Farmers in Israel are growing fruit-bearing date trees using seeds dating back to biblical times.
A nine-year-old tree named Judith was recently planted in the Ancient Judean Date Orchard in Kibbutz Ketura, near Israel’s Arava Desert.
The tree spent the last nine years of its life growing in a greenhouse. The trees are named from the Old Testament.
Judith is also the fifth tree of its kind to be planted in the orchard, following the trees of Methuselah, Adam, Jonah, and Hannah.
Hannah, the first female date tree, was planted in 2019 and was pollinated by Methuselah. Hannah bore around 100 dates in 2021. The tree has produced more than 600 dates this year.
Judean date seemingly vanished hundreds of years ago, but according to the Bible, it was one of the seven-date species found in ancient Israel. The date palm might just be the oldest fruit-bearing tree on our planet.
The palm tree was seen as beauty personified, and in Genesis, it was referred to as Tamar, a term also used to describe a beautiful woman.
The leaves were woven into baskets, mats, brooms, and ropes, the trunks of the trees were used to build structures, the sap was fermented into wine, and the fruit, of course, was eaten for sustenance.
Ezekiel 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.
The image of palm trees figured prominently in Temple art of the day.
Ezekiel 41:18 It was carved with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces.
People laid out palm tree leaves for Jesus.
John 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.
John 12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,
John 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
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