As we have been preaching through the Bible, one of the fascinating realities we have seen is that themes are not just stated once but come back later; one of those being the “tree of life”. We see it first referred to in Genesis 2:9 which reads, “And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Then, at the end of the Bible, in a vision of heaven that the apostle John was given we read this, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”
So, the tree of life from the very start and then going on through eternity plays an important role in God’s plan of blessing and healing. It has fascinated people throughout the ages, as in seen in a recent article (published on January 29th, 2025) entitled “The Tree of Life Beyond the Bible” and written by Nathan Steinmeyer. Some of the references to the “tree of life” show distorted understandings of the tree of life, while others follow the biblical understanding. What is interesting to me is how a biblical theme has been used, often in distorted ways, to promote themes in other religions. Obviously, Christians believe the Biblical references, but it is interesting to see how other religions and people groups have co-opted the “tree of life”. Below is that article.
‘A central feature in the Garden of Eden story, the Tree of Life is one of the Hebrew Bible’s more memorable symbols. But this biblical symbol connects to a much larger ancient tradition, one whose roots extend across the ancient Near East and are reflected in numerous ways throughout the Bible.
In his article “Symbols of the Goddess,” in the Winter 2024 Issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, biblical scholar Christian Locatell examines one of these roots, looking at how a depiction of the Tree of Life recently excavated at the site of Tel Burna in the Shephelah may have been associated with the Canaanite goddess Asherah.
The Tree of Life motif, however, dates back to at least the third millennium BCE and existed throughout the Near East. In each culture, the tree took on slightly different meanings, though it always represented life and abundance. Occasional references to the Tree of Life (or similar plants) are even found in Near Eastern literature, including the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, where the eponymous hero dives to the bottom of the sea to retrieve a plant that gives eternal life. Texts from the city of Eridu in southern Mesopotamia also reference the kishkanu tree that was thought to have life-giving powers. According to some scholars, the plant may have been thought to come from Dilmun (modern Kuwait), which many Mesopotamian peoples associated with the Garden of Paradise. Similarly, in Egyptian mythology, according to the Book of the Dead, various trees could grant eternal life to the deceased.
The Tree of Life is frequently found in ancient Near Eastern art, frequently in an idealized or stylized form. Often portrayed as a date palm in Mesopotamia and the Levant and as a fig tree in Egypt, the tree conveyed the abundance and nourishment of the gods. In Mesopotamian and Levantine iconography, the tree is often accompanied by various motifs and images. One of the most common shows the tree flanked by two caprids, likely wild goats or ibex, although other images are found as well, including cherubs, humans, gods, flowers, and astral depictions. Indeed, the walls of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem were likely meant to represent the Tree of Life and, by extension, the Garden of Eden: “He carved the walls of the house all around about with carved engravings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers” (1 Kings 6:29).
In Mesopotamia, the Tree of Life was closely associated with the goddess Ishtar, and at times images of the tree and the goddess were interchangeable, with many hybrid depictions of goddess-trees in which branches sprung from the goddess. Such iconography is also found in the Levant, where the Tree of Life is often associated with Ishtar’s Canaanite counterpart, Asherah (as suggested by the recent discovery at Tel Burna). In addition to other attributes, both goddesses are connected to agricultural blessings and fertility. This branch of the Tree of Life tradition likely shows up again in the Hebrew Bible, connected to the frequently mentioned cultic object known as an asherah, which most scholars believe was a wooden object or pole that represented the goddess of the same name.
During the Iron Age (c. 1200–586 BCE), the Tree of Life came to be associated with male deities as well, especially the chief gods of the various Levantine kingdoms, including Yahweh (Israel and Judah), Chemosh (Moab), and Milkom (Ammon). As such, the tree took on additional political meanings alongside its traditional association with agricultural abundance.’
