Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon is a common name that has been applied to several different species of flowering plants that are valued in different parts of the world. It is also a biblical expression, though the identity of the plant referred to is unclear and is disputed among biblical scholars. In neither case does it refer to actual roses, although one of the species it refers to in modern usage is a member of Rosaceae. The name's colloquial application has been used as an example of the lack of precision of common names, which can potentially cause confusion. "Rose of Sharon" has become a frequently used catch phrase in poetry and lyrics.

The name "rose of Sharon" first appears in English in 1611 in the King James Version of the Bible. In the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon ch2 v1, the speaker (the beloved) says "I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valley". The Hebrew phrase חבצלת השרון (ḥăḇaṣṣeleṯ hasharon) was translated by the KJV editors as "rose of Sharon"; however previous translations had rendered it simply as "the flower of the field" (Septuagint "ἐγὼ ἄνθος τοῦ πεδίου",Vulgate "ego flos campi",Wiclif "a flower of the field"). Contrariwise the Hebrew word ḥăḇaṣṣeleṯ occurs only twice in the scripture; in the Song and in Isaiah ch 35 v 1, which reads "the desert shall bloom like the rose". The word is translated "rose" in KJV, but is rendered variously as "lily" (Septuagint "κρίνον", Vulgate "lilium", Wiclif "lily"), "jonquil" (Jerusalem Bible) and "crocus" (RSV).

Varying scholars have suggested that the biblical "rose of Sharon" may be one of the following plants:

According to an annotation of Song of Solomon 2:1 by the translation committee of the New Revised Standard Version, "Rose of Sharon" is a mistranslation of a more general Hebrew word for crocus.

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