This happened once last year when a particular verse in the Holy Bible struck me and I wondered why God wished for a particular tree to be mention. I have always believed God does everything with purpose. I know the Holy Word of the Lord mentions several trees like the "Tree of Life" and the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil" (which are two differently mentioned trees by the way), as well as "Trees of Lebanon" but for some reason this tree seemed to be ancient and wise and grown with a purpose.
This tree is the Oak of Mamre or the Terebinths of Mamre. Here is the Bibical verse in which it is first read:
"17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.' 18 And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD." Genesis 13: 17-18
The debated question has always been is "Mamre" a place or a person. Here are the next few verses of the Holy Bible that mentions "Mamre".
"12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew--now he dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram." Genesis 14:12-13
"22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom: 'I have lifted up my hand unto the LORD, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldest say: I have made Abram rich; 24 save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion." Genesis 14: 22-24
It seems that "Mamre" was a person who had a brother named Eschol and a brother Aner who were allies to Abram. However, later it turns into a place. The place where Abram and Sarah live out their days in a tent under the "terebinths of Mamre". It is this place that Jesus first appears physically in the Biblical and it's in the Old Testament to the father of the nation of Israel.
"And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, 3 and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4 Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.' And they said: 'So do, as thou hast said.' Genesis 18: 1- 5
So, the Lord, himself, will sit "under the tree" of Mamre. What an honored tree! Which, I am sure, was grown only to the shade the Lord when he came to Earth and be the home of the father of Issac who later has his name changed to Israel being the beginning of that great nation.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.' 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. 8 And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat." Genesis 18: 6-8
One would wonder what conservations would have passed under that "tree". What social conservations or knowledge would have been said from the Lord.
9 And they said unto him: 'Where is Sarah thy wife?' And he said: 'Behold, in the tent.' 10 And He said: 'I will certainly return unto thee when the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.-- 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.-- 12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?' 13 And the LORD said unto Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return unto thee, when the season cometh15 Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.' Genesis 18:9-15
Knowledge of the future of the world:
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing; 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.'" Genesis 18: 16-19
The remainder of the history is that Abram works hard to find just 50 righteous people in Sodom/Gomorrah and when he couldn't find 50 he ask the Lord if he found 10 would he spare Sodom/Gomorrah and the Lord said that he would. So, when Abram couldn't find one righteous people the towns were destroyed.
So, the Old Oak of Mamre is where our Lord first appeared in physical form and took shade under its branches, ate there, and talked there. Mamre was, indeed, a man and later on Mamre became a place.
- Here is the Google image of where the Oak of Mamre is located.
- Here is the Wikipedia article about an old Oak of Mamre that is SW of Mamre.
- Article about the Old Oak of Mamre about it dying.
- Gathered information by Sir Frazer in his book Folk-lore in the Old Testament.
Later when Sarah dies of old age, Abraham purchased some land around Mamre in which had a cave, a field, and other trees. Abraham desired the cave to bury his beloved wife. As Biblical history tells, not only was Sarah buried here, so was Abraham, Jacob, Rachel, and Leah.
17 So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the border thereof round about, were made sure 18 unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. 19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre--the same is Hebron--in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth. Genesis 23: 17-19
The old oak of Mamre was the home and heart of Abraham and Sarah. It was the place in which life and nations issued forth. Mamre was a steady place, a crossroad, and the longest living home of Abraham and Sarah. It is were Issac grew up and possibly where his children played under the Old Oak of Mamre.
For us, it is our utopian home base to which we will learn, understand, and grow in knowledge and wisdom. It is the portal of being free to educated ourselves and learn what, who, and why to all the things that come before our own tent under our own Old Oak of Mamre.
