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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_55897" /> ==
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| <p> <b> 1. The word in its literal sense. </b> -Before considering the use of this term in spiritual metaphor it will be convenient to enumerate those passages in the apostolic writings where it is employed in its natural sense. (a) <i> General </i> .-These are James 5:7; James 5:18 ( in illustration of patience and prayer) , Acts 14:17 ( God’s gift of rain and fruitful seasons) , 1 Corinthians 9:7 (in support of the apostles’ right to sustenance; cf. 2 Timothy 2: 6) , Revelation 18: 14; Revelation 22: 2 -passages which, like some of the others, are on the borderland between the literal and the symbolic. Judges 1:12 compares the ‘ungodly’ of the day with ‘trees in late autumn when the fruit is past. In Acts 2: 30 the word is used in its physiological sense. </p> <p> ( <i> b </i> ) <i> Specific </i> .-References to specific fruits are not numerous. James 3: 12 asks whether a fig-tree can yield olives or a vine figs. St. Paul in Romans 11: 17 f. uses the curious idea of grafting a wild olive on to a good olive tree (‘contrary to nature, ’ Romans 11: 24) to illustrate the participation of the [[Gentiles]] in the promises made to Israel. Revelation 11: 4 identifies the ‘two witnesses’ ( perhaps St. Peter and St. Paul) with the ‘two olive trees’ of Zechariah 4; and Revelation 6: 13 in its mention of a fig-tree casting her unripe figs in the spring tempests recalls Isaiah 34: 4, Revelation 14: 14-20 is a vision of the harvest and vintage of the earth when the grain and the grapes are fully ripe. St. Paul’s use of the grain or wheat in the great [[Resurrection]] argument of 1 Corinthians 15 is familiar to all, and is an echo of Christ’s word in John 12:24-25. < /p> <p> <b > 2. The term in spiritual metaphor </ b> .-We may begin our study of the spiritual lessons inculcated under the image of fruit with another passage from Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 3: 9 the [[Apostle]] reminds his readers that they are ‘God’s husbandry, ’ <i> i.e. </i> His ‘tilth’ or ‘tilled land.’ This recalls the [[Parable]] of the [[Vineyard]] spoken by Jesus ( Matthew 21, Luke 20) ; [[Christian]] churches and lives are fields and gardens from which the owner who has spent love and time and care over them may reasonably expect good results, ‘fruit unto God’ ( Romans 7: 4). And those too who are His overseers, those who plant and water, naturally look for produce and the reward of their toil. Thus the Apostle hopes, as he looks forward to his visit to Rome, that he may ‘have some fruit among’ the people of that city as he had in [[Corinth]] and [[Ephesus]] ( Romans 1:13). Two passages in Phil. may be glanced at here: ( <i> a </i> ) the difficult reference in Romans 1:22, which probably means that, though death would be gain, yet if continuance in living means fruitful labour (‘fruit of work’ = fruit which fallows and issues from toil), St. Paul is quite ready to waive his own preference; ( <i> b </i> ) Romans 4:17, where, thanking the Philippians for their kindly gift, he says he welcomes it not so much for himself as on their behalf; it is a token that they are not unfruitful in love, and it will, like all such evidences of Christian thought and ministry, enrich the givers as much as the recipient (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:6). </p> <p> ( 1) The way is now clear for a brief survey of the main topic- <i> the fruits of the new life in Christ Jesus </i> . The ‘fruit of the light, ’ says St. Paul ( Ephesians 5:9) , ‘is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,’ and the more familiar passage in Galatians 5:22 speaks of the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ as ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control.’ [[ Trees]] are known by their fruit , and the existence of these virtues in an individual or a community are the surest, if not the sole, signs that the life is rooted with Christ in God, that the branches are abiding in the True Vine. It was the Apostle’s greatest joy when he could congratulate a church like that at [[Colossae]] on its share in the fruit-bearing which the gospel was accomplishing wherever it was proclaimed and accepted ( Colossians 1:6) , when it bore fruit in every good work ( Colossians 1:10) . The fruit of the new life is regarded in Romans 6:22 as sanctification. On the other hand, St. James ( James 3:17) gives it as one of the characteristics of the ‘wisdom that is from above’- which is perhaps his way of speaking of the Spirit-that it is ‘full of … good fruits,’ by which he no doubt means ‘good works.’ In the next verse he says that ‘the fruit ( <i> i.e. </i> the seed which bears the fruit) of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace.’ The ‘fruit of righteousness’ is an [[Ot]] phrase, and meets us again in Philippians 1:11 and Hebrews 12:11, where ‘righteousness,’ or conformity to the highest moral standard, is described as the ‘peaceful fruit’ of discipline patiently endured. </p> <p> [[Returning]] to the <i> locus classicus </i> , Galatians 5:22, it is worth noticing that St. Paul introduces the nine virtues which he enumerates as one ‘fruit.’ Like the chain of graces in 2 Peter 1:5-7, they are all linked together as though to suggest that the absence of any one means the nullity of all. We need not press too heavily the suggestion that the nine fall into three groups describing ( <i> a </ i> ) the soul in relation to God; ( <i> b < /i> ) its attitude to others (this is to make ‘faith’ = faithfulness, and though St. Paul usually thinks of faith as the basis of Christian character, he was not so rigidly systematic as not to see in it , or at least in an increase of it, a <i> fruit </i> of the Spirit); ( <i> c </i> ) principles of daily conduct. There is more perhaps in the antithesis between the ‘works’ of the flesh ( 2 Peter 1:19) and the ‘fruit’ of the Spirit. Yet the dispositions enumerated show themselves in good works, though these are not expressly specified, being infinitely varied and adaptable to changing conditions. The list may be supplemented, for example, by Hebrews 13:15, where ‘praise’ is the fruit of a thankful heart expressed by the lips, and Romans 15:28, where the generosity of the [[Gentile]] [[Christians]] towards the [[Judaea]] n poor is the fruit of the spiritual blessing which St. Paul’s converts had received. </p> <p> ( 2) <i> The unfruitful </i> .-The other side of the picture can be briefly dismissed. Those who walk in darkness are spoken of as unfruitful ( Ephesians 5: 11). ‘What fruit had you then in those things of which you are ashamed?’ asks St. Paul in Romans 6: 21, though we might possibly translate, ‘What fruit had you then?-Things (gratifications of sense) of which you are now ashamed.’ In Romans 7:4 the Apostle describes the unregenerate life as producing fruit ‘unto death, ’ and if we desire an enumeration of these poisonous products we shall find them in Galatians 5:19-21 (cf. Colossians 3:5-9). For the final harvesting we have the picture of Revelation 14. </p> <p> ( 3) <i> The time of fruit -bearing </i> .-It is the will of Jesus that His disciples should bear ‘much fruit’; in His words on this theme (John 15) He does not seem to contemplate the possibility of bearing a little. It is much or none. The trouble is that churches and individuals only too often look like orchards stricken by a blight, and where a little fruit is found it is not so mellow as it might be. We need not be in too great a hurry to see the full fruit in young lives. There is a time for blossom and a time for ripe fruit, and the intervening stage is not attractive though it is necessary. There is a time for the blade and a time for the full corn in the ear, but before we get this harvest there is the period of the green and unsatisfying ear. We sometimes speak of a harvest of souls following on a series of revival or mission services; but it is only the blade pushing up into the light-the harvest is still far distant. </p> <p> [[A]] day now and again with a fruit -grower on his farm will have much to teach the preacher as to natural law in the spiritual world. He will learn amongst other things how vital is the process of pruning, and how no stroke is made at random. He will learn how to guard the nascent life against frosts and chills, its need of nutriment from soil and sun and rain. The wonderful exploits of the Californian fruit-grower, Luther Burbank, will open up a whole universe of possibilities; the story of what irrigation and scientific culture have done in [[ Australia]] will show how deserts may become orchards. And as palm trees are said to bear their heaviest clusters in old age, the life that abides in Christ may be confident of escaping the reproach or crabbed and withered senility- it shall bring forth fruit in old age. But it need not wait for old age-it shall be like the tree of life that bears its fruit every month-fruit that is for the delectation and the healing of the world. < /p> <p> [[A. ]] [[J.]] Grieve. </ p> | | Fruit <ref name="term_55894" /> |
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| | <p> <b> [[Fruit. ]] </b> —The consideration of this term as it is used in the [[Gospels]] divides itself into three parts: (1) The natural application of the word ‘fruit’ ( καρπός) to the products of the field and the orchard; (2) other references to fruit under their specific names; ( 3) the spiritual lessons derived from these allusions. </p> <p> <b> 1. </b> In its natural sense the word ‘fruit’ is used: ( <i> a </i> ) in reference to grain-crops ( Matthew 13: 8, Mark 4: 7, Luke 8: 8; Luke 12 :17); ( <i> b </i> ) physiologically, of the fruit of the womb ( Luke 1: 42); ( <i> c </i> ) of the fruit of (α) trees generally ( Matthew 3: 10, Luke 3:9); (β) the fig-tree ( Matthew 21: 9, Mark 11: 14, Luke 1: 36); ( γ) the vine ( Matthew 21:41, Mark 12: 2, Luke 20: 10). </p> <p> <b> 2. </b> Other references to fruits under their specific names, without the use of the word ‘fruit’: ( <i> a </i> ) grapes ( Matthew 7:16, Luke 6:44); ( < i> b </ i> ) figs ( Matthew 7: 16, Mark 11:13, Luke 6:44); ( <i> c </i> ) husks ( Luke 15:16, probably the fruit of the carob or locust-tree); ( <i> d </i> ) mulberry ( Luke 17: 16; ( <i> e </i> ) olives ( Matthew 21:1). Probably the ‘thorns’ (ἄκανθαι) alluded to in Matthew 7:16 are not the so-called ‘Apple of Sodom, ’ but a generic term covering all sorts of prickly plants. The parallel use with ‘thistles’ ( τρίβολοι) suggests that the fruit was inconsiderable. </p> <p> <b> 3. </b> <i> [[Spiritual]] lessons </i> . —Christ Himself is intimately associated with ( <i> a </i> ) the [[Divine]] quest of fruit; ( <i> b </i> ) the Divine creation of fruit; ( <i> c </i> ) the Divine suffering and sacrifice of fruit-production. The processes of agriculture and horticulture are also, in many ways, utilized as symbols of the Christian’s culture of the soul. </p> <p> ( <i> a </i> ) Jesus descries Himself (Matthew 21, Luke 20) under the figure of the Son whom the [[Master]] of the [[ Vineyard]] sends to ask fruit of the husbandman. Our life is a rich gift to us from God; it is a garden which God has designed with lavish care, endowed with unlimited possibilities, and handed over to our complete control. He has a right to expect that we should use our opportunities. </p> <p> ( <i> b </i> ) Jesus uses the figure of the John 15) and the Branches to express the vital and mysterious connexion that exists between Himself and His disciples, and the necessity for our dependence upon Him and His continuous inspiration, if we are to bring forth fruit. It is our responsibility to ‘abide in Him’ by keeping His commandments. But it is His obligation to create the fruit. We who cannot so much as make a blade of grass grow without His co- operation, are not expected to accomplish the impossible and bring forth fruit of ourselves. </p> <p> ( <i> c </i> ) Jesus manifestly alludes to His own death and sacrifice ( John 12:24) under the allegory of the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and afterwards rises in the new life of the fruit. This figure betokens the utter consecration and determination of the holiness of God to our redemption. We are apt to shudder and tremble before the holiness of God, as a thing of terrible and inaccessible majesty associated with the Great White Throne. That is because we have not taken full views, but have isolated one part from the rest. God is glorious in His holiness (Psalms 145); it is such holiness as man praises when he sees it; it is hospitable, friendly, and devoted to our welfare. It is determined even unto death to share its joy and health and purity with us ( John 12:24; John 17:19). </ p> < p> In the Museum of the [[Vatican]] there is a little glass relic, taken from the Catacombs; it was made as an ornament to be worn round the neck of a woman, and was found in her grave; it represents Christ bringing again the fruit of the Tree of Life.* [Note: See Rex Regum by Sir Wyke Bayliss.] That relic summarizes the Divine aspects of the question of fruit as it is presented in the Gospels. It is Christ who loves fruit, and who desires to find it in us; and it is He who, in the inspiration and creation of the fruit, virtually gives Himself to us. </p> <p> But, as in agriculture and horticulture the farmer and the gardener are co-operators with God in the production of the fruits of the earth and the fruit of the trees, so, in many ways, the Gospels lay upon us the injunctions of our duty. </p> <p> ( 1) We are the ground which brings forth fruit, according as we receive the Word ( Matthew 13: 19 ff. , Mark 4:15 ff. , Luke 8: 12 ff.). If our hearts be like the wayside, trampled over and hardened by the interests and engagements of the world, or if they be readily affected by the opinions of men, or if they be choked by the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, there can be no fruitfulness. It is our duty to prepare the ground by thought and prayer and a regulated life for the reception of God’s truth. The harvest will correspond with the tillage. </p> <p> ( 2) We are the branches which bear fruit according as we abide in the Vine (John 15) . Just as the gardener prunes and purges a tree so that it may bring forth more fruit, so there are afflictions in this life which are only God’s way of increasing our fruitfulness. The branches which draw most sustenance from the vine are the most productive, so the soul which keeps most faithfully the Lord’s commandments abides the most in His love and is most fruitful. </p> <p> (3) We are the grain of wheat which comes to fruit , if it dies ( John 12:24-25). In the first place, the Master alludes to His own death. But the second reference of the figure is to the essential principle of ethical life—‘Die to live. ’ </p> <p> To Hegel, ‘the great aphorism (of John 12:25), in which the [[ Christian]] ethics and theology may be said to be summed up, is no mere epigrammatic saying, whose self- contradiction is not to be regarded too closely; it is rather the first distinct, though as yet undeveloped, expression of the exact truth as to the nature of spirit. The true interpretation of the maxim—“Die to live,”—is, that the individual must die to an isolated life,— < i> i. e. </ i> a life for and in himself, a life in which the immediate satisfaction of desire as his desire is an end in itself,—in order that he may live the spiritual life, the universal life which really belongs to him as a spiritual or self-conscious being’ (Edward Caird, <i> Hegel </i> , p. 213). </ p> <p> ( 4) We are the husbandmen, who are expected to tend the Vineyard (Luke 20) , and to make it fruitful, and to yield up a proportion of the fruit at rightful times to the Lord of the vineyard. The original application of the parable is, doubtless, to the scribes and the chief priests who rejected Jesus, but it is equally applicable to any who think they can do as they please with their life and ignore all obligations to the [[Giver]] and Lord. </p> <p> (5) We are the trees which are known by their fruit ( Matthew 7: 20). Men do not gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles. [[A]] tree which is true to its nature and to its destiny brings forth its appropriate fruit. Man, who is by nature a child of God and by destiny an heir of Heaven, should produce the fruit of the Spirit of God. </p> <p> Literature.—For 1 and 2 see Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible and <i> Encyc. Bibl. </i> art. ‘Fruit.’ For 3, <i> Expos. Times </i> viii. [1897] 403 f., ix. [1898] 211 ff. ; <i> Expositor </ i> ii. vii. [1884] 121 ff.; Maclaren, < i> [[Holy]] of Holies </i> , 168–189; Hull, < i> Sermons < /i> , i. 51 ff.; [[A.]] Murray, <i> [[ Abide]] in Christ </i> , 30 ff., 140 ff.; Macmillan, < i> Bible Teachings in Nature < /i> , 174 ff. </p> <p> [ [H.]] [[ Herbert]] Snell. </p> |
| == Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types <ref name="term_197826" /> ==
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| <p> Genesis 1:29 ( c) This type may be used as a symbol of the blessed results which come from preaching the Gospel. The tree bearing fruit may represent great Christians with great visions and talents. The bushes and herbs may represent lesser ones not so widely known but who also bear fruit after their kind. The grass may be taken to mean the great mass of obscure Christians who tell the story in their own way and win hearts for [[Christ]] in their own sphere. The fruit is those who are saved. (See Genesis 1:11-12). </p> <p> Genesis 4: 3 (b) By this type we probably understand that it represents our own self-made righteousness. It was the product of his own efforts. </p> <p> Numbers 13:26 (c) We may understand this to be a type of the blessed results of walking with [[God ]] in the promised land. </p> <p> 2 Kings 19:30 (a) By this type is revealed that in the restoration [[Israel]] will be firmly rooted and grounded in their relationship to [[God,] ] and they will be useful and fruitful in their relationships to the other nations. </ p> < p> Psalm 92:14 (a) This is a word of encouragement to those who have come to advanced age in that they will still be useful, and be blessed in their ministry as they come to the end of the journey. < /p> < p> Proverbs 8:19 (b) We may understand from this picture the spiritual graces which [[ God]] gives to the believer. It may also include rich and fruitful work in which the Christian engages, such as soul winning, Christian edification, missions and other ministries which flow from the hearts of those who are saved by grace. < /p> < p> Proverbs 10:16 (b) By this type [[God]] describes the results of wicked living and sinful practices. </p> <p> Proverbs 11:30 (b) In contrast to the above, the Lord uses this type as a picture of the results of [[Godly]] living and Christian practices. </p> <p> Song of [[ Solomon]] 2:3 (b) This is a symbol of the precious fellowship and the gracious results which come from feeding on [[Christ]] and His Word. </p> <p> Jeremiah 17:8 (a) This wonderful type is used to reveal the success that will follow a Godly walk in fellowship with the Lord, and a constant abiding in the [[Holy]] Spirit, and a constant feeding on the Word of [[God.]] </p> <p> Matthew 3:8 (a) This is a type of those works which prove that one is born again and has received the gift of eternal life. (See also Luke 3:8). </p> <p> Matthew 12:33 (b) Here is a type of the Godly actions and desires that emanate from the heart of the Christian. </p> <p> Matthew 13:23 (a) By this type is meant a Godly, fruitful life which brings glory to [[God]] and blessing to others. </p> <p> Matthew 13:26 (a) Here we see the Christian life in full bloom, so that it is well recognized. The hypocrites, however, are exposed and denounced. </p> <p> Matthew 21:19 (b) By this type the Lord is revealing His disappointment in the useless life lived by the nation of Israel. No good results followed in their train. </p> <p> Matthew 21:34 (b) This type represents good and blessed results that should have been found in the experience of Israel when the Lord [[Jesus]] came to live among them. Instead of being thus welcomed, exalted and received, He was rejected and despised. </p> <p> Luke 13:6 (b) By this type we learn that there should be more in the life of the professing Christian than merely a profession. There must be the manifestation of the life of the Lord in our souls. </p> <p> John 4:36 (a) [[Fruit]] in this place is also a type of the good results which follow in the service of the King. (See also Mark 4:20; Romans 1:13; Romans 6:21; Romans 15:28; Philippians 4:17; James 3:18). </p> <p> John 12:24 (a) This type represents the wonderful results that have come through the centuries from the death of the Lord [[Jesus]] at Calvary. Many have been saved, lives and homes have been enriched, the [[Gospel]] has been preached, the poor and the unfortunate have been relieved. </p> <p> John 15:2, John 15:4, John 15:8 (a) In this case "fruit" is a type and an emblem of good and profitable works, holy endeavors and Christian activities which should normally come from the life, the heart and the soul of a saved person. (See also Matthew 3:10; Matthew 7:17, Matthew 7:19; Luke 3:9; Luke 8:14). </p> <p> Romans 1:13 (b) This symbol represents the salvation of souls, the upbuilding of Christians, the restoration of the backslider, and the teaching of GOD's people. </p> <p> 2 Corinthians 9:10 (a) This type indicates the good results of the labors and the efforts of Christians. By their prayers, their activities, their gifts, and their influence, they bring glory to [[God,]] and blessing to men. (See also Philippians 1:11). </p> <p> Galatians 5:22 (a) Here we find a type of the results which are manifest in the Spirit-filled life wherein the Holy Spirit has His place as the Lord of the life. [[Thereby]] He is permitted to produce the results [[God]] desires to have manifested. </p> <p> Hebrews 12:11 (a) This type represents the results of godliness and godly living. It is pleasing to [[God,]] it brings glory to His Name, and brings blessing to our fellowmen. (See also Colossians 1:6). </p> <p> Judges 1:12 (a) The type is used here to represent the evil results of the life lived by the ungodly, who care not for the instructions of GOD's Word. These evil men produce no good results in the sight of [[God.]] </p> | | == References == |
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| == Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology <ref name="term_17862" /> ==
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| <p> <i> Terms and Meaning </i> . Among the number of [[Hebrew]] words for fruit, fruit-producing, is <i> peri, </i> to bear fruit, be fruitful. The basic Greek word for fruit is <i> karpos </i> [ Luke 8:15 ); and <i> akarpos </i> [ Matthew 13:22 ). </p> <p> <i> [[Physical]] [[Fruits]] and Their [[Spiritual]] [[Application]] </i> . In his original creation God commanded the land to produce "vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds" ( Genesis 1:11 ). [[Scripture]] refers to a number of the Near East plants, trees/bushes, and spices to teach or enhance a spiritual lesson (e.g., the grain seeds sown, Matthew 13:1-9; the fig tree cursed, Matthew 21:18-22; the grape vine likened to God's people, Jeremiah 2:21; John 15:1-7 ). To make the spiritual point that God's disobedient people needed his mercy and saving power to heal them, Jeremiah effectively refers to the healing effect of the balm or gum oil of a well-known bush/small tree growing in Gilead. </p> <p> [[Spices]] and unguents, the fruit of exotic plants, trees, and small bushes in the Middle East, frequently played an important role in enhancing one's social position or indicating one's respect, adoration, and devotion, particularly to God. Examples include myrrh (aromatic gum of the tree/bush of Arabia, Ethiopia, and Somalia), cinnamon (of the cinnamon tree), and olive oil for the sacred oil for the tabernacle ( Exodus 30:22-33 ); the fragrant spices of gum resin (the aromatic myrrh gum), onycha (made from mollusk shells), galbanum (resin from plant roots), and frankincense (resin from a small tree/bush from Ubar, Oman) for the sacred fragrant tabernacle incense ( Exodus 30:34-38 ); frankincense and myrrh given by the magi in their worship of Jesus ( Matthew 2:11 ); the nard (perfume made from a Middle East plant) Mary poured out in worship on the feet of Jesus ( John 12:3 ); the seventy-five-pound mixture of myrrh and aloes (aromatic resin of a Near Eastern tree) [[Joseph]] of [[Arimathea]] and [[Nicodemus]] used in wrapping up the body of Jesus ( John 19:39-40 ) and the spices and perfumes the women took to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus ( Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56-24:1 ). </p> <p> <i> Man, the [[Special]] Fruit of God's [[Creation]] </i> . When God created man and woman ( Genesis 1:26 ), endowing them with moral, intellectual, and spiritual power (cf. Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10 ), he said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it" ( Genesis 1:28 ). This implies that Adam and Eve's progeny were not only to be the physical fruit of the pair but also to be endowed with moral, intellectual, and spiritual power, since they too, as descendants of the God-created pair, were made in "the image of God" ( Genesis 1:27; cf. Genesis 9:6; 2 Corinthians 4:4 ). The offspring of the human pair is called, from the woman's viewpoint, "the fruit of the womb" ( Deuteronomy 7:13; 28:4,11 , 18,53; 30:9; Luke 1:42 ), and from the husband's standpoint, "fruit of his loins" ( Psalm 131:11 ,; [[Lxx]] Acts 2:30 ,; Greek text cf. "the fruit of my body, " Micah 6:7 ). </p> <p> <i> [[A]] Figurative Meaning </i> . Scripture speaks of eating "the fruit of your labor" ( Psalm 128:2 ), and defines the activities of the godly as "the fruit of the righteous" ( Proverbs 11:30 ). Those who reject God's wisdom are described as eating "the fruit of their ways . . filled with the fruit of their schemes" ( Proverbs 1:31; cf. Jeremiah 6:19 ). "The fruit of the lips, " the blessing of one's speech, adds blessing to one's daily life ( Proverbs 12:14; 13:2; 18:20-21 ). John the [[Baptist]] and Jesus teach that the disciple is to produce fruit (good works) as evidence of true repentance ( Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8 ), and they explain that a good tree (the repentant individual) cannot produce bad fruit, that is, a life filled with wicked Acts, and a bad tree (an unrepentant person) cannot produce good fruit, that is, a life of godly works ( Matthew 3:10; 7:16-20; Luke 3:9; 6:43 ). </p> <p> To aid Christians in their walk before the Lord, God-given wisdom is made available to them, wisdom whose "fruit is better than fine gold" ( Proverbs 8:19 ), and the Holy Spirit develops within Christians the fruit of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control" ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). Thus, with the enablement of the Holy Spirit, the Christian can flourish "like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season" ( Psalm 1:3 ). </p> <p> [[W.]] Harold [[Mare]] </p> <p> <i> Bibliography </i> . [[D.]] [[J.]] Burke, <i> [[Isbe,]] </i> 2:364-66; [[W.]] [[E.]] Shewell-Cooper, <i> [[Zped,]] </i> 2:614-16. </p>
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| == Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary <ref name="term_80720" /> ==
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| <p> the product of the earth, as trees, plants, &c. "Blessed shall be the fruit of thy ground and cattle." The fruit of the body signifies children: "Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body." By fruit is sometimes meant reward: "They shall eat of the fruit of their own ways," Proverbs 1:31; they shall receive the reward of their bad conduct, and punishment answerable to their sins. The fruit of the lips is the sacrifice of praise or thanksgiving, Hebrews 13:15 . The fruit of the righteous, that is, the counsel, example, instruction, and reproof of the righteous, is a tree of life, is a means of much good, both temporal and eternal; and that not only to himself, but to others also, Proverbs 11:30 . Solomon says, in Proverbs 12:14 , [["A]] man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth;" that is, he shall receive abundant blessings from God as the reward of that good he has done, by his pious and profitable discourses. "Fruits meet for repentance," Matthew 3:8 , is such a conduct as befits the profession of penitence. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> The fruits of the Spirit are those gracious habits which the Holy Spirit of God produces in those in whom he dwelleth and worketh, with those acts which flow from them, as naturally as the tree produces its fruit. The Apostle enumerates these fruits in Galatians 5:22-23 . The same Apostle, in Ephesians 5:9 , comprehends the fruits of the sanctifying Spirit in these three things; namely, goodness, righteousness, and truth. </p> <p> The fruits of righteousness are such good works and holy actions as spring from a gracious frame of heart: "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness," Php_1:11 . Fruit is taken for a charitable contribution, which is the fruit or effect of faith and love: "When [[I]] have sealed unto them this fruit," Romans 15:28; when [[I]] have safely delivered this contribution. When fruit is spoken of good men, then it is to be understood of the fruits or works of holiness and righteousness; but when of evil men, then are meant the fruits of sin, immorality, and wickedness. This is our Saviour's doctrine, Matthew 7:16-18 . </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> [[Uncircumcised]] fruit, or impure, of which there is mention in Leviticus 19:23 , is the fruit for the first three years of a tree newly planted; it was reputed unclean, and no one was permitted to eat of it in all that time. In the fourth year it was offered to the Lord; after which it was common, and generally eaten. Various reasons are assigned for this precept. As </p> <p> <strong> (1.) </strong> Because the first-fruits were to be offered to God, who required the best: but in this time the fruit was not come to perfection. </p> <p> <strong> (2.) </strong> It was serviceable to the trees themselves, which grew the better and faster; being early stripped of those fruits which otherwise would have derived to themselves, and drawn away, much of the strength from the root and tree. </p> <p> <strong> (3.) </strong> It tended to the advantage of men, both because the fruit was then waterish, undigestible, and unwholesome; and because hereby men were taught to bridle their appetites, a lesson of great use and absolute necessity in a godly life. </p>
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| == Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_40260" /> ==
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| <p> Literal uses Various types of fruit are mentioned frequently in Scripture. Among the most common are grapes, figs, olives, pomegranates, and apples (perhaps to be identified with apricots or quince). Israel, in contrast to her neighbors, recognized the process by which trees reproduce by means of seeds carried in fruit to be a part of God's good plan at creation ( Genesis 1:12 ,Genesis 1:12, 1:29 ). The continuing fruitfulness of Israel's trees was dependent on faithfulness to the covenant ( Deuteronomy 28:4 ,Deuteronomy 28:4, 28:11 ,Deuteronomy 28:11, 28:18 ). The first fruit to ripen was offered to God ( Exodus 23:16; Nehemiah 10:35 ). </p> <p> Figurative uses The fruit of the womb is a common expression for descendants ( Genesis 30:2; Deuteronomy 7:13; Psalm 127:3; Isaiah 13:18 ). Fruit often indicates a thought close to our word results. The fruit of the Spirit is the results of the Spirit's workings in the lives of believers ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). [[Similar]] is the use of fruit where we would speak of manifestations or expressions. The fruits of righteousness ( Philippians 1:11; James 3:18 ), of repentance ( Matthew 3:8 ), of light ( Ephesians 5:9 ) are expressions of righteousness, repentance, and moral purity. Jesus cautioned that false prophets could be identified by the fruit they produced ( Matthew 7:15-20 ), that is, by the qualities manifested in their lives. Jesus similarly warned of the necessity of bearing fruit that was compatible with citizenship in the kingdom of God ( Matthew 21:43 ). Fruit sometimes has the sense of reward ( Isaiah 3:10; John 4:36; Philippians 4:17 ). Fruit is also used as a picture for Christian converts ( Romans 1:13; 1 Corinthians 16:15 ). </p>
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| == Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words <ref name="term_76336" /> ==
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| <p> [['''A.]] Noun.''' </p> <p> <em> Perı̂y </em> (פְּרִי, Strong'S #6529), “fruit; reward; price; earnings; product; result.” Cognates of this word appear in Ugaritic and Egyptian. <em> Perı̂y </em> appears about 120 times in biblical Hebrew and in every period. </p> <p> First, <em> perı̂y </em> represents the mature edible product of a plant, which is its “fruit.” This broad meaning is evident in Deut. 7:13: “He will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep.…” In its first biblical appearance, the word is used to signify both “trees” and the “fruit” of trees: “And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind …” (Gen. 1:11). In Ps. 107:34, the word is used as a modifier of land. The resulting term is “a fruitful land” in the sense of a “land of fruit.” </p> <p> Second, <em> perı̂y </em> means “offspring,” or the “fruit of a womb.” In Deut. 7:13, the word represents “human offspring,” but it can also be used of animal “offspring” (Gen. 1:22). </p> <p> Third, the “product” or “result” of an action is, in poetry, sometimes called its “fruit”: [[“A]] man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth” (Ps. 58:11). Isa. 27:9 speaks of “the full price of the pardoning of his sin” [[(Kjv,]] “all the fruit to take away his sin”), i.e., the result of God’s purifying acts toward Israel. The wise woman buys and plants a field with her earnings or the “fruit of her hands” (Prov. 31:16). In other words, she is to be rewarded by receiving the “product” of her hands (Prov. 31:31). The righteous will be rewarded “according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” (Jer. 17:10, [[Nasb;]] cf. 21:14). In most passages similar to these, the [[Nasb]] renders <em> perı̂y </em> “fruit” (cf. Prov. 18:21). </p> <p> [['''B.]] Verb. ''' </p> <p> <em> Pârad </em> (פָּרַד, Strong'S #6504), “to be fruitful, bear fruit.” This verb appears 29 times in the Old Testament. Its first occurrence is in Gen. 1:22: “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, …” </p>
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| == Easton's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_31489" /> ==
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| <li> "Orchard-fruits" (Heb. yitshar), as dates, figs, citrons, etc. <p> Injunctions concerning offerings and tithes were expressed by these Hebrew terms alone ( Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 14:23 ). This word "fruit" is also used of children or offspring ( Genesis 30:2; Deuteronomy 7:13; Luke 1:42; Psalm 21:10; 132:11 ); also of the progeny of beasts ( Deuteronomy 28:51; Isaiah 14:29 ). </p> <p> It is used metaphorically in a variety of forms ( Psalm 104:13; Proverbs 1:31; 11:30; 31:16; Isaiah 3:10; 10:12; Matthew 3:8; 21:41; 26:29; Hebrews 13:15; Romans 7:4,5; 15:28 ). </p> <p> The fruits of the Spirit ( Galatians 5:22,23; Ephesians 5:9; James 3:17,18 ) are those gracious dispositions and habits which the Spirit produces in those in whom he dwells and works. </p> <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from [[M.G.]] Easton [[M.A.,]] [[D.D.,]] Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Fruit'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/f/fruit.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>
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| == King James Dictionary <ref name="term_60194" /> ==
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| <p> [[Fruit,]] n. [[L.]] fructus. The Latin word is the participle of fruor, contracted from frugor, or frucor, to use, to take the profit of. </p> 1. In a general sense, whatever the earth produces for the nourishment of animals, or for clothing or profit. Among the fruits of the earth are included not only corn of all kinds, but grass, cotton, flax, grapes and all cultivated plants. In this comprehensive sense, the word is generally used in the plural. 2. In a more limited sense, the produce of a tree or other plant the last production for the propagation or multiplication of its kind the seed of plants, or the part that contains the seeds as wheat, rye, oats, apples, quinces, pears, cherries, acorns, melons, &c. 3. In botany, the seed of a plant, or the seed with the pericarp. 4. Production that which is produced. <p> The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth. Ephesians 5 . </p> 5. The produce of animals offspring young as the fruit of the womb, of the loins, of the body. 6. Effect or consequence. <p> They shall eat the fruit of their doings. Isaiah 3 . </p> 7. [[Advantage]] profit good derived. <p> What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? Romans 6 . </p> 8. Production, effect or consequence in an sense as the fruits of sin the fruits of intemperance. <p> [[Fruit,]] To produce fruit. Not well authorized. </p>
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| == Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_124201" /> ==
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| <p> '''(1):''' ''' (''' v. t.) Whatever is produced for the nourishment or enjoyment of man or animals by the processes of vegetable growth, as corn, grass, cotton, flax, etc.; - commonly used in the plural. </p> <p> '''(2):''' ''' (''' v. t.) The pulpy, edible seed vessels of certain plants, especially those grown on branches above ground, as apples, oranges, grapes, melons, berries, etc. See 3. </p> <p> '''(3):''' ''' (''' v. t.) The ripened ovary of a flowering plant, with its contents and whatever parts are consolidated with it. </p> <p> '''(4):''' ''' (''' v. t.) The produce of animals; offspring; young; as, the fruit of the womb, of the loins, of the body. </p> <p> '''(5):''' ''' (''' v. t.) That which is produced; the effect or consequence of any action; advantageous or desirable product or result; disadvantageous or evil consequence or effect; as, the fruits of labor, of self-denial, of intemperance. </p> <p> '''(6):''' ''' (''' v. i.) To bear fruit. </p> <p> '''(7):''' ''' (''' v. t.) The spore cases or conceptacles of flowerless plants, as of ferns, mosses, algae, etc., with the spores contained in them. </p>
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| == Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary <ref name="term_47771" /> ==
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| <p> [[Fruit,]] [[Fruits]] </p> <p> In addition to what hath been already offered under the title of First Fruits (which see,) it may not be amiss to observe, that the holy [[Scriptures]] are full of expressions to denote the blessedness of the fruits of the Spirit. The Lord in the Old [[Testament]] Scripture gave exceeding great and precious promises of blessings, which were to be expected in the fruits and effects under the New Testament dispensation; and in the gospel the Lord Jesus confirmed the whole, when promising to send the Holy Ghost, and testified of his manifold gifts which should follow. ( Isaiah 44:3-5; John 14:1-31; John 15:1-27 and John 16:1-33 chapters throughout; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 throughout.) </p>
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_51042" /> ==
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| <p> <strong> [[Fruit]] </strong> . See Food, [[§]] <strong> 4 </strong> . </p>
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| == Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_40846" /> ==
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| <p> (properly פְּרַי, ''peri', καρπός'' ), an extensive term, denoting produce in general, whether vegetable or animal, and also used in a figurative sense (see Gesenius's ''Heb. Lex.'' and Robinson's ''Greek Lex.).'' The Hebrews had three generic terms designating three great classes of the fruits of the land, closely corresponding to what may be expressed in English as, 1. ''Corn- fruit,'' or field produce; 2. ''Vintage-fruit;'' 3. ''Orchard-fruit.'' The term קִיַוֹ, ''ka'yits,'' "summer-fruits," appears to denote those less important species of fruit which were adapted only to immediate consumption, or could not easily or conveniently be conserved for winter use ( Jeremiah 40:10; Jeremiah 40:12). The three terms spoken of as being so frequently associated in the Scriptures, and expressive of a most comprehensive triad of blessings, are thefollowing: '''1. דָּגָז''' , ''dagan','' "fruit of the field," or agricultural produce. Under this term the Hebrews classed almost every object of field-culture (See [[Agriculture]]). Jahn says, "The word is of general signification, and comprehends in itself different kinds of grain and pulse, such as wheat, millet, spelt, wall-barley, barley, beans, lentils, meadow-cumin, pepper- wort, flax, cotton, various species of the cucumber, and perhaps rice" ''(Bib. Archaeol. §'' 58). There is now no doubt among scholars that ''dagan'' comprehends the largest and most valuable species of vegetable produce, and therefore it will be allowed that the rendering of the word in the common version by ''"corn,"'' and sometimes by "''wheat,"'' instead of "''every species of corn"'' or field produce, tends to limit our conceptions of the divine bounty, as well as to impair the beauty of the passages where it occurs. (See [[Corn]]). </p> <p> '''2.''' תַּירוֹשׁ, ''tirosh','' "the fruit of the vine" in its natural or its solid state, comprehending grapes, moist or dried, and the fruit in general, whether in the early cluster or the mature and ripened condition ( Isaiah 65:8, which is rendered by βότρυς, grape, in the Sept., refers to the young grape; while Judges 9:13, where "the ''vine'' said, Shall [[I]] leave my ''tirosh'' [fruit], which cheereth God and man?" as evidently refers to the ripened produce which was placed on the altar as a first-fruit offering in grateful acknowledgment of the divine goodness). "Sometimes," says Jahn, "the grapes were dried in the sun, and preserved in masses, which were called עֲנָבַים, ''anabim','' אֲשַׁישַׁים, ashishim', and צַמּוּקַים, ''tsimmukim''' ( 1 Samuel 25:18; 2 Samuel 16:1; 1 Chronicles 12:40; Hosea 3:1)" ''(Bib. Archol.'' § 69). It is also distinctly referred to as the ''yielder'' of wine, and therefore was not wine itself, but the raw material from which it was expressed or prepared, as is evident from its distinctive contrast with wine in Amos 6:15, last clause. (See [[Wine]]). </p> <p> '''3.''' יַצְהִר '', yitshar','' "orchard-fruits," especially winter or keeping fruits, as dates, figs, olives, pomegranates, citrons, nuts, etc. As we distinguish ''dagan'' from חַטָח (wheat), and ''tirosh'' from עָסַיס and יִיַן, so must we ''yitshar'' from שֶׁמֶן (oil), which are unfortunately confounded together in the common version. ''Shemen,'' beyond question, is the proper word for ''oil,'' not ''yitshar;'' hence, being a specific thing, we find it in connection with a great variety of specific purposes, as sacrificial and holy uses, edibles, traffic, vessels, and used in illustration of taste, smoothness, plumpness, insinuation, condition, fertility, and luxury. Yitshar, as to the mode of its use, presents a complete contrast to shemen. It is not, even in a single passage, employed either by way of comparison or in illustration of any particular quality common to it with other specific articles. In one passage only is it joined with זִיַת, ''zayith,'' "olive," the oil of which it has erroneously been supposed to signify, and even here ( 2 Kings 18:32) it retains as an adjective the generic sense of the noun, ''"preserving-fruit."'' It should be read, "a land of ''preserving'' -olives ''(zeyth-yitshas)'' and dates ''(debash)."'' Cato has a similar expression, ''oleam conditivam,'' "preserving-olive tree" ''(De [[Re]] Rust.'' 6). It may be observed that the Latin terms ''ma'um'' and ''pomumn'' had an extended meaning very analogous to the Hebrew ''yitshar.'' Thus Varro asks, "Is not Italy so planted with fruit-trees as to seem one entire ''pomarium'' ?" i.e., orchard ''(De Re Rust.'' 1:2). (See [[Olive]]); (See [[Oil]]). </p> <p> Thus the triad of terms we have been considering would comprehend every vegetable substance of necessity and luxury commonly consumed by the Hebrews of which first-fruits were presented or tithes paid, and this view of their meaning will also explain why the injunctions concerning offerings and tithes were sufficiently expressed by these terms alone ( Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 14:23). (See [[Orchard]]). </p> <p> On the terms rendered in our version "fruitful field," "fruitful place," etc., (See [[Carmel]]). </p> <p> The term "fruit" is also used of persons ( 2 Kings 19:30; Jeremiah 12:2), and of offspring, children ( Psalms 21:10; Hosea 9:16; Exodus 21:22), so in the phrases "fruit of the womb" ( Genesis 30:2; Deuteronomy 7:13; Isaiah 13:18; Luke 1:42), "fruit of the loins" ( Acts 2:30), "fruit of the body" ( Psalms 132:13; Micah 6:7), and also for the ''progeny'' of beasts ( Deuteronomy 28:51; Isaiah 14:29). This word is also used metaphorically in a variety of forms, the figure being often preserved: "They shall eat the fruit of their doings," i.e., experience the consequences ( Isaiah 3:10; Proverbs 1:31; Jeremiah 6:19; Jeremiah 17:10); "with the fruit of thy works (of God) is the earth satisfied," i.e., is watered with rain, which is the fruit of the clouds ( Psalms 104:13); "fruit of the hands," i.e., gain, profits ( Proverbs 31:16); " fruit of a proud heart," i.e., boasting ( Isaiah 10:12); "fruit of the mouth," i.e., what a man says, or his words ( Proverbs 12:14; Proverbs 18:20); "fruit of the righteous," i.e., counsel and example ( Proverbs 11:30); " to pay over the fruits," i.e., produce as rent ( Matthew 21:41); "fruit of the vine," i.e., wine ( Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18); "fruits meet for repentance," i.e., conduct becoming a profession of penitence ( Matthew 3:8); " fruit of the lips," i.e., what the lips utter ( Hebrews 13:15; Hosea 14:3); "fruits of righteousness," i.e., holy actions springing from a renewed heart ( Philippians 1:11). "Fruit," in Romans 15:28, is the contribution produced by benevolence and zeal. "Fruit unto God," and "fruit unto death," i.e., to live worthy of God or of death ( Romans 7:4-5). The "fruits of the Spirit" are enumerated in Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:9; James 3:17-18. Fruitfulness in the divine life stands opposed to an empty, barren, and unproductive profession of religion ( John 15:2-8; Colossians 1:10; 2 Peter 1:5-8; Matthew 7:16-20). (See [[Garden]]). </p> <p> [[Fruit,]] "the product of the earth, as trees, plants, etc. </p> <p> '''1.''' 'Blessed shall be the fruit of thy ground and cattle.' The fruit of the body signifies children: 'Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body.' By fruit is sometimes meant reward: 'They shall eat of the fruit of their own ways' ( Proverbs 1:31); they shall receive the reward of their bad conduct, and punishment answerable to their sins. The fruit of the lips is the sacrifice of praise or thanksgiving ( Hebrews 13:15). The fruit of the righteous — that is, the counsel, example, instruction, and reproof of the righteous — is a tree of life, is a means of much good, both temporal and eternal, and that not only to himself, but to others also ( Proverbs 11:30). Solomon says, in Proverbs 12:14, [['A]] man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth;' that is he shall receive abundant blessings from God as the reward of that good he has done by his pious and profitable discourses. 'Fruits meet for repentance' ( Matthew 3:8) is such a conduct as befits the profession of penitence. </p> <p> '''2.''' "The fruits of the Spirit are those gracious habits which the Holy Spirit of God produces in those in whom he dwelleth and worketh, with those acts which flow from them, as naturally as the tree produces its fruit. The apostle enumerates these fruits in Galatians 1:22-23. The same apostle, in Ephesians 5:9, comprehends the fruits of the sanctifying Spirit in these three things, namely, goodness, righteousness, and truth. The fruits of righteousness are such good works and holy actions as spring from a gracious frame of heart: 'Being filled with the fruits of righteousness,' Philippians 1:11. Fruit is taken for a charitable contribution, which is the fruit or effect of faith and love: 'When [[I]] have sealed unto them this fruit,' Romans 15:28; when [[I]] have safely delivered this contribution. When fruit is spoken of good men, then it is to be understood of the fruits or works of holiness and righteousness; but when of evil men, then are mefant the fruits of sin, immorality, and wickedness. This is our Savior's doctrine, Matthew 7:16-18." </p> <p> [[Fruit-Tree]] (עֵצ פְּרַי, ''ets-peri','' Genesis 1:11, etc.). From the frequent mention of fruit in the Scriptures, we may infer that fruit-bearing trees of various sorts abounded in Palestine. Among the number are specially noticed the vine, olive, pomegranate, fig, sycamore, palm, pear, almond, quince, citron, orange, mulberry, carob, pistacia, and walnut. Other trees and plants also abounded, which yielded their produce in the form of odorous resins and oils, as the balsam, galbanum, frankincense, ladanum, balm, myrrh, spikenard, storax gum, and tragacanth gum. (See [[Palestine]]). The ancient [[Egyptians]] bestowed great care upon fruit-trees, which are frequently delineated upon the monuments (Wilkinson, 1:36, 55, 57, abridgment). The [[Mosaic]] law contains the following prescriptions respecting fruit-trees: </p> <p> '''1.''' The fruit of newly-planted trees was not to be plucked for the first four years ( Leviticus 19:23 sq.). The economical effect of this provision was observed by [[Philo]] ''(Opp.'' 2:402). Michaelis remarks ''(Laws of Moses,'' art. 221), "Every gardener will teach us not to let fruit-trees bear in their earliest years, but to pluck off the blossoms; and for this reason, that they will thus thrive the better, and bear more abundantly afterwards. The very expression, 'to regard them as uncircumcised,' suggests the propriety of pinching them off." Another object of this law may have been to exclude from use crude, immature, and therefore unwholesome fruits. When fruits are in season the Orientals consume great quantities of them. Chardin says the [[Persians]] and Turks are not only fond of almonds, plums, and melons in a mature state, but they are remarkable for eating them before they are ripe. But there was also a higher moral object in the Mosaic regulation. Trees were not regarded as full-grown until the fifth year, and all products were deemed immature (ἀτελεῖς ) and unfit for use until consecrated to [[Jehovah]] ''(Josephu,.Ant. 4:'' 8,19). (See [[Foreskin]]). The [[Talmud]] gives minute rules and many puerile distinctions on the subject (Orlah, 1:10). (See [[Firstfruits]]). </p> <p> '''2.''' In besieging fortified places fruit-trees were not to be cut down for fuel (q.v.) nor for military purposes ( Deuteronomy 20:19; compare Josephus, Ant. 4:8, 42; Philo, Opp. 2:400). (See [[Siege]]). This humane prohibition, however, was not always observed ( 2 Kings 2:25). (See [[Tree]]). </p>
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| == International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_3765" /> ==
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| <p> '''''froot''''' . See [[Food]]; [[Botany]] , and special articles on [[Apple]]; [[Fig]]; [[Vine]] , etc. </p>
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| ==References == | |
| <references> | | <references> |
| | | <ref name="term_55894"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/fruit+(2) Fruit from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref> |
| <ref name="term_55897"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/fruit Fruit from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref> | |
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| <ref name="term_197826"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/wilson-s-dictionary-of-bible-types/fruit Fruit from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_17862"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/baker-s-evangelical-dictionary-of-biblical-theology/fruit Fruit from Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_80720"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/watson-s-biblical-theological-dictionary/fruit Fruit from Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_40260"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/fruit Fruit from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_76336"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/vine-s-expository-dictionary-of-ot-words/fruit Fruit from Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_31489"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/easton-s-bible-dictionary/fruit Fruit from Easton's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_60194"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/king-james-dictionary/fruit Fruit from King James Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_124201"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/fruit Fruit from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_47771"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hawker-s-poor-man-s-concordance-and-dictionary/fruit Fruit from Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_51042"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/fruit Fruit from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_40846"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/fruit Fruit from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_3765"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/fruit Fruit from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref>
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| </references> | | </references> |
Fruit [1]
Fruit. —The consideration of this term as it is used in the Gospels divides itself into three parts: (1) The natural application of the word ‘fruit’ (καρπός) to the products of the field and the orchard; (2) other references to fruit under their specific names; (3) the spiritual lessons derived from these allusions.
1. In its natural sense the word ‘fruit’ is used: ( a ) in reference to grain-crops ( Matthew 13:8, Mark 4:7, Luke 8:8; Luke 12:17); ( b ) physiologically, of the fruit of the womb ( Luke 1:42); ( c ) of the fruit of (α) trees generally ( Matthew 3:10, Luke 3:9); (β) the fig-tree ( Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:14, Luke 1:36); (γ) the vine ( Matthew 21:41, Mark 12:2, Luke 20:10).
2. Other references to fruits under their specific names, without the use of the word ‘fruit’: ( a ) grapes ( Matthew 7:16, Luke 6:44); ( b ) figs ( Matthew 7:16, Mark 11:13, Luke 6:44); ( c ) husks ( Luke 15:16, probably the fruit of the carob or locust-tree); ( d ) mulberry ( Luke 17:16; ( e ) olives ( Matthew 21:1). Probably the ‘thorns’ (ἄκανθαι) alluded to in Matthew 7:16 are not the so-called ‘Apple of Sodom,’ but a generic term covering all sorts of prickly plants. The parallel use with ‘thistles’ (τρίβολοι) suggests that the fruit was inconsiderable.
3. Spiritual lessons .—Christ Himself is intimately associated with ( a ) the Divine quest of fruit; ( b ) the Divine creation of fruit; ( c ) the Divine suffering and sacrifice of fruit-production. The processes of agriculture and horticulture are also, in many ways, utilized as symbols of the Christian’s culture of the soul.
( a ) Jesus descries Himself (Matthew 21, Luke 20) under the figure of the Son whom the Master of the Vineyard sends to ask fruit of the husbandman. Our life is a rich gift to us from God; it is a garden which God has designed with lavish care, endowed with unlimited possibilities, and handed over to our complete control. He has a right to expect that we should use our opportunities.
( b ) Jesus uses the figure of the John 15) and the Branches to express the vital and mysterious connexion that exists between Himself and His disciples, and the necessity for our dependence upon Him and His continuous inspiration, if we are to bring forth fruit. It is our responsibility to ‘abide in Him’ by keeping His commandments. But it is His obligation to create the fruit. We who cannot so much as make a blade of grass grow without His co-operation, are not expected to accomplish the impossible and bring forth fruit of ourselves.
( c ) Jesus manifestly alludes to His own death and sacrifice ( John 12:24) under the allegory of the grain of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and afterwards rises in the new life of the fruit. This figure betokens the utter consecration and determination of the holiness of God to our redemption. We are apt to shudder and tremble before the holiness of God, as a thing of terrible and inaccessible majesty associated with the Great White Throne. That is because we have not taken full views, but have isolated one part from the rest. God is glorious in His holiness (Psalms 145); it is such holiness as man praises when he sees it; it is hospitable, friendly, and devoted to our welfare. It is determined even unto death to share its joy and health and purity with us ( John 12:24; John 17:19).
In the Museum of the Vatican there is a little glass relic, taken from the Catacombs; it was made as an ornament to be worn round the neck of a woman, and was found in her grave; it represents Christ bringing again the fruit of the Tree of Life.* [Note: See Rex Regum by Sir Wyke Bayliss.] That relic summarizes the Divine aspects of the question of fruit as it is presented in the Gospels. It is Christ who loves fruit, and who desires to find it in us; and it is He who, in the inspiration and creation of the fruit, virtually gives Himself to us.
But, as in agriculture and horticulture the farmer and the gardener are co-operators with God in the production of the fruits of the earth and the fruit of the trees, so, in many ways, the Gospels lay upon us the injunctions of our duty.
(1) We are the ground which brings forth fruit, according as we receive the Word ( Matthew 13:19 ff., Mark 4:15 ff., Luke 8:12 ff.). If our hearts be like the wayside, trampled over and hardened by the interests and engagements of the world, or if they be readily affected by the opinions of men, or if they be choked by the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, there can be no fruitfulness. It is our duty to prepare the ground by thought and prayer and a regulated life for the reception of God’s truth. The harvest will correspond with the tillage.
(2) We are the branches which bear fruit according as we abide in the Vine (John 15). Just as the gardener prunes and purges a tree so that it may bring forth more fruit, so there are afflictions in this life which are only God’s way of increasing our fruitfulness. The branches which draw most sustenance from the vine are the most productive, so the soul which keeps most faithfully the Lord’s commandments abides the most in His love and is most fruitful.
(3) We are the grain of wheat which comes to fruit, if it dies ( John 12:24-25). In the first place, the Master alludes to His own death. But the second reference of the figure is to the essential principle of ethical life—‘Die to live.’
To Hegel, ‘the great aphorism (of John 12:25), in which the Christian ethics and theology may be said to be summed up, is no mere epigrammatic saying, whose self-contradiction is not to be regarded too closely; it is rather the first distinct, though as yet undeveloped, expression of the exact truth as to the nature of spirit. The true interpretation of the maxim—“Die to live,”—is, that the individual must die to an isolated life,— i.e. a life for and in himself, a life in which the immediate satisfaction of desire as his desire is an end in itself,—in order that he may live the spiritual life, the universal life which really belongs to him as a spiritual or self-conscious being’ (Edward Caird, Hegel , p. 213).
(4) We are the husbandmen, who are expected to tend the Vineyard (Luke 20), and to make it fruitful, and to yield up a proportion of the fruit at rightful times to the Lord of the vineyard. The original application of the parable is, doubtless, to the scribes and the chief priests who rejected Jesus, but it is equally applicable to any who think they can do as they please with their life and ignore all obligations to the Giver and Lord.
(5) We are the trees which are known by their fruit ( Matthew 7:20). Men do not gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles. A tree which is true to its nature and to its destiny brings forth its appropriate fruit. Man, who is by nature a child of God and by destiny an heir of Heaven, should produce the fruit of the Spirit of God.
Literature.—For 1 and 2 see Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible and Encyc. Bibl. art. ‘Fruit.’ For 3, Expos. Times viii. [1897] 403 f., ix. [1898] 211 ff.; Expositor ii. vii. [1884] 121 ff.; Maclaren, Holy of Holies , 168–189; Hull, Sermons , i. 51 ff.; A. Murray, Abide in Christ , 30 ff., 140 ff.; Macmillan, Bible Teachings in Nature , 174 ff.
H. Herbert Snell.
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