Bible Dictionary
Bramble
Bramble is a general biblical term for thorny shrubs, thistles, or prickly growth. Such plants often represent barrenness, desolation, trouble, or people who cause difficulty.
Definition
Bramble is a general term for thorny shrubs, thistles, thickets, or prickly growth. The word can refer to several plants, including a thorny shrub resembling hawthorn and the common thistle that encumbers fields.
Biblical Usage
Bramble and related thorn terms are used for thorny vegetation, thickets, and plants growing where cultivated land is neglected. Such imagery is associated with desolation, obstruction, and unproductive ground.
Historical Background
Several species of thistle were common in the cornfields of Palestine. The supplied material also identifies a thorny shrub common in the region and resembling the hawthorn.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
(1.) Hebrew atad, Judg. 9:14; rendered “thorn,” Ps. 58:9. The LXX. and Vulgate render by rhamnus, a thorny shrub common in Palestine, resembling the hawthorn. (2.) Hebrew hoah, Isa. 34:13 (R.V. “thistles”); “thickets” in 1 Sam. 13:6; “thistles” in 2 Kings 14:9, 2 Chr. 25:18, Job 31:40; “thorns” in 2 Chr. 33:11, Cant. 2:2, Hos. 9:6. The word may be regarded as denoting the common thistle, of which there are many species which encumber the corn-fields of Palestine. (See THORNS.)
Smith's Bible Dictionary
[Thorns]
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>bram'-b'-l.</p><p>See THORNS.</p>