Lexical Summary
gannah: gardens, garden, orchard
Original Word:גַּנָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:gannah
Pronunciation:gan-nah'
Phonetic Spelling:(gan-naw')
KJV: garden
NASB:gardens, garden, orchard
Word Origin:[feminine ofH1588 (גַּן - garden)]
1. a garden
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
garden
Feminine ofgan; a garden -- garden.
see HEBREWgan
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
ganDefinitiona garden
NASB Translationgarden (6), gardens (9), orchard (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(compare foregoing) —
Isaiah 1:30;
Isaiah 61:11; construct
Songs 6:11 3t.; suffix
Job 8:16; plural
Numbers 24:6,
Ecclesiastes 2:5 6t.; suffix
Amos 4:9;
garden, orchard,
Amos 4:9 ("" , , ),
Amos 9:14 (fruit-garden; "" ),
Jeremiah 29:5,28;
Ecclesiastes 2:5 ("" ),
Songs 6:11 nut-garden; compare
Esther 1:5;
Esther 7:7,8; in simile, of prosperous Israel
Numbers 24:6 (poem in J E; ), of chastised Israel
Isaiah 1:30 (), of Yahweh's blessing
Isaiah 61:11; in
Job 8:16 in figure of prosperity of wicked, as a luxuriant plant; gardens as places of idolatrous worship
Isaiah 1:29 ("" ),
Isaiah 65:3 ("" ),
Isaiah 66:17 (i.e. groves).
Topical Lexicon
OverviewThe noun גַּנָּה denotes a cultivated, enclosed garden, an emblem of provision, beauty, and intentional care. Scripture employs the term twelve times, weaving a rich tapestry of blessing, judgment, exile, and ultimate restoration.
Occurrences and Contexts
1.Numbers 24:6 – Balaam likens Israel to “gardens beside a river,” picturing covenantal fruitfulness.
2.Job 8:16 – Bildad observes that the hypocrite “thrives in the sun, and his shoots spread over his garden,” exposing the fleeting prosperity of the godless.
3.Ecclesiastes 2:5 – Solomon recounts grand gardens among his pursuits of pleasure, yet finds them unable to satisfy the soul apart from God.
4.Isaiah 1:29–30 – Judah’s “gardens you have chosen” become withered groves of idolatry, warning that self-made worship ends in spiritual drought.
5.Isaiah 61:11 – The garden becomes a parable of divine righteousness: “as a garden causes seeds to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all nations.”
6.Isaiah 65:3; 66:17 – Unholy rituals “in gardens” provoke the Lord, underscoring the need for pure worship.
7.Jeremiah 29:5, 28 – Exiles are told, “Plant gardens and eat their produce,” signaling long-term settlement in Babylon yet also God’s sustaining grace.
8.Amos 4:9 – Drought devastates “your gardens,” chastening a people who ignored previous warnings.
9.Amos 9:14 – Upon restoration the Lord promises, “They will make gardens and eat their fruit,” closing the prophetic arc with hope.
Covenantal Blessing Imagery
Gardens in the ancient Near East required walls, irrigation, and vigilant upkeep. When Balaam compares Israel to luxuriant gardens, he highlights God’s meticulous guardianship and abundant supply. The imagery looks back to Eden and forward to the vineyard parables of Jesus, affirming that flourishing is a divine gift, not human manufacture.
Warning Against Idolatrous Gardens
Isaiah confronts the syncretistic groves popular in Canaanite religion. What was meant for cultivation became a stage for defilement. The withered garden inIsaiah 1:30 functions as a moral mirror: when worship is displaced, sterility follows. Ministry application: no amount of aesthetic beauty can compensate for spiritual compromise.
Exilic and Post-Exilic Instruction
Jeremiah’s mandate to “plant gardens” in Babylon teaches patient obedience. Exiles would not merely survive but serve the common good (Jeremiah 29:7). A garden under foreign skies affirmed that the Lord’s promises travel with His people; obedience in small, earthy tasks becomes an act of faith.
Prophetic Vision of Eschatological Renewal
Isaiah 61:11 andAmos 9:14 look beyond immediate circumstance to the Messianic age. Righteousness “springs up” and ruined cities are rebuilt. The garden re-emerges as a signpost pointing toRevelation 22, where Eden’s lost tree of life stands accessible once more.
Theological and Ministry Implications
• Divine Provision: God, not circumstance, determines fruitfulness (Numbers 24:6;Isaiah 61:11).
• Holiness of Worship: Sacred space is defined by obedience, not atmosphere (Isaiah 1:29–30; 65:3).
• Discipleship in Exile: Faithfulness is practiced in ordinary labor (Jeremiah 29:5).
• Hope of Restoration: Even devastated gardens can be replanted by the Lord’s hand (Amos 9:14).
Christological Foreshadowing
The Servant ofIsaiah 61 proclaims good news amid imagery of sprouting gardens, language Jesus applies to Himself in Nazareth (Luke 4:18–21). His resurrection in a garden tomb (John 19:41) and post-resurrection appearance to Mary there subtly recall the promise that life will spring from once-cursed ground.
Practical Reflection for Believers Today
1. Cultivate personal and corporate “gardens” of prayer, Scripture, and service, trusting God for growth (1 Corinthians 3:7).
2. Guard against syncretism; remove practices that divert affection from Christ.
3. Engage society with constructive labor, knowing exile is temporary and mission is constant (1 Peter 2:11–12).
4. Anchor hope in the coming restoration when the Gardener makes all things new, and righteousness blossoms eternally.
Forms and Transliterations
בַּגַּנּ֔וֹת בגנות גַּ֝נָּת֗וֹ גַּנּ֖וֹת גַּנּוֹתֵיכֶ֧ם גַנּ֔וֹת גנות גנותיכם גנתו הַגַּנּ֗וֹת הגנות וּֽכְגַנָּ֔ה וּכְגַנָּ֖ה וכגנה כְּגַנֹּ֖ת כגנת מֵהַגַּנּ֖וֹת מהגנות bag·gan·nō·wṯ bagganNot baggannōwṯ gan·nā·ṯōw gan·nō·w·ṯê·ḵem gan·nō·wṯ ḡan·nō·wṯ gannaTo gannāṯōw ganNot gannoteiChem gannōwṯ ḡannōwṯ gannōwṯêḵem hag·gan·nō·wṯ hagganNot haggannōwṯ kə·ḡan·nōṯ keganNot kəḡannōṯ mê·hag·gan·nō·wṯ mehagganNot mêhaggannōwṯ ū·ḵə·ḡan·nāh ucheganNah ūḵəḡannāh
Links
Interlinear Greek •
Interlinear Hebrew •
Strong's Numbers •
Englishman's Greek Concordance •
Englishman's Hebrew Concordance •
Parallel Texts
