Lexical Summary
yebul: Produce, yield, fruit, harvest
Original Word:יְבוּל
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:ybuwl
Pronunciation:yeh-BOOL
Phonetic Spelling:(yeb-ool')
KJV: fruit, increase
NASB:produce, fruit, increase, crops, yield
Word Origin:[fromH2986 (יָבַל - bring)]
1. produce, i.e. a crop or (figuratively) wealth
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fruit, increase
Fromyabal; produce, i.e. A crop or (figuratively) wealth -- fruit, increase.
see HEBREWyabal
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
yabalDefinitionproduce (of the soil)
NASB Translationcrops (1), fruit (2), increase (2), produce (7), yield (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Job 20:28 ; — absolute
Habakkuk 3:17; construct
id.Judges 6:4;
Job 20:28; suffix
Deuteronomy 11:17 7t.;
Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 78:46; —
produce:Judges 6:4;
Deuteronomy 32:22;
Haggai 1:10; suffix
Psalm 78:46 ("" ); especially
Leviticus 26:4the land shall yield its produce, so
Leviticus 26:20;
Ezekiel 34:27;
Zechariah 8:2 (all "" ),
Psalm 67:7;
Psalm 85:13; also, subject
Deuteronomy 11:17; of grapes only
Habakkuk 3:17 ("" and ); more Generally
Job 20:28the produce (acquired possessions)
of his house.Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Literary Distributionיְבוּל (yebûl) appears thirteen times across the Hebrew Bible, spanning Torah, Historical narrative, Wisdom poetry, and the Prophets. Its spread shows the concept’s enduring theological weight:
• Torah –Leviticus 26:4, 26:20;Deuteronomy 11:17;Deuteronomy 32:22
• Judges –Judges 6:4
• Wisdom/Poetic –Job 20:28;Psalm 67:6;Psalm 78:46;Psalm 85:12
• Major Prophets –Ezekiel 34:27
• Minor Prophets –Habakkuk 3:17;Haggai 1:10;Zechariah 8:12
Covenant Foundations: Blessing and Curse
First encountered inLeviticus 26, yebûl is tied directly to covenant obedience. “I will send you rain in its season, and the land will yield its produce” (Leviticus 26:4) contrasts with the curse of withholding inLeviticus 26:20 andDeuteronomy 11:17. Agricultural yield is therefore not merely an economic indicator but a barometer of Israel’s spiritual fidelity. The Mosaic covenant presents material fruitfulness as a tangible sign of divine favor, making yebûl a recurring shorthand for covenant well-being.
National Security and Warfare
Judges 6:4 records Midianite raids that “destroyed the crops of the land all the way to Gaza,” illustrating how loss of yebûl weakens a nation’s resilience. The removal of produce inJob 20:28 (“The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath”) universalizes the motif: when God judges, harvest and stored goods evaporate, leaving a people vulnerable to enemies and famine alike.
Liturgical Thanksgiving
Psalmic usage elevates yebûl into worship. “The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us” (Psalm 67:6) turns agricultural success into doxology, inviting the nations to recognize the Giver behind the gift.Psalm 85:12 reinforces this: “The LORD will indeed provide what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.” The worshiper sees every sheaf and cluster as evidence of God’s steadfast love.
Prophetic Warnings and Promises
Prophets employ yebûl both negatively and positively. Habakkuk’s lament pictures utter collapse: “Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food…” (Habakkuk 3:17).Haggai 1:10 attributes failed crops to misplaced priorities—panelled houses before the temple—whileEzekiel 34:27 reverses the curse for a restored remnant: “The land will yield its produce… then they will know that I am the LORD”.Zechariah 8:12 crowns the prophetic hope: simultaneous blessing of seed, vine, land, and sky signals eschatological shalom.
Theological Connotations
1. Dependence: Israel’s agrarian context made yebûl a daily reminder of human limitation and divine provision.
2. Holiness: Because fruitfulness depends on obedience, moral failure carries ecological repercussions.
3. Revelation: Material blessing reveals God’s character—gracious, covenant-keeping, generous.
4. Judgment: Withheld produce dramatizes sin’s consequences, underscoring God’s right to discipline His people.
Ministry Applications
• Stewardship: Modern believers translate yebûl into faithful management of resources, recognizing God as owner and provider.
• Gratitude: Harvest festivals and thanksgiving services echoPsalm 67, turning material income into corporate praise.
• Social Justice: Prophetic passages remind pastors to confront systems that exploit land or labor, knowing that injustice endangers communal fruitfulness.
• Discipleship: Teachers connect agricultural imagery to spiritual formation—cultivation, pruning, and bearing fruit in Christ (John 15 parallels).
Christological Perspective
While יְבוּל itself is confined to the Old Testament, its themes converge in the Messiah. Jesus’ parables of soils and seeds, His multiplication of loaves, and His identification as the true Vine all fulfill the promise of abundant produce. The physical harvest of yebûl foreshadows the spiritual harvest of redeemed lives (Matthew 9:37-38), integrating agricultural blessing with redemptive mission.
Eschatological Hope
Zechariah 8:12 projects a future where land, vine, and heavens harmonize under divine favor. Revelation’s vision of a new earth with healing trees (Revelation 22:2) completes the arc: unending yield without curse. The believer’s expectation of that day energizes present faithfulness, echoing the Psalmist, “God, our God, blesses us… so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him” (Psalm 67:6-7).
Forms and Transliterations
וִֽיבֻלָ֔הּ ויבלה יְב֣וּל יְבוּל֙ יְבוּלָ֑הּ יְבוּלָ֑ם יְבוּלָ֔הּ יְבוּלָֽהּ׃ יבול יבולה יבולה׃ יבולם vivuLah wî·ḇu·lāh wîḇulāh yə·ḇū·lāh yə·ḇū·lām yə·ḇūl yəḇūl yəḇūlāh yəḇūlām yeVul yevuLah yevuLam
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