Lebanon

In the Bible

Lebanon is a place name that appears many times in the Old Testament. It usually refers to a mountain range and is frequently mentioned together with the cedar (a large, fragrant conifer) that grows there.

• Boundary of the Promised Land: Moses prayed to see "that goodly mountain, and Lebanon" (Deuteronomy 3:25). Joshua 1:4 describes the land Israel would receive as extending from the wilderness and Lebanon to the Euphrates River. Joshua 13:5–6, however, lists the Lebanon region as part of "the land that yet remaineth," territory not yet taken.
• Building the temple: Solomon asked Hiram, king of Tyre, for cedars of Lebanon (1 Kings 5:6). Hiram replied that he would bind the timber into rafts and send it by sea (1 Kings 5:9), and 2 Chronicles 2:16 identifies the destination as Joppa. Solomon also built a royal palace, one building of which was called "the house of the forest of Lebanon" (1 Kings 7:2).
• The second temple: After the return from exile, during the rebuilding of the temple, cedar was again transported from Lebanon to the coast at Joppa, with the permission of Cyrus (Ezra 3:7).
• Imagery in poetry and prophecy: Psalm 29:5 declares that the voice of the LORD "breaketh the cedars of Lebanon." Psalm 92:12 says that the righteous "shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." The Song of Solomon repeatedly uses Lebanon as a symbol of beauty and fragrance (Song of Solomon 4:8, 15). In the prophets it serves both as a symbol of glory (Isaiah 35:2; Hosea 14:5) and as a symbol of judgment in which the proud are brought low (Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 31:3; Zechariah 11:1).

Background

The Hebrew name "Lebanon" is generally understood to be related to a word meaning "to be white." The name is commonly explained as referring to the snow-covered peaks or to the whiteness of the limestone. The biblical Lebanon is the mountain range running along the Mediterranean coast. Port cities such as Tyre and Sidon lay along its coastal foothills. Timber from these mountains was a prized building material in the ancient Near East. Scholars differ on whether the biblical "cedar" (Hebrew erez) always refers exclusively to the tree known today as the cedar of Lebanon.

Significance Across Scripture

Lebanon serves as an emblem of what is lofty, great, and beautiful. Depending on the passage, the same cedar imagery can represent either prosperity and blessing or human pride that will be broken before God. The name Lebanon does not appear in the New Testament. However, the region of Tyre and Sidon, which Jesus visited, lies on the coastal side of the Lebanon range (Mark 7:24; see Syrophoenician woman).

Interpretations and Debates

• Interpreting the Song of Solomon: A long tradition in the church follows a figurative (allegorical) interpretation that reads the Song of Solomon as describing the relationship between Christ and the church. In this reading, the fragrance and beauty of Lebanon are also given spiritual meaning. Other interpreters read the Song primarily as a poem celebrating love between a man and a woman and regard Lebanon as a poetic setting. These readings divide along the lines of individual scholars and preachers rather than denominations.
• Distinction from the modern nation: The biblical Lebanon is the name of a mountain range. It does not correspond to the defined borders of the modern Republic of Lebanon.

In the Korean Church

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psalm 92:12) is frequently quoted in sermons and words of blessing as a verse about the growth and flourishing of believers.