yex
עצ
'yex' (pronounced 'yetz') appears to have two meanings.
Most of the time1), 'yex' is translated as “tree”. Although there are several other Hebrew words that are used for trees, the famous “tree of life” and “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” are both indicated as being 'yex'.
A secondary usage based on this meaning is to indicate “wood”, ie, a corpse of a tree, typically used as fuel or a building or crafting material. Based on contextual evidence, this appears to be the intended meaning in approximately a third of the word's instances.
(See also aleh).
However, 'yex' is often interpreted differently, as either a noun meaning “counsel” or a verb form meaning “to consult”2). Obviously, these meanings are closely related but there may be some discrepancies regarding the directionality of information flow.
As an example of the bidirectional nature of the information flow, consider two verses from the book of 1 Kings; 1 Kings 1:12 and 1 Kings 12:6
- 1 Kings 1:12 - “now let me give you advice that you may save your life”
- 1 Kings 12:6 - “And consulted King Rehoboam with the elders”
Both of these phrases use the root word 'yex'. The use different prefixes however, an important clue that might assist in our investigation of the possible meanings of ancient Hebrew affixes.
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It is possible that the verb meaning “consult” may stem from the act of consulting the tree of knowledge.