“Mortals, born of woman,
are of few days and full of trouble.
They spring up like flowers and wither away;
like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.
[…]
“At least there is hope for a tree:
If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
and its new shoots will not fail.
Its roots may grow old in the ground
and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put forth shoots like a plant.”
The tree also represents the tree of life and the wood of the cross. The tree, cut low, appears dead, but springs back to life. In the same way, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are all able to hope for salvation.