In Psalm 1:3 it reads:

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Are there any commentaries that speculate what kind of tree the psalmist would likely have had in view? Not anything exegetical I guess but just a question that struck my mind this AM.

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Chris Coldwell
Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Member
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I have no idea what the commentaries say, but having grown up in a place (and now I live) where there were a lot of "trees planted by the rivers of water" I always took it to be a generic example. Any time you plant a tree near water, it flourishes, even in times of drought.

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J Baldwin
Keowee Presbyterian Church, PCA
Pickens, SC
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Here's a link to a number of commentaries on this verse Psalm 1:3 Commentary

It's obviously a fruit-bearing tree of some kind: maybe fig or pomegranate, as those seem to have been widely spread?

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Ruben
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Phoenix dactylifera. (Date Palm).

I'm only speculating, of course. But I can say that sitting under the shade of mature date palms by a river running through the middle of the desert, and eating fresh dates, is a pretty good feeling. It probably would seem like the best that physical life had to offer to someone who has been out in the hot sun herding sheep and goats.

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R.Vic Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

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Well it's certainly not a cactus.

Nonetheless, it's an interesting question.

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Daniel Ritchie
Saintfield, Northern Ireland - Queen's University, Belfast:History/Politics
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