FIR (בְּרﯴשׁ, H1360, cypress, pine; fir tree, b^erôsh). One cannot be certain whether the fir referred to twenty-one times in the Bible is the Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis), or a Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens).

The Aleppo Pine grows to a height of sixty ft., bearing short, stalked cones, and will withstand considerable periods of drought. It is certainly abundant in the hilly areas of Pal., where its wood is considered almost as valuable as cedar.

Because the fir is described in the Bible as “a goodly tree,” some have thought that it must be Pinus tinaster, which grows to a height of 120 ft., and is an important resin-producing tree.

Cypress wood is long lasting. The gates of Constantinople were made of it, and they lasted over a thousand years. Rafters were made of its wood (Song of Solomon 1:17). The Temple floor was covered with planks of fir (Ezek 27:5) and King David played on musical instruments made with fir (2 Sam 6:5), prob. harps and lutes.