Meaning
"a living, growing tree" (cp. Eng., "rhododendron," lit., "rose tree"), known by the fruit it produces, Mat 12:33, Luk 6:44; certain qualities are mentioned in the NT; "a good tree," Mat 1:7-18, Mat 12:33, Luk 6:43; "a corrupt tree" (ditto); in Jud 1:12, metaphorically, of evil teachers, "autumn trees (AV, 'trees whose fruit withereth') without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots," RV; in Luk 13:19 in some texts, "a great tree," AV (RV, "a tree"); for this and Mat 13:32 see MUSTARD; in Luk 21:29 "the fig tree" is illustrative of Israel, "all the trees" indicating Gentile nations.
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"wood, a piece of wood, anything made of wood" (see STAFF, STOCKS), is used, with the rendering "tree," (a) in Luk 23:31, where "the green tree" refers either to Christ, figuratively of all His living power and excellencies, or to the life of the Jewish people while still inhabiting their land, in contrast to "the dry," a figure fulfilled in the horrors of the Roman massacre and devastation in A.D. 70 (cp. the Lord's parable in Luk 1:13-9; see Eze 20:47, and cp. Eze 21:3); (b) of "the cross," the tree being the stauros, the upright pale or stake to which Romans nailed those who were thus to be executed, Act 5:30, Act 10:39, Act 13:29, Gal 3:13, 1Pe 2:24; (c) of "the tree of life," Rev 2:7, Rev 22:2 (twice), Rev 22:14, Rev 22:19, RV, AV, "book." See WOOD.
