Bible Dictionary · D
Date
The fruit of a species of palm (q.v.), the Phoenix dactilifera. This was a common tree in Palestine (Joel 1:12; Neh 8:15). Palm branches were carried by the Jews on festive occasions, and especially at the feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:40; Neh 8:15).
From Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897), by Matthew George Easton.