What Does The Bible Say About Fruits?
Imagine walking through a lush garden, vibrant with the colors and fragrances of various fruits. As you savor their sweet taste, have you ever wondered about the deeper meaning behind these natural delights?
Fruits aren’t just delicious treats that tantalize our taste buds – they hold a special place in the Bible, carrying powerful messages that enrich our understanding of spirituality.
See also: Bible Verses About Bearing Fruit
So what does the Bible say about fruits? Let’s take a journey through the Bible’s bountiful orchard, learn about the different fruits mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, and uncover the spiritual lessons they teach.
Grab your favorite fruit, sit back, and let us explore the fascinating world of fruits in the Bible together!
What Is Fruit In The Bible?
In the Bible, fruit often carries symbolic significance in addition to being a source of nourishment. It can represent God’s blessings, abundance, and spiritual virtues.
Fruit is used as a metaphor to convey deeper meanings in various biblical stories, parables, and teachings. For instance, fruitfulness symbolizes God’s blessings, while the “fruit of the Spirit” signifies virtues such as love, joy, and patience.
Additionally, the Old and New Testaments mention specific fruits like grapes, figs, and olives, each carrying its unique symbolism and significance.
Overall, the concept of fruit in the Bible transcends its literal meaning and offers valuable spiritual lessons and insights.
What Does The Bible Say About Fruits?
- Fruits are used as symbols in the Bible with various meanings.
- The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil represents temptation and disobedience to God’s command.
- The fruit of the Spirit represents the virtues that every Christian should strive to cultivate.
- Jesus used the good and bad fruit as a metaphor to teach his followers how to discern true prophets from false ones.
- Fruits are also used in parables and allegories to represent various concepts, such as the receptiveness of people’s hearts to the word of God.
- Christians are encouraged to bear good fruit, evidence of spiritual growth and obedience to God.
- Bearing bad fruit, on the other hand, is seen as evidence of sin and disobedience.
- Sharing one’s fruits with others is considered a virtuous act of generosity and hospitality.
- In the book of Revelation, the tree of life is described as bearing twelve kinds of fruit, which is seen as a symbol of the abundance and eternal life that believers will experience in heaven.
- The Bible uses fruits to convey various moral and spiritual lessons and encourage believers to live virtuously.
How Fruits Are Used In The Scriptures
- Fruits as Offerings: In biblical times, fruits were often used as offerings to God, symbolizing gratitude, worship, and dedication. For example, in Leviticus 23:39-40, the Israelites were instructed to offer the first fruits of their harvest during the Feast of Tabernacles.
- As decorations or adornments: Fruit imagery and representations are often used for decoration, like the blue, purple, and crimson pomegranates on Aaron’s garments and the engraved date palm trees in Solomon’s Temple.
- Fruits in Parables: Jesus used fruits in several of His parables to illustrate spiritual truths. In the Parable of the Vine and the Branches (John 15:1-8), Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine bearing fruit to teach the importance of abiding in Him and living a fruitful life.
- As people’s names: Many biblical figures have names inspired by fruits, such as Tamar meaning “date,” Tappuah meaning “apple,” and Rimmon meaning “pomegranate.”
- In metaphors and similes: Fruits appear in various metaphors and similes, such as “Your breath is like the fragrance of apples” and “I found Israel [as pleasing] as grapes in the wilderness.”
- Fruits in Apocalyptic Literature: Fruits also appear in apocalyptic literature, such as in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation 22:1-2, the tree of life is described as bearing twelve kinds of fruit, symbolizing healing and eternal life in the New Jerusalem.
- Fruits in the Life of Jesus: Fruits are associated with Jesus’ life and ministry. For example, in Matthew 21:18-19, Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit, demonstrating the importance of spiritual fruitfulness and the consequences of unfruitfulness.
- In proverbs: Fruits are used to convey wisdom in proverbs, such as “He who tends to a fig tree will enjoy its fruit” and “Parents eat sour grapes and their children’s teeth are blunted.”
- In biblical laws: Fruits feature in several biblical laws, such as the prohibition on Nazirites consuming grape products and the regulation that only permits beating an olive tree once.
- Literally in narratives: Fruits appear as objects in narratives, like in Numbers 13:23 where Moses’ spies examine the grapes, pomegranates, and figs of the land, and in Genesis 3 where Eve consumes the forbidden fruit, leading to her expulsion from Eden.
- Fruits as a Test of Faith: In some instances, fruits are used as a test of faith, as seen in the story of the Israelite spies in Numbers 13. The abundant fruit in the Promised Land served as a test of the Israelites’ trust in God’s provision and promises.
- In blessings and curses: Fruits are often involved in blessings and curses, like “Your olives shall drop off [the tree]” and “[Israel is a blessed] land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey.”
- As names of places: Numerous towns and cities have names derived from fruits, including Anab meaning “grape,” Rimmon meaning “pomegranate,” and Tappuah meaning “apple.”
- Fruits as Symbols of Judgment and Restoration: Fruits are often used to represent judgment and restoration in the Bible. For example, in Isaiah 5:1-7, the vineyard’s failure to produce good grapes symbolizes Israel’s unfaithfulness, leading to judgment. Conversely, in Amos 9:13-15, God promises to restore Israel, making the mountains drip with sweet wine and the hills flow with it, symbolizing abundance and prosperity.
Fruits as Symbols In The Bible
Fruitfulness and Blessing
In the Bible, fruitfulness often symbolizes God’s blessings and abundance. In Genesis 1:28, God commands Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply.” This command is echoed throughout the Bible, as God promises to bless those faithful and obedient with bountiful harvests, large families, and prosperous lives.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Fruits are also used to represent the virtues that characterize a life lived according to the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5:22-23, the Apostle Paul describes the “fruit of the Spirit” as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Forbidden Fruit
Conversely, the Bible uses fruit to symbolize disobedience and sin. The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden revolves around the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which ultimately leads to humanity’s downfall. Genesis 2:17 says, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.“
Fruits Mentioned in the Bible
Old Testament Fruits
Grapes
Grapes are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, often symbolizing abundance and prosperity. In Numbers 13, the spies who scout the Promised Land return with a cluster of grapes so large it takes two men to carry it.
Figs
Figs are another fruit commonly found in the Old Testament. They are often associated with peace and well-being. In 1 Kings 4:25, King Solomon’s reign is described as a time when “every man lived under his own vine and fig tree.”
Pomegranates
Pomegranates are considered a symbol of beauty, fertility, and abundance in the Bible. They even adorned the robes of the high priest in Exodus 28:33-34.
Olives
Olives and olive oil have multiple uses in the Old Testament. They symbolize God’s provision and are used for anointing, lighting the menorah in the temple, and even as a skincare product.
New Testament Fruits
Apples
In the Song of Solomon, apples are used as a symbol of love and desire. They also appear in Proverbs 25:11, where “a word fitly spoken” is compared to apples of gold in settings of silver, emphasizing the value of wisdom and well-timed speech.
Dates
Dates are mentioned in the New Testament, primarily in the context of the Palm Sunday story. In John 12:13, people welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem by waving palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” This event foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection.
Bible Verses About Fruits
- Genesis 1:29 – “Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'”
- Deuteronomy 8:7-8 – “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.”
- Psalm 1:3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”
- Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
- Song of Solomon 2:3 – “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.”
- Isaiah 55:12 – “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
- Matthew 7:16-20 – “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
- Matthew 12:33 – “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”
- Luke 6:43-45 – “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
- Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”
Spiritual Lessons from Fruits
The Parable of the Sower
Jesus often used parables to teach spiritual truths, and one of his most famous parables involves a sower scattering seeds. In Matthew 13:3-23, Jesus explains that the seeds represent the word of God, and the various types of soil represent the conditions of people’s hearts. The parable emphasizes the importance of cultivating a receptive heart to bear good fruit.
The Vine and the Branches
In John 15:1-8, Jesus describes himself as the true vine and his followers as the branches. He emphasizes the importance of remaining connected to Him, stating, “apart from me you can do nothing.” This passage teaches that a fruitful life is only possible through a close relationship with Jesus.
Final Thoughts
Fruits play a significant role in the Bible, symbolising God’s blessings, abundance, and spiritual virtues. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, fruits remind us of the importance of bearing good fruit in our lives, staying connected to Jesus, and cultivating a receptive heart.
By understanding the various fruits and their meanings in the Bible, we can better appreciate the spiritual lessons they offer.
