2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,
that are so high and mighty,
for all the oaks of Bashan; 1
33:9 The land 2 dries up 3 and withers away;
the forest of Lebanon shrivels up 4 and decays.
Sharon 5 is like the desert; 6
Bashan and Carmel 7 are parched. 8
1 sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.
2 tn Or “earth” (KJV); NAB “the country.”
3 tn Or “mourns” (BDB 5 s.v. I אָבַל). HALOT 6-7 lists homonyms I אבל (“mourn”) and II אבל (“dry up”). They propose the second here on the basis of parallelism. See 24:4.
4 tn Heb “Lebanon is ashamed.” The Hiphil is exhibitive, expressing the idea, “exhibits shame.” In this context the statement alludes to the withering of vegetation.
5 sn Sharon was a fertile plain along the Mediterranean coast. See 35:2.
6 tn Or “the Arabah” (NIV). See 35:1.
7 sn Both of these areas were known for their trees and vegetation. See 2:13; 35:2.
8 tn Heb “shake off [their leaves]” (so ASV, NRSV); NAB “are stripped bare.”