Broom (Plant)

A tough desert shrub up to 2 meters tall with many branches, few leaves, and clusters of white flowers. Its wood can be used for charcoal.

Broom bush
Broom bush (Michael Baranovsky (Wikimedia Commons)) Broom

About Broom (Plant)

The broom is a Palestinian shrub or bush that often grows quite large and provides shade (1 Kings 19:4). It is native to Eurasia.

The King James Version translates the Hebrew word as "juniper." It does not refer to true juniper plants. Instead, it refers to a species of broom known as the white broom (Retama raetam).

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The plant itself Article

Habitat, identification, and how translators render the term across languages.

Key References

1 Kings 19:4

while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Job 30:4

They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.

All Scripture References (4)

1 Kings (2)
1 Kings 19:4

while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

1 Kings 19:5

Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”

Job (1)
Job 30:4

They plucked mallow among the shrubs, and the roots of the broom tree were their food.

Psalms (1)
Psalm 120:4

Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!