Fig, תְּאֵנָה, Ficus carica

The common noun תְּאֵנָה (təˀēnâ), which denotes a kind of woody plant (עץ) (Judg 9:8–15; Joel 1:12), is the first plant name to occur in the Hebrew Bible (Gen 3:7), appearing 23 times in the singular and 16 in the plural (תְּאֵנִים; təˀēnîm). As with other floral terms, the singular appears to refer to the living plant itself, the plural to its usable product. This pattern is most striking in Jer 8:13, where the two forms occur side by side: ואין תאנים בתאנה “nor figs on the fig tree.” Despite its relative prevalence, the noun does not occur in the Hebrew Bible as an element in any geographic or personal name—unless תַּאֲנַת שִׁלֹה in Josh 16:6 is a toponym.

The singular form is found:

• Eight times in destruction prophecies (Isa 34:4; Jer 5:17; 8:13; Hos 2:14; 9:10; Joel 1:7, 12; Hab 3:17), four times in consolation prophecies (Joel 2:22; Mic 4:4; Hag 2:19; Zech 3:10), and once in prophetic oratory (Deut 8:8).
• Five times in narrative (Gen 3:7; Num 20:5; 1 Kgs 5:5; 2 Kgs 18:31 = Isa 36:16 [oratory]).
• Twice in fable (Judg 9:10, 11), once in psalmody (Ps 105:33), and once in love poetry (Song 2:13).
• Once in wisdom literature (Prov 27:18).

The plural form is found:

• Twelve times in destruction prophecies (Jer 8:13; 24:1, 2 [x 3], 3 [x 2], 5, 8; 29:17; Amos 4:9; Nah 3:12)—eight of the incidences occurring in a single pericope (Jeremiah 24).
• Four times in narrative (Num 13:23; 2 Kgs 20:7 = Isa 38:21; Neh 13:15).

Singular form:

• Leaves (Gen 3:7) that fall (Jer 8:13)
• Blossoming (Hab 3:17)
• Unripe fruit (פַּג: Song 2:13)
• Sweetness and “good produce” (Judg 9:11), produce (Joel 2:22), fruit (Prov 27:18), and capacity for human consumption of it(s fruit) (2 Kgs 18:31 = Isa 36:16).
• Parts that fall from the plant (נֹבֶלֶת: Isa 34:4), understood as leaves (Septuagint, Vulgate: see History of Identification) or fruit (Peshitta; HALOT).
• Branches for a person to sit under, suggesting a wide crown (1 Kgs 5:5; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10).

Plural form:

• In one instance, a pressed cake (דְּבֵלָה) made of these is said to have medicinal value, its topical application curing a skin ailment (2 Kgs 20:7 = Isa 38:21).

Singular form:

• Realistic references relate to its growth in the Land of Israel (Deut 8:8) and Egypt, where it was destroyed in the hail plague (Ps 105:33), its non-cultivation in the wilderness between Egypt and the Land of Israel (Num 20:5), its re-growth in the spring (Song 2:13), and its susceptibility to withering by locusts (Joel 1:7, 12).
• In a fable, it exemplifies beneficence, providing “sweetness and good produce” (Judg 9:10–11) (see above).
• The consumption of it(s fruit) by its owner and his sitting under its shade symbolizes security and prosperity (2 Kgs 18:31 = Isa 36:16 and 1 Kgs 5:5; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10). Conversely, its enjoyment by enemies represents defeat (Jer 5:17).
• Its desirable first-fruit serves as a simile for Israel (Hos 9:10).
• Tending it allows one to eat its fruit—a metaphor for the way in which guarding one’s master makes one honored (Prov 27:18).
• The falling of part of the plant stands for the apocalyptic crashing of the celestial bodies (Isa 34:4).

Plural form:

• Their realistic references allude to the possibility of being picked wild in the Land of Israel (Num 13:23), susceptibility to consumption by locusts while on the plant (Amos 4:9), storage in baskets (Jer 24:1–2), and transportation to Jerusalem for sale (Neh 13:15).
• Their being shaken off the plant into one’s mouth serves as a simile for Nineveh’s strongholds falling into the hands of its enemies (Nah 3:12).
• They can range from “very good, like first-fruits,” to “very bad, so bad as to be inedible”—the first symbolizing the Judahites exiled with Jeconiah, the second those who remained in Judah or resided in Egypt (Jer 24:1–8; 29:17).

Singular form:

• Often paired with the grapevine (גֶּפֶן), almost always as the second element in the pair (1 Kgs 5:5; 2 Kgs 18:31 = Isa 36:16; Isa 34:4; Jer 5:17; 8:13; Hos 2:14; Joel 1:7; Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10; Ps 105:33), only twice occurring as the first element (Joel 2:22; Song 2:13). Its first-fruit is paired once (as the second element) with grapes (Hos 9:10).
• It is the fourth item in the so-called list of “seven species” of the Land of Israel, following wheat, barley, and grapevine and preceding pomegranate, olive, and honey: ‏ ארץ חטה ושערה וגפן ותאנה ורמון ארץ זית שמן ודבש “a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey” (Deut 8:8).
• It is third in a similar list of five, following “seed” (presumably including wheat and barley) and the grapevine and preceding the pomegranate and olive: העוד הזרע במגורה ועד- הגפן והתאנה והרמון ועץ הזית לא נשא “while the seed is still in the granary, and the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not yet borne fruit” (Hag 2:19).
• It is the second item in a similar list of four, following “seed” (as above) and preceding the grapevine and pomegranate: לא מקום זרע ותאנה וגפן ורמון “a place with no grain or figs or vines or pomegranates” (Num 20:5).
• It is the second item in a list of five “trees of the field,” following the grapevine and preceding the pomegranate, date-palm, and apple: ‏ הגפן הובישה והתאנה אמללה רמון גם תמר ותפוח כל עצי השדה יבשו “The vine has dried up, the fig tree withers, pomegranate, palm, and apple—All the trees of the field are sear” (Joel 1:12).
• It follows olive and precedes grapevine in a series of trees (Judg 9:8–15).
• It is first in a list of food sources, followed by grapevines, olives, fields(?), sheep, and cattle: כי תאנה לא תפרח ואין יבול בגפנים כחש מעשה זית ושדמות לא עשה אכל גזר ממכלה צאן ואין בקר ברפתים “Though the fig tree does not bud and no yield is on the vine, though the olive crop has failed, and the fields produce no grain, though sheep have vanished from the fold, and no cattle are in the pen” (Hab 3:17).

Plural form:

• Following gardens and vineyards (grapevines) and preceding olives (Amos 4:9).
• Following grapes and pomegranates (Num 13:23).
• Following wine and grapes (Neh 13:15).