the Berasit Hebrew Dictionary

Trees were considered important agriculturally for the fruit they bore, and the wood that could be harvested for construction materials. Cedar, olive, terebinth, oak, and other species are mentioned specifically.

However, there is evidence for more esoteric ideas based around trees.

Judges 9 contains a parable or fable involving trees which are meant to represent leaders. The story appears to lobby for meritocracy as a political agenda. The word for trees here is yexim, which is an anthropomorphization of trees, literally meaning “the Tree People”.

The so-called “tree of knowledge of good and evil” is one of the most fascinating objects mentioned in the ancient Hebrew texts.

The hebrew phrase is וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע (yex deyet fob rey), which means “trees intelligence improvement evil”