Part 1: Outside the Garden
Welcome to my new newsletter series.
This time we will look at the appearances, imagery and symbolism of thorns in the Bible.
What do they mean and why are they so important?
The Garden of Eden
The ancient Israelites, 2nd Temple Jews and the early Christians all saw the Garden of Eden as a mountain.
Even though this is not explicit in the text, the geography describes a place which has four rivers flowing from it. As rivers flow from a higher place to lower, this means Eden would be a high place, like a mountain. The above picture is a good representation of Eden, with the four rivers flowing from the mountain.
The Four Trees
In Genesis 2 and 3, we read about four trees.
Tree of Life
Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
Fig Tree
Thorn Bush
Traditionally, it was understood that the trees where positioned with the Tree of Life at the top. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil situated half way down. The fig tree was situated a little lower and at the base of mountain, and outside of Eden, resided the thorn bush. See the picture below.
The Thorn Bushes
In Genesis 3, we see there are two types of thorn bush. One is translated as thorn, the other as thistles.
Genesis 3 v 17-18
Cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you.
In Hebrew, the root word of thorn is quts, which means Summer. There were two main seasons in ancient Israel, Summer and Winter. Winter was wet and cool. The Summer was dry and hot.
This gives the sense that the land outside of Eden was rainless and barren.
The root word of thistle is deror, which means to run free, or maybe ‘run wild’.
So together, the phrase ‘thorns and thistles’ means an unordered and unproductive land. An anti-Eden, so to speak. Everything Eden is, the land outside is the opposite. No low hanging fruit in abundance or unending provisions of food and water. No protection from the encroaching wilderness and from threats which ‘run wild’ through the cursed landscape.
Thorns and thistles grow in a disordered manner. Expanding quickly, in unpredictable ways, and always seeking out new territory. Wherever they go, they make the land fruitless and impossible to inhabit.
Any attempt to remove them by hand would result in cuts and pierced skin.
Adam and the Thorn Bush
The thorn bush became a fruit of Adam’s decision to disobey God. It symbolises the curse he passed down to all generations.
So what’s the solution?
Cain’s solution was to build a city.
He attempted to build his own ‘Eden’ to protect him and his children from the curse of the thorns and thistles. His descendants developed technologies and tools to protect their community. They did not rely on God, but on what their minds could conceive and their hands produce.
How did Seth, Adam and Eve’s third son, and his descendants deal with this same issue? In verse 26, they called on God.
Genesis 4 v 26
Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.
Human accomplishments in technology and culture are to be lauded, but when they replace God as the solution, then sin abounds.
Cain’s city was a fake Eden. He named it after his son, Enoch.
The name Enoch has a Hebrew root meaning lips, mouth or speech. It could be argued that the city was Cain’s Word.
In John 1, we see that Jesus is God’s Word.
So Cain’s path of self reliance, and trying to deal with the problem of the ‘thorns’, led to the Flood.
Following God’s path, and trusting Him above all, leads to our salvation.
Part 2: In The Old Testament
Jesus, Abraham and Isaac
In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
Abraham climbs a mountain in the area of Moria (near modern day Jerusalem) with Isaac. His son lays down on a makeshift altar. Abraham raises a knife, but at the last minute a voice from Heaven tells him to stop. In a thicket, a ram is caught. The ram is sacrificed in Isaac’s place.
Biblical Typology
This method of biblical study was first explicitly seen in Paul’s Epistle of Romans.
Romans 5 v 14
Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol (type), a representation of Christ, who was yet to come.
Paul explains that Adam is a type or symbol of Christ.
Other examples of common types which point to Jesus include Moses, Joseph and Isaac.
Types of Jesus
In this story, we see Isaac as a type of Jesus. Isaac arrives at the mountain on a donkey. He carries wood up to the top. Similarly, Jesus arrives at Jerusalem on a donkey, and also carries the wooden cross to Calvary.
We also see that the ram caught in the thicket is a type of Jesus too. After all, He is the Lamb of God and wore a Crown of Thorns.
Abraham is a type of Jesus as well. As Abraham was the head of his clan, he would function as the high priest. Jesus is our High Priest.
Hebrews 6 v 20
Jesus has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
Who is the Angel of the Lord?
Early Christians believed that the Angel of the Lord was not a type of Jesus, but actually Jesus Himself.
I won’t put forward the reasons why here, but this is a good article to discover more.
All About Jesus
This story is all about Jesus.
Not only is Jesus the Angel of the Lord who stops the sacrifice of the child, but Abraham (High Priest), Isaac (The Son) and the Ram (The Sacrifice) are all types of Christ.
Below is a picture describing this, using orthodox iconography. Three types of Jesus plus Jesus Himself are found in the one event.
The Thicket
The Hebrew word which we translate as thicket has a root word which means ‘interweave’. This word reminds me of how thorns and thistles grow. They entangling themselves with each other.
This thorn bush entraps the ram to be used as the substitute for Isaac.
Symbolically, this shows the curse can snare, capture and imprison.
The Never-Ending Sacrifice
So, in this story, we see Jesus (High Priest) sacrificing Jesus (Son), who is stopped by Jesus (Angel of the Lord), so Jesus (Ram) can be sacrificed in His place and return to His Father. And then Jesus (Angel of the Lord) stops Jesus (Son) being sacrificed by Jesus (High Priest) and provides Jesus (Ram) as a substitute, so Jesus (Son) can return to His Father. And so on, and so on
Feel free to reread that again. It’s a circular narrative.
Here is a picture to help explain what is going on here.
No matter who we start with in this picture, we always come back to the same point. And then continue round again.
Theologically speaking, this shows the cycle continues over and over again. Almost like the death of Jesus on the Cross is an eternal sacrifice. There is no need for anymore sacrifices to cover or atone for sin, as Christ’s sacrifice is made once and for all, for all time and throughout all eternity.
Israel and the Thorns
In the Book of Numbers, God warns Israel to drive out all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan.
Numbers 33 v 55
’But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live
This is a command which has a similar outcome to that which was given to Adam. He failed to keep the command and ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and then came into a land of thorns and thistles.
Similarly, if Israel did not expel all the inhabitants of Canaan, a curse would fall on them. And like Adam, the curse involved thorns.
Thorns and Thorns
The curse first states that barbs (thorns) would be in their eyes. The Hebrew word for thorn here, is unique to this verse. It appears nowhere else in the Old Testament. It has a linguistic root which means ‘to cover’ or ‘to overshadow’. This gives a sense that these thorns will come from above and overshadow the eyes.
The second mention is the more common Hebrew word we find in the Bible for thorns. In this curse, these are thorns which pierce the side.
The thorns mentioned in this command can be interpreted as the inhabitants of the land who do not follow God. And they cause significant problems to the Israelites.
The ‘thorns in the side’, could relate to the Philistines or Sea People. They lived on the western side of Israel, by the coast.
The thorns from above might relate to the Canaanites, who were pushed northwards as the Israelites began to occupy Canaan during the Conquest.
Demons and Thorns
Another interpretation relating to the ‘thorns coming from above’, could be spiritual attacks from demonic principalities and powers which impair the vision. These spiritual attacks blind the Israelites, and then lead them astray to follow other gods. If Israel had removed all Baal worship and idolatry from Canaan, they would not have been tempted and subsequently wandered from God.
The ‘thorn in the side’ could relate to physical attacks. This is where the enemy groups, within the land, rose up and started wars with Israel.
Thorns, Israel and the Cross
When we picture the moments where Christ is on the Cross, we not only see the centurion insert the spear (imagery of a thorn) into His side, but we also see the Crown of Thorns coming down, overshadowing His head and eyes. Jesus takes this curse in Numbers 33 and places it upon himself.
The death and resurrection of Christ is a deeply profound and unfathomable mystery, which goes far beyond covering a Christian’s sin. In this, we can see Christ redeeming Israel from that curse.
The Last Words of David
At the end of the Book of Samuel, we hear the last words of David.
2 Sam 23 v 6-7
But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.
Prior to this verse, David talks about his covenant with God and how He delivers him and fulfils his desires.
When David is talking about those who are like thorns, he means those outside the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam 7). This is where God promises to establish an eternal kingdom for his ancestor. We see this come to fruition in Jesus.
Sons of Belial
What has been translated in this verse as ‘evil men’, comes from a Hebrew idiom, ‘Sons of Belial’. Belial is a word which means ‘of no profit’. Hence, why ‘evil men’ are sometimes translated as ‘worthless’ in the Bible.
Belial first appears in Deuteronomy 13, where God tells His people to not listen to them. If a town does follow the Sons of Belial, then the town must be destroyed by fire.
David says the ‘Sons of Belial’ are like thorns. They are wild and unproductive.
I interpret the phrase, ‘which are not gathered with the hand.’ as though they cannot be reasoned with or dealt with. They are too unstable and will ensnare and entangle anyone who encounters them.
Paul and Belial
We also see the Sons of Belial mentioned in 2 Corinthians by Paul.
2 Cor 6 v 15
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
In this chapter, Paul is discussing being joined to unbelievers. In the surrounding verses, he is comparing the opposites:
Righteousness / Wickedness
Light / Darkness
Christ / Belial
Believer / Unbeliever
Temple of God / Idols
Looking down the list, Paul is relating Belial (or thorns) to wickedness, darkness, unbelievers and idols.
Thorns in the Fire
King David explains that the Sons of Belial (thorns) will be destroyed with fire. Much like as described in Numbers 13
Num 13 v 16
You are to gather all the plunder of the town into the middle of the public square and completely burn the town and all its plunder as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. That town is to remain a ruin forever, never to be rebuilt
Iron and Wood
David also says the only way thorns can be dealt with, is by using ‘tools of iron’ and ‘shaft of a spear’. This reminds me of how Christ died. Iron nails pierced his hands and feet. While a spear was placed in His side. This was the way the fruits of Adam’s curse (thorns) were dealt with.
Lily And The Thorns
In the Song of Solomon, the woman tells her lover that she is a lily of the valley. The man then responds with:
Song of Solomon 2 v 2
Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women.
The early Church viewed the Song of Solomon as a representation of the relationship between Jesus and the Church.
So the Lily (The Church) sees her lover (Jesus) as the fruit tree among the trees of the forest.
The fruit tree, which is normally translated as an apple tree, has a similar root to the word used for ‘breathe’ in Genesis 2 v 7, where God breathes into Adam. This connection means this tree’s fruit gives the breath of God, life itself.
The Lily goes on to say that the Lover brings her to the ‘wine house’ and His banner over her is love.
The thorns, the other women, are of no interest to the Lover (Jesus). His focus is only on the Lily, His Church.
The other women are not taken to the banqueting feast. They are left outside the house. They are rejected.
[On a side note, it is asked in Luke 12 v 27, to consider the lilies. I wonder if Jesus was referencing this part of the Song of Solomon in Luke. Just a thought.]
Thorn Hedges
In Hosea, we see God allow the thorn bushes to hedge in the wayward Israel.
Hosea 2 v 6
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
Israel is desperate to run from God and to seek other lovers. So God allows the thorn bushes to stop her finding them, causing her to return to Him.
The word for thorn bush here is more commonly translated as a ‘boiling pot’. This gives the impression these thorns are like bubbling water, they spring up quickly. So as Israel runs from God, it’s almost like the thorn bushes rise up, stopping her in her tracks.
From this we see God can allow the thorns of our sins to help us understand our need to repent. The consequences of our rebellious nature and the pain of the wrong decision we make, can actually cause us to come back to Him, like the prodigal son.
Thorns in the Old Testament
There are other references to thorns in the Old Testament, which we haven’t explored. If I did, it would make the series too long.
But from what I’ve looked at, we can see thorns are associated with:
The Curse
Ensnaring and entangling
Evil
Worthless
Fruitless
Rejected
Removed by fire
Handled with iron and shafts of wood
Allowed by God to facilitate repentance
The next part of this series will look at the appearance of thorns in the New Testament.
Jesus dying on the Cross is the central event to His Life. And thorns play an important role.
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, we see the Romans place a twisted ‘Crown of Thorns’ on His head.
Turin Shroud
This funeral shroud is purported to be the cloth Jesus was buried in. Some people believe it is a forgery, while other are convinced of its validity.
My personal view is that if it is not the shroud He was buried in, then it is likely to be someone who was crucified in a similar manner to Christ. Maybe a Christian martyr. It therefore gives us a glimpse into how Christ may have been crucified.
Some Turin Shroud Researchers believe that the crown was actually a cap of thorns. They argue that the blood-flow from the head and the way the hair is matted suggests a cap not a crown.
Either case, a crown or a cap, both would be excruciatingly painful.
Meaning of the Thorny Crown
We have learned through the previous posts in this series that thorns have a particular imagery in the Old Testament.
The Crown of Thorns could be considered a crown of worthlessness. A fruitless crown which bestows neither honour or power.
In this image, the crowned Christ becomes the King of Adam’s Curse. He takes ownership and responsibility for Adam’s failings.
It also reminds me of the ram caught in the thicket, in the story of Abraham and Isaac. Where, Jesus is shown to be the eternal sacrifice.
The Crucifixion and Eden
The death scene of Jesus maps beautifully onto the image of the Garden of Eden.
Traditionally, early Christians saw that the down beam of the Cross representing the Tree of Life. The Tree which Adam and Eve could not partake of, due to their rebellious decision.
The early Christians also believed the cross beam represented the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This was further clarified by the good and bad thief, on either side of Jesus. The thief who chose to trust in Christ versus the thief who continued to mock and reject Him.
It is recorded, Jesus had his clothes removed and died either with a loin cloth or naked. Either way, this is related to the fig tree. Its leaves were used to hide the nakedness of Adam and Eve. Jesus died without clothes, in shame He died.
Finally, the thorn bush is represented by the Crown of Thorns. Whereas the thorns are outside in the story of the Garden of Eden, here they are placed at the highest point, on the head of Christ Himself.
This is profound.
God takes all the suffering of our lives upon Himself. The suffering caused by the Curse.
God, the Creator of all things, who gave the Curse to Adam, was the one who accepted it and fulfilled it.
Even though we may go through periods of suffering, we know He is with us. He has gone ahead of us. And He will carry us through any ordeal.
Without Him, we are lost in a painful maze of thistles and thorns. With Him, He guides us safely home.
Part 4: In The Gospels
Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower is mentioned three times in the Gospels, Luke 8, Matthew 13 and Mark 4.
It is a story about a Sower who sows seed.
Some of the seed falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some amongst thorns and some on good soil.
Only those on ‘good soil’ grow to produce a crop.
The Meaning of the Parable
Jesus is asked by the disciples as to what this parable means. He responds by telling them the seed is the ‘Word of the Kingdom’. Sometimes the Devil steals this word, sometimes the cares of this World overwhelm it and sometimes the rocky ground causes it to wither and fail.
He then proceeds to tell them how the word does not grow to maturity unless the heart is receptive.
The Word of the Kingdom
According to the Orthodox Study Bible, the ‘Word of the Kingdom’ is the Gospel. This phrase is used by Matthew and Mark in the Parable of the Sower.
As the Gospel is preached, it is sown into the hearts of all people.
In some cases, the seed germinates and grows. But the thorns or the cares of this World, crowd out the seed and it dies.
From the imagery in the Old Testament, thorns are described as worthless, unproductive, ensnaring and entangling. If we map these onto the Parable of the Sower, then the cares of this World are worthless when compared to the gifts God gives. These cares can entangle and ensnare us, whereas Christ sets us free.
Life is full of worries, but when we allow the cares to overtake and grow above our relationship with God, we become overwhelmed and distracted. We lose focus and become lost in a maze of competing distractions.
Word of God
In the Gospel according to St Luke, Jesus does not use the phrase ‘word of the kingdom’ for the seed, but uses the ‘Word of God’.
When we see this phrase, depending on our Christian tradition, we may understand it to mean the Scripture or Jesus.
In John 1, we see Jesus is revealed as the Logos, the Word.
Though in other areas of the New Testament, we see Jesus speaks the ‘word of God’.
Luke 5 v 1
One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.
I understand that not only did the 1st Century Jews see that the ‘Word of God’ is mediated to them through Scripture, but the contemporary Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, understood the ‘Word of God’ to be a person. In fact, he links the Logos to the Angel of the Lord.
The Third Interpretation
There is a third interpretation which is shown in Acts 6, where the ‘word of God’ spreads. Jesus can’t spread or grow, neither does Scripture, so therefore it likely relates to the message of the Gospel.
Acts 6 v 7
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly…
How do we resolve this, when the Bible says Jesus is the Word of God, Scripture is the Word of God and the message of the Gospel is the Word of God?
When we read the phrase ‘Word of God’ in the Bible, we need to use the context of the verse to understand whether it is talking about Jesus, the Bible or the Gospel Message.
Biblical Examples
Here are some Bible verses to think about. Who or what are these verses referencing when it says the ‘Word of God’?
Romans 9 v 6
It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.
1 Thessalonians 2 v 13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
Luke 3 v 2
During the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
Part 5: In The New Testament
Thorn in the Flesh
2 Cor 12 v 7
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Over the centuries, there has been much discussion around this thorn. Some commentators say it was a physical ailment that did not heal, and others say it was a member of the Church.
A third suggestion says it was Paul’s disappointment at how the Jews rejected Jesus.
The Greek word translated as thorn in this verse means a pointed piece of wood, a sharp stake or a splinter. It isn’t strictly a thorn.
Flesh is more complex than meets the eye. The Greek word in this verse is sarx. This tends to mean carnal flesh.
There is another word, which is sometimes translated as flesh. This is soma. The main difference between these two words is sarx is regarding passivity while soma is about activity.
For example, sarx refers to the flesh of the ear, but soma refers to the activity of hearing. It’s the difference between the eye ball and the activity of seeing.
As a side note, Soma is usually translated as ‘body’. So the Church is the ‘Soma of Christ’, the ‘active flesh’ of Jesus on Earth.
So in Paul’s situation, he is probably talking about his carnal flesh. So the thorn sounds like a physical ailment.
Messenger of Satan
This affliction is caused by a messenger of Satan. God allows this, much like how He uses thorn bushes in Hosea.
Hosea 2 v 6
Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes; I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
In the context of chapter 12, the thorn is allowed in order to humble Paul. To help him resist the temptation to take pride in what had been achieved in the early Church.
Maybe God allowed this Satanic messenger to remind Paul of the pride the Devil had, which caused him to fall at the beginning.
Jesus in the Burning Bush
In Acts 7, Stephen speaks to the Sanhedrin. During his speech he discusses the Angel who spoke to Moses through the burning bush.
Acts 7 v 30
After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
The Greek word for bush here is thorn-bush.
If we look at the burning bush account in Exodus, we see the angel is the Angel of the Lord. Who is also Jesus in the Old Testament.
This means Jesus is speaking directly to Moses from the burning thorn bush. Jesus is the one who commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and call for the Hebrews to be set free.
Why a Burning Thorn Bush?
In the Old Testament, we are told thorn bushes can be removed by fire. So with Jesus in the bush, he is burning up and removing Adam’s Curse. The reason the thorn bush is not ‘consumed’ is because His work is not yet complete.
Like Moses, we need to listen to Christ’s commands and, through the Holy Spirit’s power, see ‘thorns and thistles’ removed from our lives.
I will end this series by mentioning that in the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit appears on those in the Upper Room as Tongues of Fire. One interpretation could be that the Holy Spirit was burning up the thorns in their lives, preparing them for the next step in God’s plan.
This is a terrific piece. There’s so much reflection and background knowledge in this, but you make it look easy.