SYCAMORE (stlea - mor), (Heb. shaw kaw,f, and 'Irip,slzik-maw').
This was not what is called sycamore in this country, which is a kind of maple, and in some of its characters the reverse of- what is required. The Septuagint everywhere renders it auntiuvos, which signifies the mulberry. In the Arabic trans lation the word iliMCCZ is used as synonymous. Now jumeez is applied by the Arabs in the present day, and has been so from ancient times, to a great tree of Egypt.
by ancient and modern writers. Both trees are, however, mentioned by the apostle, who must have had the technical knowledge necessary for distin guishing such things. Though the English ver sion avoids translating the word, there can be The ancients were well acquainted with it ; and It is common in Egypt as well as in Syria and the Holy Land (1 Kings x :27; Ps. lxxviii :47). In Egypt, being one of the few trees indigenous in that country, its wood was proportionally much employed, as in making mummy cases, though it is coarse grained, and would not be valued where other trees are more common. Though the wood of this sycamore is coarse grained, it is yet very durable in a dry climate like that of Egypt ; hence the mummy-cases even in the present day seem as if made with fresh wood. This may no doubt
be partly ascribed to the preservative effects of the resinous coats, paints, etc., with which they are impregnated. That the sycamore was cultivated and esteemed in Palestine we learn from I Chron. xxvii :28; t Kings x :27. This was on account of its fruit, which it bears on its stem and branches, like the common fig, and continues to produce in succession for months. The fruit is palatable, sweetish in taste, and still used as food in the East. The sycamore is a large and noble tree, affording a dense shade, while the branches are remarkably spreading and are easily reached.
This was the reason why Zaccketis climbed it ir order to get a glimpse of Jesus as he passed (Luke xix :4). It was once exceedingly abundant in the valley of the Jordan (1 Kings x:27; 2 Chron.
i :!5; ix :27), but all are now gone save a few aged survivors near Jericho.