Forest

Heb. ya’ar, meaning a dense wood, from its luxuriance. Thus all the great primeval forests of Syria (Eccl. 2:6; Isa. 44:14; Jer. 5:6; Micah 5:8). The most extensive was the trans-Jordanic forest of Ephraim (2 Sam. 18:6, 8; Josh. 17:15, 18), which is probably the same as the wood of Ephratah (Ps. 132:6), some part of the great forest of Gilead. It was in this forest that Absalom was slain by Joab. David withdrew to the forest of Hareth in the mountains of Judah to avoid the fury of Saul (1 Sam. 22:5). We read also of the forest of Bethel (2 Kings 2:23, 24), and of that which the Israelites passed in their pursuit of the Philistines (1 Sam. 14:25), and of the forest of the cedars of Lebanon (1 Kings 4:33; 2 Kings 19:23; Hos. 14:5, 6). “The house of the forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7:2; 10:17; 2 Chr. 9:16) was probably Solomon’s armoury, and was so called because the wood of its many pillars came from Lebanon, and they had the appearance of a forest. (See BAALBEC.) Heb. horesh, denoting a thicket of trees, underwood, jungle, bushes, or trees entangled, and therefore affording a safe hiding-place. place. This word is rendered “forest” only in 2 Chr. 27:4. It is also rendered “wood”, the “wood” in the “wilderness of Ziph,” in which david concealed himself (1 Sam. 23:15), which lay south-east of Hebron. In Isa. 17:19 this word is in Authorized Version rendered incorrectly “bough.” Heb. pardes, meaning an enclosed garden or plantation. Asaph is (Neh. 2:8) called the “keeper of the king’s forest.” The same Hebrew word is used Eccl. 2:5, where it is rendered in the plural “orchards” (R.V., “parks”), and Cant. 4: 13, rendered “orchard” (R.V. marg., “a paradise”). “The forest of the vintage” (Zech. 11:2, “inaccessible forest,” or R.V. “strong forest”) is probably a figurative allusion to Jerusalem, or the verse may simply point to the devastation of the region referred to. The forest is an image of unfruitfulness as contrasted with a cultivated field (Isa. 29:17; 32:15; Jer. 26:18; Hos. 2:12). Isaiah (10:19, 33, 34) likens the Assyrian host under Sennacherib (q.v.) to the trees of some huge forest, to be suddenly cut down by an unseen stroke.

Although Palestine has never been in historical times a woodland country, yet there can be no doubt that there was much more wood formerly than there is a t present, and that the destruction of the forests was one of the chief causes of the present desolation.

FOR'EST. 1 Sam 22:5. Several tracts of country were designated in this way; as, "the forest of Hareth," that of "Ephraim," "the wood of Ziph," etc. It is known that in the tenth century a.d. there was a fir-wood between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Not a trace of these forests remains. One of the chief causes of the present desolation of the Holy Land is the disappearance of forests. The "house of the forest of Lebanon," which was built by Solomon, and which was magnificent in size and style, 1 Kgs 7:2, was so called probably from the great quantity of cedar which was used in the construction of it.

FOR'EST. 1 Sam 22:5. Several tracts of country were designated in this way; as, "the forest of Hareth," that of "Ephraim," "the wood of Ziph," etc. It is known that in the tenth century a.d. there was a fir-wood between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Not a trace of these forests remains. One of the chief causes of the present desolation of the Holy Land is the disappearance of forests. The "house of the forest of Lebanon," which was built by Solomon, and which was magnificent in size and style, 1 Kgs 7:2, was so called probably from the great quantity of cedar which was used in the construction of it. FORGIVE'NESS is an act of God toward man, and of man toward his fellow. To forgive sin is the exclusive prerogative of God, of whose law sin is the transgression. Ps 130:4. Our Lord, by virtue of his divine nature, assumed the prerogative and exercised the power of forgiving sins, which the scribes and Pharisees, viewing him merely as a man, made the occasion of a charge of blasphemy, Mark 2:5. The gospel makes known not only that there is forgiveness with God, but also how such forgiveness is made compatible with the divine justice. Forgiveness, full, free, and everlasting, is offered to all who will believe and obey the gospel. Acts 13:38-39; 1 John 2:12. The duty of mutual forgiveness is urged upon man with the most solemn sanctions. Matt 6:14-15; Josh 18:22; Luke 17:3-4.

Part of speech: noun (n.)

1. An extensive wood; a large tract of land covered with trees; in the United States, a wood of native growth, or a tract of woodland which has never been cultivated.

2. A large extent or precinct of country, generally waste and woody, belonging to the sovereign, set apart for the keeping of game for his use, not inclosed, but distinguished by certain limits, and protected by certain laws, courts, and officers of its own. Burrill.

Part of speech: verb (v.)

To cover with trees or wood.

Part of speech: adjective (a.)

Of or pertaining to a forest; sylvan. Forest fly. (Zoöl.) (a) One of numerous species of blood-sucking flies, of the family Tabanidæ, which attack both men and beasts. See Horse fly. (b) A fly of the genus Hippobosca, esp. H. equina. See Horse tick. -- Forest glade, a grassy space in a forest. Thomson. -- Forest laws, laws for the protection of game, preservation of timber, etc., in forests. -- Forest tree, a tree of the forest, especially a timber tree, as distinguished from a fruit tree.