[Ads-l] Ax/Tree proverb

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Correspondent Daniel Sterman notified me that a pertinent saying
appeared in the Babylonian Talmud which was compiled over several
centuries and probably completed by the 6th century.

[ref] 2017 (2020 Second printing), Koren Talmud Bavli: The Noe
Edition, Sanhedrin, Part One, Commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel
Steinsaltz, Perek IV, 39B, Quote Page 254, Steinsaltz Center: Koren
Publishers Jerusalem. (Verified with scans) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Efrayim Miksha'a, a student of Rabbi Meir, said in the name of Rabbi
Meir: Obadiah was an Edomite convert. Consequently, he prophesied with
regard to Edom. And this is as people say: From and within the forest
comes the ax to it, as the handle for the ax that chops the tree is
from the forest itself.
[End excerpt]

The excerpt above contains some modern commentary. The statement "And
this is as people say: From and within the forest comes the ax to it"
is an English translation of rabbinical commentary from the Talmud.
The text after this phrase provides a modern supplementary
explanation. The phrase “people say” specified an anonymous
attribution.

Quote Origin: The Trees Voted for the Axe Because the Axe Handle Was
Made of Wood
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/02/09/trees-axe/

Garson

On Sun, Feb 9, 2025 at 6:18 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> JL initiated a thread way back on September 20, 2024. Now there is a
> Quote Investigator article. The first citation is dated 1678.
>
> Quote Origin: The Trees Voted for the Axe Because the Axe Handle Was
> Made of Wood
> Hebrew Proverb? Turkish Proverb? Kimberly Joyce Pollock? Wafula
> Chebukati? Anonymous?
> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/02/09/trees-axe/
>
> [Begin Acknowledgement]
> Great thanks to Jonathan Lighter and Fake History Hunter whose
> inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this
> exploration. Special thanks to researcher Barry Popik who performed
> pioneering work on this topic and created two webpages here and here.
> Popik located important information such as the 1977 citation.
>
> https://barrypopik.com/blog/when_the_axe_came_into_the_forest
> https://barrypopik.com/blog/the_forest_was_shrinking_but_the_trees
> [End Acknowledgement]
>
> Feedback welcome,
> Garson

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