Willows

Willows (Hebrew 'arabim) appear several times in Scripture in connection with water and with mourning. The word 'arabah (related to the same root) also means the Jordan valley and dry steppe, suggesting these trees were associated with watercourses in otherwise dry terrain. Leviticus 23:40 prescribes the use of willows, along with palm branches and boughs of leafy trees, in the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Job 40:22 places the behemoth under the willow trees beside brooks. Isaiah 44:3–4 promises spiritual refreshment on Israel using the image of willows growing by water. The most poignant use is Psalm 137:1–2: "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof" — where the willow becomes the symbol of exile's mournful silence. The species is probably the weeping willow or the poplar (Salix acmophylla or related), common in Mesopotamian river landscapes.