Lexical Summary
oleloth: Gleanings
Original Word:עֹלֵלה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:`olelah
Pronunciation:oh-lay-LOTH
Phonetic Spelling:(o-lay-law')
KJV: (gleaning) (of the) grapes, grapegleanings
NASB:gleanings, gatherers, gleaning
Word Origin:[feminine active participle ofH5953 (עָלַל - To act severely)]
1. only in plural gleanings
2. by extens. gleaning-time
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
gleaning of the grapes, grape-gleanings
Feminine active participle ofalal; only in plural gleanings; by extens. Gleaning-time -- (gleaning) (of the) grapes, grapegleanings.
see HEBREWalal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
alalDefinitiona gleaning
NASB Translationgatherers (1), gleaning (1), gleanings (4).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
going over a second time); —
gleaning (of grapes and olives; of grain), always figurative of remnant: absolute
Isaiah 17:6 ("" ),
Isaiah 24:13 (simile; ""
id., + ),
Jeremiah 49:9 (compare v
a) = Obadiah 5
(id.); construct
Micah 7:1; figurative of warlike achievement
Judges 8:2 (opposed to ).
Topical Lexicon
Primary SenseThe term describes the small clusters or scattered pieces left behind after the main harvest of grapes or grain—“gleanings” that remain on the vine or field.
Meaning and Agricultural Background
In the agricultural rhythm of ancient Israel, harvesters moved systematically through vineyards and fields, but a modest remainder inevitably escaped the sickle or pruning knife. These leftovers were not viewed as waste; they were part of the divine economy of mercy.Leviticus 19:9-10 commands, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to strip your field clean or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You are to leave them for the poor and the foreigner.” Thus, gleanings served both ecological and social purposes, ensuring continued fruitfulness of the land and dignified provision for the vulnerable.
Covenantal Provision for the Poor
Gleanings exemplify the covenant ethos in which the land belongs to the LORD and is stewarded for communal blessing. Ruth’s dignified reception of barley left in Boaz’s field (Ruth 2) illustrates how gleaning laws fostered inclusion, charity, and eventual redemption. Boaz’s deliberate instruction, “Do not reproach her” (Ruth 2:15), transformed a legal allowance into lavish grace, foreshadowing the gospel’s lavish provision.
Military and Judicial Allusions
Judges 8:2 employs the term rhetorically: “What have I accomplished now in comparison to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?” Gideon soothes Ephraim’s wounded pride by likening their triumph over Midianite princes to the choicest leftovers—suggesting that even the “scraps” of Ephraim’s victory outshone the main campaign of Gideon’s clan. The idiom portrays gleanings as surprisingly valuable, overturning appearances and inviting humility.
Prophetic Imagery: Remnant and Judgment
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Micah employ gleanings to depict the razor-thin remnant left after divine judgment:
•Isaiah 17:6 paints a devastated Israel “like the gleaning of an olive tree: two or three berries on the topmost branch.”
•Jeremiah 49:9 warns Edom that pillagers will “leave nothing for you,” contrasting them with vintagers who would normally spare gleanings.
•Obadiah 1:5 echoes the same threat, underscoring the totality of the coming reckoning.
•Micah 7:1 laments, “I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat.”
In each case, the imagery conveys both severity and hope: judgment prunes yet preserves a remnant through which God’s promises endure (Isaiah 1:9).
Foreshadowing of the Remnant Doctrine
The small leftover portion becomes a theological metaphor for the faithful few preserved by grace.Romans 11:5 cites “a remnant chosen by grace,” reflecting the prophetic logic of gleanings. The motif builds a bridge between historical calamity and eschatological preservation, assuring readers that God’s purposes will not fail even when only “two or three berries” remain.
Christological and Eschatological Reflections
Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes, which concluded with gathering “twelve baskets full of broken pieces” (Matthew 14:20), turns the principle upside down: abundance follows consumption, not scarcity after harvest. InRevelation 14:18-19, however, the “harvest of the earth” and the treading of “the great winepress of God’s wrath” reprise prophetic gleaning imagery on a cosmic scale. Christ, the true Vine (John 15:1), will ultimately gather every last grape—whether for salvation or judgment—ensuring nothing escapes His sovereign hand.
Practical Ministry Applications
1. Social Compassion: Churches emulate the gleaning laws through food banks, debt relief, and leaving economic “edges” unconsumed for those in need.
2. Stewardship: Farmers and consumers alike are reminded that production must serve community welfare, not merely private gain.
3. Hope for the Few: Pastors ministering among small congregations take courage that God often works through “gleanings,” not crowds.
4. Evangelism: The concept urges believers to seek the overlooked—widows, strangers, refugees—whom the LORD has already marked out for blessing.
Summary
The six occurrences of עֹלֵלה trace a redemptive arc from covenant mercy, through prophetic judgment, to eschatological hope. Whether describing literal grapes left on a vine or the spiritual remnant of Israel, the word draws hearts to a God who sees value in what others call insignificant, preserves a people for Himself, and commands His own to do likewise until the final harvest.
Forms and Transliterations
כְּעֹלְלֹ֖ת כְּעוֹלֵלֹ֖ת כעוללת כעללת עֹלְל֥וֹת עֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ עֽוֹלֵל֑וֹת עֽוֹלֵלֹת֙ עוללות עוללת עללות עללות׃ ‘ō·lê·lō·wṯ ‘ō·lə·lō·wṯ ‘ō·w·lê·lō·wṯ ‘ō·w·lê·lōṯ ‘ōlêlōwṯ ‘ōləlōwṯ ‘ōwlêlōṯ ‘ōwlêlōwṯ kə‘ōləlōṯ kə‘ōwlêlōṯ kə·‘ō·lə·lōṯ kə·‘ō·w·lê·lōṯ keoleLot oleLot
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