King James Bible Dictionary

There are six Hebrew words rendered "oak."

1. El occurs only in the word El-paran (Genesis 14:6). The LXX. renders by "terebinth." In the plural form this word occurs in Isaiah 1:29; 57:5 (A.V. marg. and R.V., "among the oaks"); 61:3 ("trees"). The word properly means strongly, mighty, and hence a strong tree.

2. Elah, Genesis 35:4, "under the oak which was by Shechem" (R.V. marg., "terebinth"). Isaiah 6:13, A.V., "teil-tree;" R.V., "terebinth." Isaiah 1:30, R.V. marg., "terebinth." Absalom in his flight was caught in the branches of a "great oak" (2 Samuel 18:9; R.V. marg., "terebinth").

3. Elon, Judges 4:11; 9:6 (R.V., "oak;" A.V., following the Targum, "plain") properly the deciduous species of oak shedding its foliage in autumn.

4. Elan, only in Daniel 4:11, 14, 20, rendered "tree" in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Probably some species of the oak is intended.

5. Allah, Joshua 24:26. The place here referred to is called Allon-moreh ("the oak of Moreh," as in R.V.) in Genesis 12:6 and 35:4.

6. Allon, always rendered "oak." Probably the evergreen oak (called also ilex and holm oak) is intended. The oak woods of Bashan are frequently alluded to (Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 27:6). Three species of oaks are found in Palestine, of which the "prickly evergreen oak" (Quercus coccifera) is the most abundant. "It covers the rocky hills of Palestine with a dense brushwood of trees from 8 to 12 feet high, branching from the base, thickly covered with small evergreen rigid leaves, and bearing acorns copiously." The so-called Abraham's oak at Hebron is of this species. Tristram says that this oak near Hebron "has for several centuries taken the place of the once renowned terebinth which marked the site of Mamre on the other side of the city. The terebinth existed at Mamre in the time of Vespasian, and under it the captive Jews were sold as slaves. It disappeared about A.D. 330, and no tree now marks the grove of Mamre. The present oak is the noblest tree in Southern Palestine, being 23 feet in girth, and the diameter of the foliage, which is unsymmetrical, being about 90 feet." (See HEBRON; TEIL-TREE.)

(Heb. strong). There is much difficulty in determining the exact meanings of the several varieties of the term mentioned above. Sometimes, evidently, the terebinth or elm is intended and at others the oak. There are a number of varieties of oak in Palestine. (Dr. Robinson contends that the oak is generally intended, and that it is a very common tree in the East. Oaks grow to a large size, reach an old age and are every way worthy the venerable associations connected with the tree.

ED.) Two oaks, Quercus pseudo-coccifera and Q. 'gilops , are well worthy of the name of mighty trees; though it is equally true that over a greater part of the country the oaks of Palestine are at present merely bushes.

OAK, noun [It is probably that the first syllable, oak was originally an adjective expressing some quality, as hard or strong, and by the disuse of tree, oak became the name of the tree.]

A tree of the genus Quercus, or rather the popular name of the genus itself, of which there are several species. The white oak grows to a great size, and furnishes a most valuable timber; but the live oak of the United States is the most durable timber for ships. In Hartford still stands the venerable oak in the hollow stem of which was concealed and preserved the colonial charter of Connecticut, when Sir E. Andros, by authority of a writ of quo warranto from the British crown, attempted to obtain possession of it, in 1687. As it was then a large tree, it must now be nearly three hundred years old.