, easy-to-climb sycamore was ideal for the purpose, and Jesus's invitation to Zacchaeus to come down became the occasion for his salvation and the declaration that "the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).