Topical Encyclopedia
The term "cropped" in a biblical context primarily relates to agricultural practices and the imagery associated with harvests, fields, and the produce of the land. While the specific word "cropped" may not appear frequently in the Berean Standard Bible, the concept is deeply embedded in the agrarian culture of the biblical world and is often used metaphorically to convey spiritual truths.
Agricultural Practices:In ancient Israel, agriculture was a central part of daily life and the economy. The land was cultivated for various crops, including wheat, barley, grapes, olives, and figs. The process of cropping involved preparing the soil, sowing seeds, tending to the plants, and finally harvesting the produce. This cycle was crucial for sustenance and survival, and it was often regulated by the agricultural calendar, which included sabbatical years and the Year of Jubilee (
Leviticus 25:1-7).
Biblical Imagery and Metaphors:The Bible frequently uses agricultural imagery to illustrate spiritual principles. For example, Jesus often employed parables related to farming to teach about the Kingdom of God. In the Parable of the Sower (
Matthew 13:3-9), Jesus describes different types of soil and their ability to produce a crop, symbolizing the receptiveness of human hearts to the Word of God.
Similarly, the concept of reaping what one sows is a recurring theme in Scripture.
Galatians 6:7-8 states, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." This passage underscores the moral and spiritual consequences of one's actions, using the metaphor of cropping to convey the idea of divine justice and reward.
Spiritual Harvest:The idea of a spiritual harvest is also prominent in the New Testament. Jesus speaks of the fields being "white for harvest" in
John 4:35 , indicating the readiness of people to receive the Gospel. This metaphor emphasizes the urgency and importance of evangelism and the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God.
In the eschatological context, the harvest represents the end of the age when God will separate the righteous from the wicked.
Matthew 13:39 explains, "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." This imagery serves as a reminder of the final judgment and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.
Covenantal Blessings and Curses:The Old Testament often links the productivity of the land to the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. Obedience to God's commandments would result in abundant crops and prosperity, as seen in
Deuteronomy 28:1-5 . Conversely, disobedience would lead to curses, including failed crops and famine (
Deuteronomy 28:15-18). These passages highlight the dependence of Israel on God's favor for agricultural success and the broader implications of faithfulness to the covenant.
Conclusion:While the specific term "cropped" may not be prevalent in biblical texts, the concept is integral to understanding the agricultural and spiritual themes that permeate Scripture. Through the lens of cropping, the Bible communicates profound truths about human responsibility, divine providence, and the ultimate harvest of souls.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
imp. & p. p.) of Crop.
Library
Elevated Morality of the Christians.
... In the newer parts of the country, the practice, here corrected, ascropped out
among "brothers and sisters" of divers religious names, and consequent scandals...
Expatriation
... Israelites had come for sweet grass. They had kept the underbrush down,
and the herbage closelycropped. But for two months Israel...
Christ Foreseeing the Cross
... dimly to the apostles, of the withdrawal of the Bridegroom, and their 'fasting in
those days.' These hints, and no doubt others unrecorded, hadcropped to the...
Of Eustathius Bishop of Sebastia.
... He himself wore the habit of a philosopher, and induced his followers to adopt a
new and extraordinary garb, directing that the hair of women should becropped...
That all Bodily Blemishes which Mar Human Beauty in this Life...
... Wherefore, if the hair that has beencropped and the nails that have been cut would
cause a deformity were they to be restored to their places, they shall not...
Mount Olivet. The Mount of Olives, 2 Samuel 15:30
... city, there was a place" (we do not dare to mark it out) "which was called Motza:
hither they came down" (in the feast of Tabernacles) "andcropped off thence...
Under Ban of the Ritual
... The hair was straight, abundant, brilliant black andcropped midway down the
neck and just above the brows. There was no effort at parting....
'All Things are Yours'
... even in that old time when, as I have said, supernatural sanctions were introduced
into the ordinary dealings of life, the difficulties thatcropped up were...
A Compendious view of the Christian Life.
... [1685] Acropped head not only shows a man to be gave, but renders the cranium less
liable to injury, by accustoming it to the presence of both cold and heat...
Four Sowings and one Ripening
... In one part of the field was a patch where the soil was neither rammed solid, as
on the footpath, nor thin, as where the rockcropped out, but where there had...
Thesaurus
Cropped (1 Occurrence)...Cropped (1 Occurrence). Ezekiel 17:4 he
cropped off the topmost of the young twigs
of it, and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
...Traffic (12 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 17:4 refers to the great eagle who "cropped off the topmost of the young
twigs (of cedar) thereof, and carried it unto a land of traffic; he set it in...
Crop (33 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) That which iscropped, cut, or gathered from a single field, or of a single
kind of grain or fruit, or in a single season; especially, the product of...
Feed (117 Occurrences)
... 6. (vt) To graze; to cause to becropped by feeding, as herbage by cattle;
as, if grain is too forward in autumn, feed it with sheep....
Traffick (4 Occurrences)
... (WBS). Ezekiel 17:4 Hecropped off the top of his young twigs, and carried it into
a land of traffick; he set it in a city of merchants. (KJV WBS)....
Topmost (4 Occurrences)
... (See NAS NIV). Ezekiel 17:4 hecropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it,
and carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants....
Trafficker (3 Occurrences)
... Ezekiel 17:4 refers to the great eagle who "cropped off the topmost of the young
twigs (of cedar) thereof, and carried it unto a land of traffic; he set it in...
Twigs (8 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Ezekiel 17:4 hecropped off the topmost of the young twigs of it, and
carried it to a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants....
Polled (3 Occurrences)
... Specifically: (a) Lopped; -- said of trees having their tops cut off. (b)Cropped;
hence, bald; -- said of a person. The polled bachelor. Beau. & Fl....
Cropping (1 Occurrence)
Resources
Are we supposed to let go and let God? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about strife? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is Patripassianism? | GotQuestions.orgCropped: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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