Apple

The word Tappuach is thus rendered in the Authorized Version. Most authors on Biblical Botany admit that apple is not the correct translation, for that fruit is indifferent in Palestine, being produced of good quality only on Mount Lebanon, and in Damascus. Many contend that ’quince’ is the correct translation of Tappuach. Though somewhat more suitable than the apple, we think that neither the quince tree nor fruit is so superior to others as to be selected for notice in the passages of Scripture where tappuach occurs. The citron, we think, has the best claim to be considered the Tappuachof Scripture, as it was esteemed by the ancients, and known to the Hebrews, and conspicuously different, both as a fruit and a tree, from the ordinary vegetation of Syria, and the only one of the orange tribe which was known to the ancients. The orange, lemon, and lime, were introduced to the knowledge of Europeans at a much later period, probably by the Arabs from India. That the citron was well known to the Hebrews we have the assurance in the fact mentioned by Josephus, that at the Feast of Tabernacles king Alexander Jannaeus was pelted with citrons, which the Jews had in their hands; for, as he says, ’the law required that at that feast everyone should have branches of the palm-tree and citron-tree. There is nothing improbable in the Hebrews having made use of boughs of the citron, as it was a native of Media, and well known to the Greeks at a very early period; and indeed on some old coins of Samaria, the citron may be seen, as well as the palm-tree; and it is not an unimportant confirmation that the Jews still continue to make offerings of citrons at the Feast of Tabernacles. Citrons, accordingly, are imported in considerable quantities for this purpose, and are afterwards sold, being more highly esteemed after having been so offered.

The tappuach, or citron-tree, is mentioned chiefly in Son 2:3, ’as the citron tree among the trees of the wood;’ Son 2:5, ’Comfort me with citrons, for I am sick of love;’ Son 7:8, ’The smell of thy nose like citrons;’ so in Son 8:5. Again, in Pro 25:11, ’A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold (or rather golden citrons) in baskets of silver.’ In Joe 1:12, it is enumerated with the vine, the fig-tree, the palm, and pomegranate, as among the most valuable trees of Palestine. The rich color, fragrant odor, and handsome appearance of the tree, whether in flower or in fruit, are particularly suited to all the above passages of Scripture.

Apple. See Apple Tree.

Hebrew; tappuach. (Son 2:3; Son 2:5; Son 7:8; Son 8:5; Pro 25:11.) The color was golden, the odor fragrant, the tree green and shady. Probably the citron tree, of which the foliage is perennial, and the blossoms and golden fruit most fragrant. It abounds in W. Asia. In Son 2:5, "Comfort me with apples," the Hebrew is "Straw me," etc., i.e., let my couch be strewed with citrons, to refresh me with their scent, or with citron leaves. Pro 25:11; "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver "; i.e., like citrons, antifebrile medicinally, attractive to the eye, pleasing the sense of smell and the palate; served up in elaborately figured silver vessels. Oriental ladies make the citron their vinaigrette.

is the translation in the Auth. Vers. of the Heb. תִּפּוּחִ(tappu’ach, so called from its fragrance), which is mentioned chiefly in the Son 2:3, “as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood;” Son 2:5, “Comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love;” Son 2:8, “The smell of thy nose like apples;" so in Son 8:5. Again, in Pro 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in baskets of silver.” In Joe 1:12, it is enumerated with the vine, the fig-tree, the palm, and pomegranate, as among the most valuable trees of Palestine. Tappuah (q.v.) also occurs as the name of two places (Jos 12:13; Jos 15:34; Jos 16:8), probably from the abundance of the fruit in the vicinity.

It is a difficult matter to say with any degree of certainty what is the specific tree denoted by the Hebrew word tappuach. The Sept. and Vulg. afford no clew, as the terms μῆλον, malum, have a wide signification, being used by the Greeks and Romans to represent almost any kind of tree-fruit; at any rate, the use of the word is certainly generic. Many interpreters (after Celsus, Hierobot. 1, 255) have supposed the citron (citrus medica), some the ordinary orange-tree (Credner, Joel, p. 136), to be meant, as each of these were celebrated favorites among the ancients, and have many qualities agreeing with the Scriptural notices. The citron was the “Median apple” of the ancients, the citromela of the Romans (Theophr. Hist. 4), and was cultivated even in Europe (Bauhin, Pinax). That it was well known to the Hebrews appears from the fact mentioned by Josephus, that at the Festival of Tabernacles Alexander Jannaeus was pelted with citrons, which the Jews had in their hands; for, as he says, “the law required that at that feast every one should have branches of the palm-tree and citron-tree” (Ant. 13, 13, 5). It is still found in Palestine (Kitto, Phys. Hist. p. 213). As, however, the Sept. and Vulg. both seem to understand the apple (μῆλον, malum), and the Arabs still call this fruit by the same name (teffach), which, according to the Talmud (Mishna, Kel. 1:4; Maaser. 1:4) and Josephus (Ant. 17, 7), was anciently cultivated in Palestine, as it still is to some extent (Robinson, 1:355; 2:356, 716; 3, 295), and was celebrated in antiquity for its agreeable smell (Ovid, Met. 8, 675), it seems more likely to be the tree designated rather than the citron, which is a small, comparatively rare tree, with a hard, inedible fruit (Thomson, Land and Book, 2, 328, 329). SEE CITRON.

On the other hand, Celsius (Hierob. 1:255) asserts that the quince-tree (Pyrus cydonia) was very often called by the Greek and Roman writers malus, as being, from the esteem in which it was held (“primaria malorum species”), the malus, or μῆλον κατ᾿ ἐξοχήν. Some, therefore (Rosenmüller, Alterth. IV, 1:308; Ray, Hist. of Plants, II, 3, 1453), have endeavored to show that the tappuach denotes the quince; and certainly this opinion has some plausible arguments in its favor. The fragrance of the quince was held in high esteem by the ancients; and the fruit “was placed on the heads of those images in the sleeping apartments which were reckoned among the household gods” (Rosenmüller, Botany of Bible, in the Bibl. Cab. p. 314; Voss, On Virgil, Eclog. 2, 51). The Arabians make especial allusion to the restorative properties of this fruit; and Celsius (p. 261) quotes Abu’l Fadli in illustration of Son 2:5. “Its scent,” says the Arabic author, “cheers my soul, renews my strength, and restores my breath.” Phylarchus (Histor. lib. 6), Rabbi Salomon (in Son 2:3), Pliny (H. N. 15, 11), who uses the words odoris praestantissimi, bear similar testimony to the delicious fragrance of the quince. It is well known that among the ancients the quince was sacred to the goddess of love, whence statues of Venus sometimes represent her with the fruit of this tree in her hand, the quince being the ill-fated “apple of discord” which Paris appropriately enough presented to that defty. Hence the act expressed by the term μηλοβολε’ιν (Schol. ad Aristoph. Nub. p. 180; Theocr. Id. 3, 10, 5, 88, etc.; Virg. Eel. 3, 64) was a token of love. For numerous testimonies, see Celsius, Hierob. 1, 265. See BOTANY.

Although it is so usual to speak of the forbidden fruit of paradise as an “apple,” we need hardly say that there is nothing in Scripture to indicate what kind of tree was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” But in the fabled “apples of discord,” and in the golden apple which Paris gave to the goddess of love, thereby kindling the Trojan war, it is possible that the primeval tradition reappears of SEE TREE.

“The fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste

Brought death into the world, and all our woe.”

The Heb. for the "apple" of the eye is אִישׁוֹן (ishon’, mannikin, pupil, Deu 32:10; Pro 7:2), otherwise בָּבָה (babah’, hole, gate, Zec 2:12), or בִּת (bath, daughter, i.e. by an idiomatic use, the pupil, Psa 17:8). The same figure occurs. in the Apocrypha (κὸρη, Sir 17:22 [17]). It is curious to observe how common the image (“ pupil of the eye”) is in the languages of different nations. Gesenius (Thes. p. 86) quotes from the Arabic, the Syriac, the Ethiopic, the Coptic, the Persian, in all of which tongues an expression similar to the English “pupil of the eye” is found. SEE EYE.

APPLES OF SODOM is a phrase associated with the Dead Sea, as the name of a species of fruit extremely beautiful to the eye, but bitter to the taste and full of dust. Tacitus (Hist. 5, 7) alludes to this singular fact, but in language so brief and ambiguous that no light can be derived from his description: “Black and empty, they vanish as it were in ashes.” Josephus also, speaking of the conflagration of the plain, and the yet remaining tokens of the divine fire, remarks, “There are still to be seen ashes reproduced in the fruits, which indeed resemble edible fruits in color, but on being plucked with the hands are dissolved into smoke and ashes” (War, 4, 8,4). The supposed fruit has furnished many moralists with allusions; and also Milton, in whose infernal regions

“A grove sprung up — laden with fair fruit — greedily they plucked

The fruitage, fair to sight, like that which grew

Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed.

This, more delusive, not the touch, but taste

Deceived. They, fondly thinking to allay

Their appetite with gust, instead of fruit

Chewed bitter ashes, which the offended taste

With spattering noise rejected.”

Some travelers, unable to discover this singular production, have considered it merely as a figure of speech, depicting the deceitful nature of all vicious enjoyments; but Kitto (Phys. Hist. of Palest. p. 290 sq.) adduces the definite testimony of many modern travelers to show that these allusions are based upon truth, especially the statements of Seetzen (in Zach’s Monatl. Corresp. 18, 442) and Burckhardt (Syria, p. 392), whose accounts of the fruit of the Osheir (prob. Asclepias gigantea) remarkably coincide with the ancient descriptions. This plant is figured and described by Prosper Alpinus under the name Beid elOssar (Hist. Nat. iEgypte, Lugd. Bat. 1735, pt. 1:43). See also Irby and Mangles (Travels, ch. viii). Hasselquist, however, finds the “apples of Sodom” in the Solanum Sodomeum, which he identifies with the Solanum melongena, or mad- apple, growing in great abundance in the plain of the Jordan (Riese, p. 151). But Dr. Robinson thinks the other the most probable plant. His description of it is as follows: “We saw here [on the shore of the Dead Sea] several trees of the kind, the trunks of which were 6 or 8 inches in diameter, and the whole height from 10 to 15 feet. It has a grayish, cork- like bark, with long oval leaves, and in its general appearance and character it might be taken for a gigantic perennial species of the milk-weed or silkweed found in the northern parts of the American states. Its leaves and flowers are very similar to those of the latter plant, and when broken off it in like manner discharges copiously a milky fluid. The fruit greatly resembles externally a large smooth apple or orange, hanging in clusters of three or four together, and when ripe is of a yellow color. It was now fair and delicious to the eye, and soft to the touch; but on being pressed or struck it explodes with a puff, like, a bladder or puff-ball, leaving in the hand only the shreds of the thin rind and a few fibres. It is, indeed, filled chiefly with air like a bladder, which gives it the round form; while in the center a small slender pod runs through it from the stem, and is connected by thin filaments with the rind. The pod contains a small quantity of fine silk with seeds, precisely like the pod of the silk-weed, though very much smaller, being indeed scarcely the tenth part as large.

The Arabs collect the silk and twist it into matches for their guns, preferring it to the common match, because it requires no sulphur to render it combustible. In the accounts of Tacitus and Josephus, after a due allowance for the marvelous in all popular reports, I find nothing which does not apply almost literally to the fruit of the Osher, as we saw it. It must be plucked and handled with great care in order to preserve it from bursting. We attempted to carry some of the boughs and fruit with us to Jerusalem, but without success. Hasselquist’s apples of Sodom (the fruit of the Solanum melongena) are much smaller than those of the Osher, and when ripe are full of small black grains. There is here, however, nothing like explosion, nothing like ‘smoke and ashes,’ except occasionally, as the same naturalist remarks, ‘when the fruit is punctured by an insect (Tenthredo), which converts the whole of the inside into dust, leaving nothing but the rind entire, without any loss of color.’ We saw the Solanum and the Osher growing side by side; the former presenting nothing remarkable in its appearance, and being found in other parts of the country, while the latter immediately arrested our attention by its singular accordance with the ancient story, and is, moreover, peculiar in Palestine to the shores of the Dead Sea” (Bib. Researches, 2, 236 sq.; comp. Wilson, Bible Lands, 1, 8 sq.). SEE SODOM.

It should be observed that the Bible speaks only of the “VINE of Sodom,” and that metaphorically (Deu 32:32), as a synonym of a poisonous berry. SEE HEMLOCK.

Apple Tree, Apple (Heb. tappûach). Apple tree is named in the English Versions in Son 2:3; Son 8:5, and Joe 1:12, The fruit of this tree is alluded to in Pro 25:11 and Son 2:5; Son 7:8. It is difficult to say what tree is intended by the Hebrew word tappûach. The apple proper is rare in Syria, and its fruit poor. Some writers say the Hebrew word means either the quince or the citron; others speak of the apricot, which is abundant and deliciously perfumed. On the other hand. Dr. Boyle says, "The rich color, fragrant odor and handsome appearance of the citron, whether in flower or in fruit, are particularly suited to the passages of Scripture mentioned above." Neither the quince nor the citron nor the apple appears fully to answer all the scriptural allusions. The orange would answer all the requirements of the scriptural passages, and orange trees are found in Palestine; but it is not certain that this tree was known in the earlier times to the inhabitants of Palestine. The question of identification, therefore, must still be counted unsettled.

By: Morris Jastrow, Jr., Kaufmann Kohler, Frank H. Knowlton

—Biblical Data:

The word "apple" is the commonly accepted translation of tappuaḦ, from the root napaḦ (to exhale = the sweet-scented). It is of pleasant smell ("the smell of thy nose like apples," Cant. vii. 9 [A. V. 8]), and is used to revive the sick ("comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love," Cant. ii. 5). The tree offers a pleasant shade ("As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under its shadow with great delight," Cant. ii. 3, Hebr.; "I raised thee up under the apple-tree: there thy mother brought thee forth," Cant. viii. 5). It is mentioned also in Joel i. 12, together with the pomegranate; and it gave the name "tappuaḦ" to a number of towns (Josh. xv. 34, 53; xvi. 8; xvii. 7). "Apples of gold in pictures ["baskets," R. V.] of silver" are mentioned in Prov. xxv. 11. Whether so called because of their red color, or whether oranges are here meant, is uncertain. The Septuagint renders it μῆλον, a fruit "sweet to the taste" (Cant. ii. 3).

In the time of the Mishnah the "tappuaḦ" was cultivated in large quantities and many varieties (Kil. i. 4; Ter. xi. 3; Ma'as. i. 4; TappuḦim of Crete, Men. 28b). Apple-wine is spoken of in Tos. Ber. iv. 1 and Ab. v. 12. About the correctness of the translation of "tappuaḦ" there is a wide difference of opinion among botanists and linguists, especially as the Greek μῆλον, Latin malum, originally comprised the pomegranate, the quince, and other fruits similar to the Apple—all more or less symbolical of love, and therefore sacred to Aphrodite (see Hehn, "Kulturpflanzen," 1874, ii. 203-207). The Arabic name tuffaḦ is probably derived from the Syriac (see Frankel, "Aramäische Fremdwörter," p. 140). The tappuaḦ—distinguished in the Mishnah from the quince, which is called parish (Ma'as. i. 3), and from the Ḧazur (the crab-apple), (Kil. i. 4, Yer. Ter. ii. 3) —is declared by most authorities to be none other than the Apple that, if not as delicious as the European or the American Apple, is planted in orchards and near the houses in Palestine and Syria, and is especially prized for its aroma (see Credner, Commentary on Joel, pp. 135 et seq., who refers to Ovid's "Metamorphoses," viii. 676; Winer, "B. R."—following Robinson's "Researches," ii. 355, iii. 1295; and with reference to Josephus, "Ant." xvii. 7, [where its use in case of sickness is testified to by the story of King Herod] and to Avicenna, quoted in "Harmar," i. 369; Immanuel Löw, "Aramäische Pflanzennamen," pp. 155 et seq.; W. R. Smith, in "Journal of Philology," xiii. 65). The Apple is handed to the sick or faint to revive them by its aroma. Rosenmüller ( "Handbuch der Biblischen Alterthumskunde," iv. 308) and Houghton (in "Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archeology," xii. 42-48), however, seek to identify it with the quince, which, according to Post, "has a sour, acrid taste, and is never sweet." Others identify it with the citron (see Delitzsch's Commentary to Cant.) and the article "Apfel" in Riehm's "Dict."); but the citron (a Persian fruit) was not transplanted to the Mediterranean shores before the common era (according to Pliny, "Naturalis Historia," xii. 3; Theophrastus, "Historia Plantarum," iv. 4). The same objections hold good against the identification of the Apple with the apricot, as proposed by Tristram, "Fauna and Flora of Palestine," p. 294.

J. Jr. K.Symbolical Meaning. —In Rabbinical Literature:

The Apple mentioned in Cant. ii. 3 is taken symbolically; see the following examples from Cant. R. ad loc.: "'As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood' offers no shade in the heat like other trees, so would the nations not seek the shade of Sinai's God; Israel only would sit under His shadow with delight. Or, 'as the apple-tree unfolds blossoms before leaves, so did the Israelites show their faith in God before they heard the message' [Ex. iv. 31: "And the people believed; and when they heard"]. The same applies when on Sinai they said: 'All that the Lord said we will do and hearken' [Ex. xxiv. 7, Hebr.; compare with Cant. R. ii. 3, Shab. 88a, where the erroneous word piryo (its fruit), instead of niẓẓo(its blossoms), puzzled the Tosafists]. Or, 'as the apple-tree ripens its fruit in the month of Siwan, so did Israel display its fragrance at Mount Sinai in Siwan' [Ex. xix. 1, 2]. Again, 'as for the apple-tree the time from the first blossoming until the ripening of the fruit is fifty days, so was the time from the Exodus to the giving of the Law on Sinai fifty days.' Or, 'as for a small coin you may get an apple and derive enjoyment even from its sweet odor, so may you obtain your redemption easily with the help of the Law.' Or, 'as the apple excels in fragrance all trees, so does Israel excel the nations in good works.'" As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so even those that are void of merit are still full of good deeds, as the pomegranate is of seeds. The heathen are the trees in the wood without fruit, and Israel among them is as the apple-tree" (Yalḳ. Cant. 986). Ex. R. xvii.: "Why has God been likened to the apple-tree? Just as the apple offers its beauty to the eye without any cost, and has a delicious taste and perfume, so God's law (His mouth) is most sweet. He is altogether lovely." God had appeared to all the nations, but they would not accept the Torah, not realizing what is said in Ps. xxxiv. 9 [A. V. 8], "O taste and see that the Lord is good," and in Prov. viii. 19, "My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold." But Israel said: "I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit is sweet to my taste" (Cant. ii. 3). Also the words "Comfort me with apples" (Cant. ii. 5) are referred to the words of the Law, especially the Haggadot, which have delicious taste and fragrance combined like apples (Pesiḳ. R. K. xii. 101b; Cant. R. ad loc.).

The Targ. translates "tappuaḦ" in Cant. ii. 3 "ethrog" (orange or citron); in ii. 5 and vii. 9 "tappuaḦ di gintha di Eden" (paradise-apple). In Cant. viii. 5 tappuaḦ is taken symbolically for Mount Olivet as giving forth all the dead at the time of the resurrection, or is taken for Sinai as in Cant. R. Aquila seems to take Cant. viii. 5 as referring to the fruit of the tree of knowledge, as he translates "shammahḦibbelateka immeka,"= "there wast thou corrupted." Thus also Jerome (see Delitzsch, Commentary, p. 127). Here is probably the source of the common view that the forbidden fruit was an Apple (according to R. Abba of Acre [Acco], Gen. R. xv., an ethrog, the so-called "paradise-apple"). In church symbolism the story of Hercules with the apples of the Hesperides and the dragon wound around the tree served as the representation of Adam's fall, and Hercules as that of Jesus as deliverer, the Apple being often used as a symbol of the first sin (Piper, "Symbolik der Christlichen Kirche," i. 67, 128; Nork, "Mythologisches Lexikon," s.v. "Apfel").

Apples dipped into honey are eaten on the eve of the Jewish New-Year while the following words are spoken: "May it be Thy will, O Lord, that the year just begun be as good and sweet a year!" (Ṭur OraḦ Ḥayyim, 583). In cabalistic literature tappuaḦ is an attribute of God, synonymous with tiferet (beauty), because, says the Zohar (Lev. xvi.), "tiferet diffuses itself into the world as an apple."

K.Identified with Four Trees. —Botanical View:

There is perhaps no Biblical plant-name that has given rise to more discussion than has the identification of the . Four distinct fruit-bearing trees, the Apple (Pyrus malus), the citron (Citrus medica), the apricot (Prunus Armeniaca), and the quince (Cydonia vulgaris), have been suggested as its equivalent. Of these, two may be dismissed at once—the Apple and the citron. The Apple, far from being a native of Palestine, is, on account of the tropical climate, but rarely cultivated there, and with no success. The fruit is small, woody, and of very inferior quality.

The citron is beyond doubt a native of India, where it has been known and cultivated, even under different forms, from prehistoric times. At an early date its cultivation spread into western Asia, whence it was obtained by the Greeks, possibly as early as the time of Alexander's Asiatic campaign. It was cultivated in Italy in the third and fourth centuries, and by the fifth century had become well established; but it was not until the tenth century of the common era, according to Gallesio, that its cultivation was extended by the Arabs into Palestine and Egypt.

If viewed only in the light of present-day distribution and abundance, the apricot might lay undisputed claim to being the Hebrew [but see above], for, according to Canon Tristram, it "is most abundant in the Holy Land. . . . The apricot flourishes and yields a crop of prodigious abundance; its branches laden with golden fruit may well be compared (Prov. xxv. 11) to 'apples of gold,' and its pale leaves to 'pictures of silver.'" The apricot, as its specific name (Prunus Armeniaca) would imply, has been supposed to be a native of Armenia, and it has been reported in the neighborhood of the Caucasus mountains in the north, and between the Caspian and Black seas in the south, but grave doubt exists as to its being found wild there.

Difficulty of Identification.

According to De Candolle ("Origines des Plantes Cultivées"), it is now settled beyond reasonable question that the apricot is a native of China, where it has been known for two or three thousand years before the common era. Its cultivation seems to have spread very slowly toward the West, as supported by the fact that it has no Sanskrit or Hebrew designation, but only Persian names, zard alu (yellow plum) and mishlauz—under which latter designation, or its corruption mishmush, dried apricots are still exported from Syria—which has passed into Arabic. Among the Greeks and Romans the apricot appears to have been introduced about the beginning of the common era; for Pliny, among others, says that its introduction into Rome took place about thirty years before he wrote.

It is reasonable to suppose that the spread of the apricot may have been rapid and effective after its first introduction to the civilization of the West, for it is a delicious fruit, of the simplest cultivation and of great productiveness. The exact time of its introduction into Palestine can not be determined, but it very probably occurred before it became known to the Greeks and Romans, as the Hebrews had scant relations with Armenia, the country through which the apricot (appanuth) came. It may, therefore, be reasonably assumed that, although agreeing well with the description of the Biblical tappuaḦ, the apricot is not the tree referred to in the Scriptures.

Quince.

The claims of the quince to represent the tappuaḦ of the Hebrew Scriptures have been ably set forth by the Rev. W. Houghton ("Proceedings of Society of Biblical Archeology," xii. 42-48). This is the only one of the four species suggested that is undoubtedly indigenous to this general region. According to De Candolle:

"The quince grows wild in the woods in the north of Persia, near the Caspian Sea, in the region to the south of the Caucasus, and in Anatolia. A few botanists have also found it apparently wild in the Crimea, and in the north of Greece; but naturalization may be suspected in the east of Europe, and the further advanced toward Italy, especially toward the southwest of Europe and Algeria, the more it becomes probable that the species was naturalized at an early period around villages, in hedges, etc."

The absence of a Sanskrit name for the quince is taken to indicate that its distribution did not extend toward the center of Asia, and, although it is also without a Hebrew name, it is undoubtedly wild on Mount Taurus. It is much more difficult to connect the quince with the Hebrew "tappuaḦ" than it is to identify the latter with the apricot. On this point Houghton says:

"The tree [quince] is a native of the Mediterranean basin, and is, when ripe, deliciously fragrant, but, according to our western tastes, by no means pleasant to the taste when uncooked, but on the contrary austere and unpleasant. This latter fact is regarded generally as destructive of its pretensions, but for my part I hesitate to throw over the claims of the quince to denote the tappuaḦ, on account of its taste. The flavor and odor of plants or other things is simply a matter of opinion. Orientals set a high value on flavors and odors which to European senses are unpleasant moreover, we must seek for the reason why such and such a fruit was regarded with approbation."

In seeking a probable reason for this liking for the tappuaḦ, Houghton calls attention to the mandrake (Atropa mandragora), which, though to most Europeans it has a very fetid and disagreeable odor, is still highly regarded by the natives of Palestine asa love-philter to strengthen the affection between the sexes. The same argument may possibly apply to the quince, which came to be so esteemed for its flavor and odor, not as measured by European standards, but as tinged by Oriental conditions. The Hebrew word in the expression "its fruit was sweet to my taste" does not, it is said, imply either a saccharine or glucose sweetness; "the bitter waters which were made sweet" (Ex. xv. 25) were made pleasant, their bitterness was destroyed; "the worm shall feed sweetly on him" (Job xxiv. 20) must mean shall feed on him with pleasure; and so in Cant. ii. 5, "his fruit was sweet to my taste," meaning probably not only on account of the acid juice of the fruit, but because of its associations with friendship and love.

F. H. K.

Bibliography:

Hastings, Dict. Bible;

Cheyne, Ency. Bibl.;

Hamburger, R. B. T.;

Winer, B. R.;

Herzog, Real-Encyklopädie;

Schenkel, Realwörterbuch;

Hehn, Wanderungen der Kulturpflanzen;

De Candolle, Origines des Plantes Cultivées;

Credner, Commentary on Joel, p. 119.

APPLE.—That the apple (tappuah) of the OT is the fruit known by that name to-day is extremely doubtful. It is true that the tree in size and foliage would answer to the reference in Son 8:5, Joe 1:12; the fruit too in its sweetness (Son 2:3) and its smell (Son 7:8) is very appropriate. It is also suggestive that Heb. tappuah closely resembles the Arabic for ‘apple,’ tuffah. On the other hand, it is a substantial difficulty that the apple does not grow well in Palestine proper, as distinguished from the Lebanon. The native fruit is small and wanting in sweetness; almost all eatable apples are imported from the North. In consequence of this, several fruits which to-day are found in Palestine have been suggested. The citron, a favourite with the Jews on account of its smell and golden colour, is certainly a more recent introduction. The apricot, suggested by Tristiam, which flourishes in parts of Palestine in greater profusion than any other fruit, would seem to answer to the references well. It is deliciously sweet, with a pleasant smell, and, when ripe, of a brilliant golden colour. The tree is one of the most beautiful in the land, and when loaded with its golden fruit might well suggest the expression ‘apples of gold in pictures of silver’ (Pro 25:11). Unfortunately there is considerable doubt whether this tree, a native of China, was known in Palestine much before the Christian era. A fourth fruit has been suggested, namely, the quince. This is certainly a native of the land, and is common all over Palestine. The fruit, when ripe, though smelling pleasantly, is not ‘sweet’ according to our ideas, but even to-day is much appreciated. It is a great favourite when cooked, and is extensively used for making a delicious confection. The quince, along with the true apple, was sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

E. W. G. Masterman.

The fruit, Malus communis, Pyrus malus, or Malus malus, the native home of which is said to be Asia Minor. In the Bible (Genesis 3) it is identified as the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge eaten by Adam and Eve. The tree, in Hebrew thap-puakk, is referred to in Canticle of Canticles, 2 and 8, whence such place-names as Tappuah or Taphua (Joshua 12 and 15) or Beth-tappuah (Joshua 15).

In religious symbolism and ecclesiastical art, the apple is used as a decoration on a church; the Infant Christ is represented holding an apple, the fruit of Paradise that became the cause of Adam’s fall; it is also (rare) the apple of obedience and of life; Sodom’s apple symbolizes sin, or sinful lust.

Deu 32:10 (a) The apple of the eye is the eyeball. It is very sensitive, is easily injured, and is very valuable to its owner. The expression is used as a type of the nation of Israel, which was, and is, so precious to GOD.

Psa 17:8 (a) Here the Psalmist himself takes the place of being the apple of GOD’s eye. He felt that he was so easily hurt by his enemies, and yet was so valuable to GOD that he dared to use that type to illustrate his own position before GOD.

Pro 7:2 (a) The Law of GOD is here presented as being just as precious as the apple of the eye, and should therefore be guarded and preserved most carefully.

Lam 2:18 (a) Probably the expression here represents a call from GOD to esteem their position as children of GOD, and the nation of GOD more highly than they were doing. Surely if Israel remembered that they were as the apple of GOD’s eye, they would not cease weeping until they were again obeying and worshiping Him.

Zec 2:8 (a) GOD is evidently notifying the world that the nation of Israel is unusually dear and precious to Him, and that He will protect that nation from every enemy. Those who touch Israel in any way to hurt them will in fact put their finger into the eye of GOD.

Apple. A tree that grows about 9 meters (30 feet) high and has rough bark and pink blossoms. Many authorities believe the apple of Scripture actually is the apricot, a native of Armenia. Other authorities suggest the quince, peach, citron, orange, or some other fruit; some believe it was the apple.

The apple was described as sweet and fragrant ( Son 7:8); (apricot, NEB), golden ( Pro 25:11), and suitable for shade ( Son 2:3). This fruit was used figuratively to show how precious we are to God, and how extremely sensitive He is to our needs ( Deu 32:10; Psa 17:8; Lam 2:18; Zec 2:8).