FLOWERS

Very few flowers are named in the Bible. The most commonly mentioned are those of the lily family (Song of Songs 2:16; 6:2; Hosea 14:5; Matt 6:28). A kind of wild rose is also mentioned (Song of Songs 2:1; Isa 35:1). The flower of the mandrake plant had a strong smell that people believed could excite sexual passion (Gen 30:14-16; Song of Songs 7:13). People have always seen beauty in flowers, and flower patterns were prominent in the decorations of the tabernacle and the temple (Exod 25:31-34; 1 Kings 6:18,29-35; 7:26,49). Although they are beautiful, flowers do not last long. Because of this the Bible sometimes refers to them as symbols of the brevity and impermanence of life (Job 14:2; Nahum 1:4; James 1:10-11; 1 Peter 1:24).