Psalms 92:12-14

92:12 The godly grow like a palm tree;

they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon.

92:13 Planted in the Lord’s house,

they grow in the courts of our God.

92:14 They bear fruit even when they are old;

they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.

Isaiah 29:17

Changes are Coming

29:17 In just a very short time

Lebanon will turn into an orchard,

and the orchard will be considered a forest.

Isaiah 35:2

35:2 Let it richly bloom;

let it rejoice and shout with delight!

It is given the grandeur of Lebanon,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the grandeur of the Lord,

the splendor of our God.

Hosea 14:5-7

14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel;

he will blossom like a lily,

he will send down his roots like a cedar of Lebanon.

14:6 His young shoots will grow;

his splendor will be like an olive tree,

his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon.

14:7 People will reside again 10  in his shade;

they will plant and harvest grain in abundance. 11 

They will blossom like a vine,

and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.


tn The singular is used in a representative sense, with the typical godly person being in view.

sn The cedars of the Lebanon forest were well-known in ancient Israel for their immense size.

tn Heb “they are juicy and fresh.”

tn The Hebrew text phrases this as a rhetorical question, “Is it not yet a little, a short [time]?”

sn The meaning of this verse is debated, but it seems to depict a reversal in fortunes. The mighty forest of Lebanon (symbolic of the proud and powerful, see 2:13; 10:34) will be changed into a common orchard, while the common orchard (symbolic of the oppressed and lowly) will grow into a great forest. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:538.

tn The ambiguous verb form תִּפְרַח (tifrakh) is translated as a jussive because it is parallel to the jussive form תָגֵל (tagel).

tn Heb “and let it rejoice, yes [with] rejoicing and shouting.” גִּילַת (gilat) may be an archaic feminine nominal form (see GKC 421 §130.b).

tn Or “glory” (KJV, NIV, NRSV); also a second time later in this verse.

tn Heb “like Lebanon” (so KJV; also in the following verse). The phrase “a cedar of” does not appear in the Hebrew text; it is supplied in translation for clarity. Cf. TEV “the trees of Lebanon”; NRSV “the forests of Lebanon.”

10 tn Hosea uses the similar-sounding terms יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי (yashuvu yoshve, “the dwellers will return”) to create a wordplay between the roots שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) and יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell; to reside”).

11 tn Heb “they will cause the grain to live” or “they will revive the grain.” Some English versions treat this as a comparison: “they shall revive as the corn” (KJV); “will flourish like the grain” (NIV).