MEONENIM, BIG TREE OF

(Me·onʹe·nim) [Those Practicing Magic].

A tree within sight of Shechem, passed by a band of King Abimelech’s men before their fight with the landowners of that city. (Jg 9:34-37) “Big tree of Meonenim” translates the Hebrew words ʼe·lohnʹ meʽoh·nenimʹ. ʼE·lohnʹ refers to big trees in general, and meʽoh·nenimʹ is a participle signifying “those practicing magic.” (See De 18:14.) The tree may have been so named because Canaanites or apostate Israelites engaged in magical practices there. Some scholars also link “the big tree of Meonenim” with “the big trees of Moreh” that are similarly described as being in the vicinity of Shechem.​—Compare Ge 12:6; 35:4; Jg 9:6.