Cedar of Lebanon

The cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani) grows on the high mountain slopes north of Israel, in the cool, snow-fed groves above 1,500 metres. The mature tree reaches forty metres tall, with horizontal branching that creates a wide, flat crown — instantly recognizable from a great distance. The wood is dense, fragrant, and naturally resistant to rot and insects, which made it the most prized building timber of the ancient Near East. Phoenician kings traded it across the eastern Mediterranean. Solomon imported cedars from Hiram of Tyre for the temple at Jerusalem (1Ki.5), floating logs in rafts down the coast to Joppa. The cedar became the Bible's settled metaphor for stately, planted strength: "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psa.92.12). Centuries of cutting reduced the great forests of Lebanon to a handful of protected groves, of which the famous "Cedars of God" at Bsharri are the most visited; ancient specimens there are estimated at 1,000–2,000 years old and bear obvious witness to what the prophets had in mind.