PALM TREE (תָּמָר֒, H9469, תִּ֫מֹרָה, H9474, a carving of a palm tree; φοίνιξ). Twelve times palms are mentioned, i.e. in Judges 4:5—the palm tree that Deborah lived under, and in Psalm 92:12 where people are described as upright as a palm tree. Fourteen references are made to artificially-created palm trees, where carvings actually depict the trees. In the NT, branches of palm trees are featured in the incident of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (John 12:13); in Revelation 7:9, the righteous are said to be holding palm branches in heaven—“clothed in white robes.”

The palm is the date palm, normally a fruit tree, but the writer feels that Deborah’s palm was a non-fruiter. Usually when trees do not bear fruit, they produce more foliage, and this would have pleased Deborah for she obviously needed the shade.

The date palm is Phoenix dactylifera. It will grow ninety ft. high or more. On the top there are borne large numbers of feathery leaves, about nine feet long. In Pal. the palms are sometimes found in groves and sometimes as lone specimens. The date fruits are invaluable in many parts of the Middle E (see Dates).

There is hardly any part of the date palm that is not used. The leaves are used for roofing, and even in the olden days to make the sides of houses; they also are made into fences for protection from winds, animals, etc. From the crowns, ropes are made. The date kernels provide food for animals, particularly camels, and the seeds often are made into beads. A strong liquor is produced from the spathe that surrounds the flowers. This undoubtedly was known to the ancient Babylonians. It is presumed by many that when strong drink is referred to in the Bible—as opposed to wine—it means this particular intoxicant.

Because the ancient historian Herodotus states that a palm can produce bread, wine, and “honey,” there is reason to believe that he calls the liquor “honey” and that some of the references to honey in the OT are therefore to the date palm liquor—and not to the common honey from bees.

The Jewish historian, Josephus, claims that there were forests of palms in his time (37-95 a.d.), and that these were found by the Lake of Galilee, in the Jordan Valley, round about Jerusalem, as well as on the Mount of Olives. One palm forest near Jericho is described as being “seven miles long.”

Because the palm takes some thirty years before being fully mature, the planting of the trees is a long-term project, but around Jericho the writer has seen recently evidence of largescale palm planting, and the trees are doing very well. Date palms usually last about 200 years.

The trees are dioecious, i.e. the male flowers are borne on separate trees from the female blossoms. For this reason, it was customary in the olden days to cut off the male blooms and hang them in the “female trees,” thus insuring perfect pollination.

The Heb. word תָּמָר֒, H9469, was always used as a term of admiration, such as “tall and willowy”; Absalom’s sister was given the name.