רֹ֫תֶם (re.tem)
re.tem
broom
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun retem refers to a hardy shrub known in English as the broom-plant or retama. This spiny, desert-dwelling bush is notable for its ability to survive in arid conditions where other vegetation fails. In the biblical landscape, it often marks the harshness of wilderness areas, serving as a visual marker of desolation and exposure.
Its most striking appearance occurs in 1 Kings 19:4-5, where the prophet Elijah flees into the desert under Jezebel’s threat. There, he sits beneath the shade of a retem to escape the sun before falling asleep. This specific image highlights the plant’s role as a meager refuge for someone at their lowest point, offering little comfort but shelter from the elements.
The word also appears in Job 30:4, where those marginalized by society are described as cutting boughs from these bushes to cook their food. This usage underscores the retem’s association with poverty and marginalization. Translators typically render it simply as "broom," capturing its identity as a common, resilient shrub found in Israel’s dry regions.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word retem describes a hardy shrub that thrives in harsh, arid landscapes where little else survives. In Scripture, it often marks the stark reality of wilderness areas, serving as a visual reminder of desolation and exposure. When Elijah fled into the desert, he sat beneath this plant not for comfort, but for meager shelter from the sun. It was a place of exhaustion, yet also a point where divine care intersected with human fragility.
This imagery invites us to consider moments in our own lives when we feel stripped down and exposed. Like Elijah, we may find ourselves seeking refuge under what seems like the only available shade. The text does not shy away from this vulnerability; instead, it shows God meeting people in their lowest points. Even in places that feel barren or lonely, there is space for rest and renewal.
Understanding retem helps us appreciate the biblical honesty about suffering. It acknowledges that life can be difficult and that our resources may be limited. Yet, within these scenes of scarcity, we see a God who provides an angel with bread and water. This offers hope that even in our most desolate seasons, we are not abandoned.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- broom plants2×
- a broom plant2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- רֹ֣תֶם2×
- רְתָמִֽים\׃1×
- רְתָמִ֣ים1×
Key Verses
-
I Kings 19:4
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree. Then he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough. Now, O Yahweh, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.”
This verse places Elijah under the retem at his lowest point, highlighting the plant as a symbol of both despair and a setting for divine encounter.
-
Job 30:4
They pluck salt herbs by the bushes. The roots of the broom tree are their food.
Here the broom tree is associated with extreme poverty, showing that its roots were consumed by those marginalized by society.
-
Psalms 120:4
Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
The reference to coals of the juniper (retem) uses the plant's flammable nature as a metaphor for the intensity and pain of enemy attacks.