shittim wood

shittim wood, in the Bible, wood of the shittah tree, probably an acacia , from which the Ark of the Covenant and furniture of the Tabernacle were made. The Revised Version of the Bible calls it acacia wood. It seems to have been held in high esteem. The name shittim wood is also sometimes applied to two plants that are not acacias, the buckthorn and the false buckthorn.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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