Apple: (Heb. tappuah, meaning "fragrance"). Probably the apricot or quince is
intended by the word, as Palestine was too hot for the growth of
apples proper. It is enumerated among the most valuable trees of
Palestine
(Joel 1:12) and frequently referred to in Canticles, and
noted for its beauty
(The Song of Solomon 2:3,5; 8:5) There is nothing to show that it
was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Dr. Tristram has
suggested that the apricot has better claims than any other
fruit-tree to be the apple of Scripture. It grows to a height of
30 feet, has a roundish mass of glossy leaves, and bears an orange
coloured fruit that gives out a delicious perfume. The "apple of the
eye" is the Heb. ishon, meaning manikin, i.e., the pupil of the eye
(Proverbs 7:2) Comp. the promise,
(Zechariah 2:8) the prayer,
(Psalms 17:8) and
its fulfilment,
(Deuteronomy 32:10) The so-called "apple of Sodom" some have
supposed to be the Solanum sanctum (Heb. hedek), rendered "brier"
(q.v.) in
(Micah 7:4) a thorny plant bearing fruit like the
potato-apple. This shrub abounds in the Jordan valley.
