The Acacia—Thorny but Not Lacking Distinction
THERE are some 450 varieties of acacias. These range in size from mere shrubs to trees that furnish usable lumber. Acacias are members of the Mimosa family and are found in the warm parts of the earth, including desert regions.
Two varieties of acacias are of particular interest to students of the Bible, Acacia seyal and Acacia tortilis. This is because these two kinds may well be the acacias that are referred to in the Scriptures.
Both varieties are found in the Arabian Desert and are about the only trees that would have been able to supply needed materials for the Israelites to construct the tabernacle in the Sinai Peninsula.
The larger of the two kinds is Acacia tortilis. It is not very impressive in inhospitable desert regions. Usually twisted and gnarled, it is more of a bush than a tree. But under more favorable growing conditions, it attains a height of up to twenty-five feet (7.6 meters). Strong, slender thorns, one-and-a-half-inches (3.8 centimeters) long, extend from the widely spreading branches of this handy tree.
Rough black bark covers the hard, fine-grained orange-brown wood. Even today the acacia’s rich color and natural resistance to insect attack make the lumber ideal for cabinet work.
The greatest distinction that the thorny acacia enjoyed, however, was in its supplying wood for the construction of items associated with true worship. It was used in making the ark of the covenant, the table of showbread, the altar of burnt offering, the altar of incense, poles for carrying this sacred furniture, pillars for the tabernacle curtain and screen, as well as the tabernacle panel frames and their connecting bars.—Ex. 36:20, 31, 36; 37:1, 4, 10, 15, 25, 28.
Truly the thorny acacia is a tree that does not lack distinction. The rich color and durability of its wood commend it. The acacia’s being used in tabernacle construction adds to its reputation, for that tabernacle and its furnishings were employed for about five hundred years.