In thoery, Maqel $aqed could be "a rod made of almond wood", but I find it
hard to see how he was supposed to know that it was almond, which is the
whole point ($aqed/$oqed), unless it was actually a branch with either
flowers or fruit.
Besides, why think he "saw" anything? Isn't this just a word-play, meant to
draw the listeners' attention to the message?
Dr. Yigal Levin
Dept. of Philosophy and Religion
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga TN 37403-2598
U.S.A.