Original Word: רַעֲנָן
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: ra`anan
Pronunciation: rah-ah-NAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (rah-an-awn')
KJV: flourishing
NASB: green, luxuriant, fresh, very green
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H748 (אָרַך - prolong)8]

1. green
2. (figuratively) prosperous

green, flourishing

From an unused root meaning to be green; verdant; by analogy, new; figuratively, prosperous -- green, flourishing.

Word Origin
from raan
Definition
luxuriant, fresh
NASB Translation
fresh (1), green (12), luxuriant (5), very green (1).

רַעֲנָן adjective luxuriant, fresh; — masculine ׳ר Deuteronomy 12:2 +; feminine רַעֲנָנָה Songs 1:16; masculine plural רַעֲנַנִּים Psalm 92:15; — luxuriant, of trees: בְּרוֺשׁ Hosea 14:9, זַיִת Psalm 52:10 (both simile), Jeremiah 11:16 (figurative); simile also, ׳כְּאֶזְרָח ר Psalm 37:35 (but read כְּאֶרֶז הַלְּבָנוֺן ᵐ5 ᵑ6 and most); especially in phrase תַּחַת ׳כָּלעֵֿץ ר place of idolatrous rites, Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4 2Chronicles 28:4; 2 Kings 17:10; Jeremiah 2:20; Jeremiah 3:6,13; Isaiah 57:5; Ezekiel 6:13; ׳עַלעֵֿץ ר Jeremiah 17:2 (si vera lectio); leaf Jeremiah 17:8 (figurative); leafy couch Songs 1:16; fresh, oil Psalm 92:11; fresh, flourishing, person (figurative, as trees) Psalm 92:15 (+ דְּשֵׁנִים).

I. רעע (√ of following; original meaning dubious).

Definition and Conceptual Range

Derived from imagery of luxuriant vegetation, רַעֲנָן depicts something vibrant, well-watered, and flourishing. Whether applied to trees, oil, branches, or beds of love, the word paints pictures of life at its peak—inviting meditation on both genuine spiritual vitality and its counterfeit imitations.

Distribution in Scripture

Twenty occurrences span Torah, Former Prophets, Writings, and Latter Prophets, creating a panoramic witness:
• 5 references in the historical records of Israel’s idolatry (Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4; 2 Kings 17:10; 2 Chronicles 28:4).
• 4 in Wisdom and Poetry (Job 15:32; Psalm 37:35; Psalm 52:8; Psalm 92:10, 14; Song of Solomon 1:16).
• 11 in the prophets, largely Jeremiah, plus Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea, alternately warning and consoling (Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6, 13; 11:16; 17:2, 8; Ezekiel 6:13; Hosea 14:8).

These settings cluster around two primary themes: false worship beneath “every green tree” and true flourishing in covenant fellowship with the Lord.

Idolatry under Every Green Tree

Canaanite fertility rites prized living trees as symbols of the gods’ generative powers. Israel repeatedly capitulated to this cultic allure:

• “They also set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree” (1 Kings 14:23).
• “You have slaughtered children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks. Among the smooth stones of the ravine is your portion… Behind the door and doorpost you have set up your memorial… And you spread out your bed with them… and you beckoned their lovers far away” (Isaiah 57:5–8 selections).

Such passages expose how external verdure masked spiritual barrenness. Each prophetic denunciation links the “green tree” with self-made religion, sexual immorality, and covenant treachery. Ezekiel 6:13 adds divine retribution: “Then you will know that I am the LORD, when their slain lie among their idols around their altars… under every green tree.”

Flourishing as the Portion of the Righteous

In stark contrast, the same term celebrates covenant vitality:

• “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever” (Psalm 52:8).
• “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree… they will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:12, 14).
• “He will be like a tree planted by the water… its leaves are always green” (Jeremiah 17:8).

Here verdure signifies stability, fruitfulness, and enduring communion with God—assurance that obedience produces life even amid corporate apostasy.

The Fleeting Prosperity of the Wicked

The wicked may appear verdant for a season, yet judgment withers the illusion:

• “He will be paid in full before his time, and his branches will not flourish” (Job 15:32).
• “I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree, yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more” (Psalm 37:35-36).

Scripture thus calibrates perception: what seems thriving apart from God decays.

Restoration Hope and Messianic Echoes

Hosea’s closing oracle reverses Israel’s idolatrous misuse of the “green tree” by portraying the LORD Himself as the source of verdure: “I am like a flourishing juniper; your fruit comes from Me” (Hosea 14:8). This anticipates the gospel promise that true life flows from union with the Messiah, the shoot from the stump of Jesse, ever-green and inexhaustible.

Jeremiah 11:16 intertwines judgment and hope: “The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with beautiful fruit and form. But with the roar of a mighty storm He will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.” The imagery reaches ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who bears the fire of wrath on the cross and rises as the firstfruits of an imperishable new creation.

Pastoral and Practical Implications

1. Discern counterfeit verdure. Ministry must expose modern “green trees”—pleasures, ideologies, or traditions that promise life while drawing hearts from the Lord.
2. Cultivate rootedness. Regular intake of Scripture, prayer, and covenant fellowship keeps believers “planted by streams of water” (Psalm 1:3).
3. Encourage enduring fruitfulness. Psalm 92 assures that age is no barrier to spiritual vitality; discipleship aims for saints who “still bear fruit in old age.”
4. Preach sovereign grace. Hosea 14:8 anchors fruitfulness in God, not human resolve, magnifying grace and safeguarding against pride.

Summary

רַעֲנָן threads through Scripture as a vivid emblem. In idolatry it reveals the treacherous allure of self-chosen worship; in redemption it heralds the unfading life given by the covenant-keeping God. The believer is summoned to shun the deceptive shade of false “green trees” and to flourish perpetually in the house of the LORD.

וְרַֽעֲנַנִּ֣ים ורעננים רַ֭עֲנָן רַֽעֲנָ֑ן רַֽעֲנָ֔ן רַֽעֲנָן֙ רַעֲנָ֑ן רַעֲנָ֔ן רַעֲנָ֖ן רַעֲנָֽן׃ רַעֲנָֽנָה׃ רַעֲנָן׃ רַעֲנָנָֽה׃ רענן רענן׃ רעננה׃ ra‘ănān ra‘ănānāh ra·‘ă·nā·nāh ra·‘ă·nān raanan raaNanah Raanon veraananNim wə·ra·‘ă·nan·nîm wəra‘ănannîmInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts