Why are People Compared to Trees in Scripture?

A tree is known by its fruit.

While that phrase means that a person’s actions will identify who they really are, it also has a deeper meaning. In Scripture, trees have always been used symbolically to represent people, households and bloodlines.

Psalm 1:3 KJV:
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Christians may have disagreements and differences about some aspects of the faith, but it is part of God’s plan that we would grow and become more like Him each day. He wants to bless us and our bloodlines to be servants of the most High and not of our flesh.

There are other versus that actually prove this point, especially found in the story of the blind that Jesus had to lay hands on twice. It was what the blind man said that stick out “I see men as trees” I believe it was purposely left in Scripture to further drive the revelation of men being trees and these trees bearing fruit.

Mark 8:22-25 KJV:
“And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.”

Not all trees (men) give good fruit, and not all trees give bad fruit. But one thing we do know is the all trees give fruit. There is no way around it, what a person has in their heart will eventually be displayed by actions or expressed by the words spoken out of their mouths.

Luke 6:43-45:
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

In the book of Daniel, we find Nebuchadnezzar having a dream which cause his to call all his magicians to inquire its interpretation. None of his magicians were able to interpret nor reveal the dream not even with the threat of death, so Daniel was summoned and given the task of revealing the dream and interpreting it. The first interpretation Daniel gave the king was that he saw a tree.

Daniel 4:10-11 NLT:
"'While I was lying in my bed, this is what I dreamed. I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth. [11] The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see.”

Then told the king that the tree was Nebuchanezzar and his current role as the emperor of Babylon. Daniel 4:14,22 NLT:
“That TREE, Your Majesty, is you. For you have grown strong and great; your greatness reaches up to heaven, and your rule to the ends of the earth.”

So, as you can see all human beings, are trees in the garden of God. Now every time you read in Scripture and the authors using trees you can safely look at symbolically and make the correlation with people, household or bloodlines being the tree. We need to keep our eyes on being the kind of people who will bring good fruit to the Lord, fixed on Christ and not on the things of this world.

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