Bible Dictionary
Box-tree
The box-tree, or boxwood, was an evergreen tree or shrub valued for its hard, durable wood. It is mentioned in prophetic descriptions of Lebanon and the restoration of God’s people, though its precise identification is uncertain.
Definition
The box-tree is an evergreen tree or shrub with hard, durable, useful wood. Its precise identification is uncertain; it has been understood as boxwood and, alternatively, as a species of cedar or cypress.
Biblical Usage
The box-tree appears in prophetic descriptions of Lebanon and of the restoration or beautification of God’s people. Box wood is also mentioned as material used for inlay.
Historical Background
The tree was thought to have been common in the forests of Lebanon. Suggested identifications include Buxus species and cypress, but the supplied material states that nothing certain establishes its identity.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(Heb. teashshur), mentioned in Isa. 60:13; 41:19, was, according to some, a species of cedar growing in Lebanon. The words of Ezek. 27:6 literally translated are, “Thy benches they have made of ivory, the daughter of the ashur tree,” i.e., inlaid with ashur wood. The ashur is the box-tree, and accordingly the Revised Version rightly reads “inlaid in box wood.” This is the Buxus sempervirens of botanists. It is remarkable for the beauty of its evergreen foliage and for the utility of its hard and durable wood.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>box'-tre (te'ashshur; Isa 41:19; 60:13, "boxwood" Eze 27:6): A tree of uncertain identity, which must once have been common in the forests of Lebanon. According to Post (HDB, I, 313), "The only species of box found in Bible lands is Buxus longifolia, which is a shrub from 2 to 3 ft. high. It does not grow South of Mt. Cassius and it is unlikely that it did in historical times."</p><p>As an alternative to the box the cypress, Cupressus sempervirens--known in Arabic as Sherbin--has been suggested. It is a fine tree and was probably once plentiful, but as it seems to answer to the berosh (see FIR), it cannot well be the te'ashshur. There is nothing certain to go upon.</p><p>E. W. G. Masterman</p>