Topical Encyclopedia
Harvesting in the Bible is a significant agricultural and spiritual concept, deeply embedded in the agrarian culture of ancient Israel and used metaphorically throughout Scripture. The process of harvesting involves gathering mature crops from the fields, a practice that was essential for survival and prosperity in biblical times. It is often associated with themes of provision, blessing, judgment, and eschatology.
Agricultural PracticesIn ancient Israel, the agricultural year was marked by several key harvests, including the barley harvest in the spring and the wheat harvest in the early summer. The grape and olive harvests followed in the late summer and fall. The Bible provides detailed instructions on agricultural practices, emphasizing the importance of leaving gleanings for the poor and the foreigner (
Leviticus 19:9-10: "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.").
Feasts and FestivalsHarvesting is closely linked to several Jewish feasts and festivals. The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, also known as Pentecost, was celebrated seven weeks after the beginning of the barley harvest and marked the end of the wheat harvest (
Exodus 34:22: "And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year."). The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, was a time of rejoicing at the end of the agricultural year, celebrating the ingathering of the harvest (
Leviticus 23:39-43).
Spiritual and Metaphorical SignificanceHarvesting is frequently used metaphorically in the Bible to convey spiritual truths. It symbolizes the gathering of souls into God's kingdom and the final judgment. Jesus often used harvest imagery in His parables to illustrate the kingdom of God. In the Parable of the Weeds, He explains the end of the age as a harvest where the righteous and the wicked are separated (
Matthew 13:30: "Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters, 'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.'").
The Apostle Paul also uses the metaphor of sowing and reaping to describe the spiritual law of cause and effect (
Galatians 6:7-9: "Do not be deceived: God is not to be 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. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.").
Divine Provision and BlessingHarvesting is also a symbol of God's provision and blessing. The abundance of the harvest was seen as a direct result of God's favor and faithfulness. The Israelites were reminded to give thanks to God for the harvest and to acknowledge Him as the source of all blessings (
Deuteronomy 16:15: "For the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.").
Judgment and EschatologyIn eschatological contexts, harvesting represents the final judgment and the gathering of God's people. The Book of Revelation uses harvest imagery to describe the end times, where the earth is reaped and the wicked face judgment (
Revelation 14:15-16: "Then another angel came out of the temple, calling in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, 'Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.' So the one seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.").
In summary, harvesting in the Bible is a multifaceted concept that encompasses agricultural practices, spiritual truths, divine provision, and eschatological judgment. It serves as a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty, faithfulness, and the ultimate fulfillment of His purposes.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
p. pr. & vb. n.) of Harvest.
2. (a. & n.) from Harvest.
Greek
1407. drepanon -- a sickle, a pruning hook... sickle. From drepo (to pluck); a gathering hook (especially for
harvesting) -- sickle.
(drepanon) -- 8 Occurrences. 1406, 1407. drepanon. 1408 .
...2325. therizo -- to reap
... Word Origin from theros Definition to reap NASB Word Usage did theharvesting
(1), reap (14), reaped (1), reaping (2), reaps (3). reap....
Strong's Hebrew
7105a. qatsir --harvesting, harvest... 7105, 7105a. qatsir. 7105b .
harvesting, harvest. Transliteration: qatsir
Short Definition: harvest. Word Origin from qatsar Definition
...7105. qatsiyr --harvesting, harvest
... 7104, 7105. qatsiyr. 7105a .harvesting, harvest. Transliteration: qatsiyr
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tseer') Short Definition: bough. bough, branch, harvest...
Library
Chapter xxx
... The efforts of critics to make the text appear at variance with itself here draw
attention to the fact that nomads are said to beharvesting grain ("wheat...
Even Now
... when he was seventy-five years of age, that it was a very curious thing, that all
the winter through, he had thought he should like to be a-harvesting, or out...
Narrow Escapes. Is Thrown from a Horse. Has Pneumonia. Nearly...
... his work. During the summer after I confessed the Saviour, quite a number
of hands wereharvesting at my father-in-law's. On Saturday...
"He that Sleepeth in Harvest is a Son that Causeth Shame. "...
... ARE YOU ASLEEP IN HARVEST? Let every Methodist who reads this ask"What am I doing?
Am I sleeping orharvesting? What am I doing to gather in the ripe corn?...
To Anatolius the Patrician.
... To Anatolius the Patrician. I have cordially welcomed the rest which has fallen
to my lot, and amharvesting its beneficial and pleasant results....
The Ark among the Philistines
... The inhabitants of Bethshemesh wereharvesting their wheat in the valley, and
when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight....
Hugh the Builder
... of "justice and innocence." Here was "the vine of the Lord of Hosts." His cell was
kept for him, and while all the world was hotlyharvesting he was laying up...
On the Collections, V.
... And no one shall be disappointed in the produce of thatharvesting, because it is
the heart's intentions rather than the sums expended that will be reckoned up...
Given to Abstraction of Thought. Cases in Point. Opinion of...
... In the summer of 1855, whileharvesting for her uncle, I first met at the
dinner-table Miss Jennie Maddox, the lady whom I afterwards married....
List of Abbreviations Used in Reference to Rabbinic Writings...
... Peah The Talmudic Tractate Peah, on the corner to be left for the poor inharvesting.
Pes. The Talmudic Tractate Pesachim, on the Paschal Feast....
Thesaurus
Harvesting (7 Occurrences)... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Harvest. 2. (a. & n.) from
Harvest. Multi-Version Concordance
Harvesting (7 Occurrences).
...Harvestman (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A man engaged inharvesting. 2. (n.) See Daddy
longlegs. Multi-Version Concordance Harvestman (3 Occurrences)....
Reel (6 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with
aharvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by...
Seasons (43 Occurrences)
... It is the season ofharvesting and threshing (Daniel 2:35). "He that gathereth in
summer is a wise son" (Proverbs 10:5). See COLD; HEAT; ASTRONOMY, sec....
Agriculture
... n.) The art or science of cultivating the ground, including theharvesting of crops,
and the rearing and management of live stock; tillage; husbandry; farming....
Harvesters (8 Occurrences)
Bread (433 Occurrences)
... (b) The women of the East are often now seen taking a hand in sowing,harvesting
and winnowing the grain, as well as in the processes of "grinding...
Harvester (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who harvests; a machine for cutting and gathering
grain; a reaper. 2. (n.) Aharvesting ant. Multi-Version Concordance...
Harvest (109 Occurrences)
... The children of Israel were enjoined to reap no harvest for which they had not labored
(Leviticus 25:5). In Proverbs theharvesting of ants is mentioned as a...
Resources
What is a sabbatical year? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about organ donation? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the meaning of chaff in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgHarvesting: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
