NUT TREES

1. [Heb., bot·nimʹ]. Among the “finest products of the land” that Jacob sent as a gift to Joseph in Egypt was what is generally considered to be the fruit of the Pistacia vera, that is, “pistachio nuts.” (Gen. 43:11) These nuts are still considered a delicacy in Syria and Egypt. The fruit has a thin, dry outer shell, which varies in color from light red to yellow, and contains two pale-green kernels inside. These nutmeats are eaten fresh or roasted and have a sweet, somewhat oily taste. The trees are abundant in Syria but are much less common in Palestine today.

The name of the city of Betonim in the territory of Gad may be derived from this Hebrew term, perhaps due then to an abundance of pistachio-bearing trees there.—Josh. 13:24-26.

2. [Heb., ʼeghohzʹ]. The Shulammite maiden in The Song of Solomon (6:11) speaks of going down “to the garden of nut trees.” The nut trees here referred to may well have been walnut trees (Juglans regia). This tree is native of Persia (though often called the “English” walnut), and is presently cultivated in Galilee and on the slopes of Lebanon and Mount Hermon. The Jewish historian Josephus speaks of it as growing abundance in the area of the Sea of Galilee in the first century C.E. (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book III, chap. X, sec. 8) The walnut is a handsome tree, growing about thirty feet (9.1 meters) high, with fragrant leaves that provide excellent shade. The wood is close-grained and prized for its beauty by cabinetmakers. The fruit of the tree is encased in a fleshy skin or husk containing tannic acid and, when boiled, producing a rich-brown dye. The nutmeats are highly valued for their rich taste and are pressed to produce an oil nearly equal to olive oil in quality.