The Bible begins and ends with a tree: "the tree of life also in the midst of the garden" (Genesis 2:9) and "the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2). In between, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Psalm 92:12), and "every good tree bringeth forth good fruit" (Matthew 7:17).
Trees appear all through the Bible story: in Eden, at the cross, beside the river of the new Jerusalem, and in the Psalms as pictures of a fruitful life. In December many families bring an evergreen indoors, a natural moment to ask what Scripture says about trees. For creation as a whole, see nature; for spiritual growth, see growth.
The tree of life, from Eden to eternity
1. Genesis 2:9
"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
From the beginning, trees were God's gift of beauty and provision, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden pictured life with Him.
2. Proverbs 3:18
"She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her."
Proverbs calls wisdom a tree of life and uses the picture again (Proverbs 11:30, 13:12, 15:4). Something of what was lost in Eden is tasted whenever we live by God's wisdom.
3. Acts 5:30
"The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree."
The apostles spoke of Jesus hanged on a tree, echoing Deuteronomy 21:23 (see Galatians 3:13). The wooden cross became the tree through which life was restored (1 Peter 2:24).
4. Revelation 22:2
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
In the new Jerusalem the tree of life bears fruit every month beside the river, and its leaves bring healing. The Bible's story ends where it began, at the tree of life.
Planted by the LORD and bearing fruit
5. Psalms 92:12-13
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God."
Palms bend in storms without breaking; cedars are strong and long-lived. Verse 14 adds that the righteous still bring forth fruit in old age. Roots in God's house make the difference.
6. Psalms 104:16
"The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;"
The next verse says the birds make their nests in these cedars. Every tree you walk past is planted and watered by God.
7. Matthew 7:17
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."
You can tell a tree by its fruit, and a life by what it produces over time. See our page on the fruit of the Spirit.
8. Luke 13:19
"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it."
The kingdom of God starts small, like a mustard seed, and grows into a great tree with room for the birds. A quiet act of faith today can grow into shelter for many.
Fir trees, evergreens and caring for trees
9. Hosea 14:8
"Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found."
Here God compares Himself to a green fir tree, which stays green through winter. Some Christians think of this verse when they see an evergreen at Christmas.
10. Isaiah 60:13
"The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious."
In this Epiphany chapter, fir, pine and box trees beautify God's sanctuary. Some cite it as a Christmas-tree verse, though it is about adorning God's house. See the glory of God.
11. Isaiah 41:19
"I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together:"
Trees in the desert are a sign of God's restoring power, so that all may know the hand of the LORD has done it (Isaiah 41:20). God can make dry places green again.
12. Deuteronomy 20:19
"When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field is man's life) to employ them in the siege:"
Even in war, Israel was not to cut down fruit trees. God cares for the trees He made and the people who depend on them, and tending trees is a small way to honor the Creator.
A short prayer
Creator God, thank You for the trees You planted, from Eden to the new Jerusalem. Plant me by Your streams so that I flourish like the palm and stay green like the fir through every winter, and let my life bear good fruit for You. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
New to this method? See our Bible study guide or pick a Bible reading plan.
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Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about Christmas trees?
The Bible does not mention Christmas trees; the custom came many centuries later. Some point to Jeremiah 10, where one "cutteth a tree out of the forest" (Jeremiah 10:3) and decks it "with silver and with gold" (Jeremiah 10:4), but the passage is about carving idols (Jeremiah 10:5). A tree that celebrates Christ's birth is a matter of conscience (Romans 14:5-6).
What is the tree of life in the Bible?
The tree of life stood in Eden (Genesis 2:9), was guarded after the fall (Genesis 3:24), and returns in Revelation 22:2, open to God's people. Through the cross Jesus restores access to life with God.
What Bible verse compares a person to a tree?
Psalm 1:3 is the best known: the one who delights in God's law "shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water" (Psalm 1:3). Jeremiah 17:8 and Psalm 92:12-14 use the same picture.
What trees are mentioned in the Bible?
Dozens, including the cedar, fir, pine, palm, olive, fig, oak, sycomore, almond and myrtle. Zacchaeus climbed a sycomore tree to see Jesus (Luke 19:4).
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about nature · Bible verses about growth · Bible verses about flowers · Bible verses about Christmas · Fruit of the Spirit Bible verses · Bible verses about the glory of God · Bible verses about mountains
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