Hebrew Word For Bush In Genesis
The Hebrew Word for Bush in Genesis
The Hebrew word סְנֶה (seneh) appears exclusively in passages describing Jehovah's appearance to Moses "in the flame of fire in the bush" at Mount Sinai [1]. This term occurs in Exodus 3:2–4 and Deuteronomy 33:16, making it a highly specialized vocabulary item tied to a single theophanic event. The word's rarity in biblical Hebrew has made precise botanical identification difficult, though lexicographers have proposed the acacia, "a small variety of the shittim tree found in the Sinai region," as the most likely candidate [1].
The connection between seneh and the name Sinai itself appears in ancient onomastic traditions. Hitchcock's Bible Names records that "Sinai" means "a bush; enmity" [4], while "Sin" is glossed simply as "bush" [3], suggesting that the mountain's name may derive from the burning bush encounter or from the prevalence of thorny vegetation in the region. This etymological link reinforces the geographic and theological significance of the location where Moses received his commission.
Botanical Uncertainty and Scholarly Proposals
Despite the word's prominence in the Exodus narrative, biblical dictionaries acknowledge the impossibility of determining "what kind of thorn bush is intended" [1]. Easton's Bible Dictionary suggests "probably it was the mimosa or acacia" [2], aligning with the identification of seneh as related to the shittim tree. The acacia hypothesis gains support from the tree's documented presence in the Sinai wilderness and its association with other biblical wood terms. Genesis 6:14 uses עֲצֵי גֹפֶר (atzei gopher, "gopher wood" or "cypress wood") for Noah's ark [5], while Isaiah 41:19 mentions the שִׁטָּה (shittah, "acacia") alongside other desert trees [7]. Rashi's commentary on Genesis 6:14 notes that gopher is simply "its name," emphasizing that some tree names resist further etymological analysis [9].
Related Terminology for Vegetation
Genesis employs several other Hebrew terms for shrubs and bushes that illuminate the semantic field. The word שִׂיחַ (siach) appears in Genesis 2:5, where Abraham Ibn Ezra interprets it as "a fruit-bearing tree," drawing a metaphorical connection between trees and human speech, since siach also means "speech" [6]. Ibn Ezra argues that "Scripture compares man to a tree," suggesting that siach specifically denotes cultivated or productive vegetation rather than wild thorns [6]. This contrasts with seneh, which describes an untamed desert shrub.
Genesis 21:15 uses שִׂיחִים (sichim, "shrubs") when Hagar places Ishmael "under one of the shrubs" in the wilderness. Ibn Ezra glosses this as "one of the trees," indicating that siach could refer to any woody plant providing shade [10]. Job 30:7 employs the same term for wild bushes where outcasts take refuge, confirming its application to uncultivated vegetation.
Thicket Terminology
The word סְבַךְ (sevakh, "thicket") appears in Genesis 22:13, where Abraham finds a ram "caught in a thicket by his horns." Rashi identifies this sevakh simply as "a tree" [8], though the context suggests dense, tangled growth rather than a single trunk. This term differs from seneh in emphasizing the entangled quality of the vegetation rather than the species itself.
New Testament References
When Jesus cites the burning bush narrative in Mark 12:26 and Luke 20:37, the Greek phrase "in the bush" (epi tou batou) functions as a textual reference marker. Easton's Bible Dictionary clarifies that these phrases mean "in the passage or paragraph on the bush," referring to Exodus 3 as a recognized pericope in Jewish scriptural tradition [2]. This usage demonstrates how seneh became a metonym for the entire theophanic episode.
The botanical ambiguity surrounding seneh has persisted across millennia of interpretation. Whether acacia, mimosa, or another thorny species, the bush's significance lies not in its taxonomy but in its role as the locus of divine revelation—a humble desert shrub transformed into the site where God disclosed his covenant name to Moses.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Bush — The Hebrew word seneh occurs only in those passages which refer to Jehovah's appearance to Moses "in the flame of fire in the bush." (Exodus 3:2,3,4; 33:16) It is quite impossible to say what kind of thorn bush is intended; but it was probably the acacia a small variety of the shittim tree found in the Sinai region.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bush — In which Jehovah appeared to Moses in the wilderness (Ex. 3:2; Acts 7:30). It is difficult to say what particular kind of plant or bush is here meant. Probably it was the mimosa or acacia. The words "in the bush" in Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37, mean "in the passage or paragraph on the bush;" i.e., in Ex. 3.”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Sin — bush”
- Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Sinai — a bush; enmity”
- MACULA Hebrew “Genesis 6:14 — Hebrew linguistic analysis (MACULA): Text: עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְ ךָ֙ תֵּבַ֣ת עֲצֵי גֹ֔פֶר קִנִּ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֶת הַ תֵּבָ֑ה וְ כָֽפַרְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֛ הּ מִ בַּ֥יִת וּ מִ ח֖וּץ בַּ כֹּֽפֶר Word-by-word: עֲשֵׂ֤ה (ʿăśēh) = "make" [6213] Vqv2ms; לְ = "for" [3807a] R; ךָ֙ = "yourself" [3509b] Sp2ms; תֵּבַ֣ת (tēḇaṯ) = "ark" [8392] Ncfsc; עֲצֵי (ʿăṣê-) = "wood" [6086] Ncmpc; גֹ֔פֶר (ḡōp̄er) = "cypress" [1613] Ncmsa; קִנִּ֖ים (qinniym) = "rooms" [7064] Ncmpa; תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה (taʿăśeh) = "make" [6213] Vqi2ms; אֶת (ʾeṯ-) = "(et)" [0853] R; הַ (ha) = "the" [1886a] Td; תֵּבָ֑ה (tēḇāh) = "ark" [8392] Ncfsa; ו”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 2:5: SHRUB. Si’ach (shrub) means a tree: so, too, in Among the bushes (sichim) they bray (Job 30:7). In my opinion si’ach refers to a fruit-bearing tree, because Scripture compares man to a tree. 13 Scripture compares man to a fruit bearing tree. Cf. Ps. 1:1-3, Happy is the man…And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season . Behold, Scripture employs such terms as tree ( si’ach ), 14 The Hebrew word for speech is si’ach . Speech is the fruit of the mouth. Hence the tree to which it is compared, si’ach , must be ”
- Isaiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Isaiah 41:19: (Isa 32:15; Isa 55:13). shittah--rather, the "acacia," or Egyptian thorn, from which the gum Arabic is obtained [LOWTH]. oil tree--the olive. fir tree--rather, the "cypress": grateful by its shade. pine--GESENIUS translates, "the holm." box tree--not the shrub used for bordering flower beds, but [GESENIUS] a kind of cedar, remarkable for the smallness of its cones, and the upward direction of its branches.”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Genesis 22:13: בסבך IN A THICKET— a tree.”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Genesis 6:14: (literally, return to God). עצי גופר GOPHER WOOD — Thus is its name. Why of this species (גפר)? Because of the (גפרית) “sulphur” by which it was decreed that they were to be blotted out.”
- Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Genesis 21:15: UNDER ONE OF THE SHRUBS. One of the trees. 9 To provide him with shade (Krinsky).”