Lexical Summary gath: Winepress Original Word: גַּת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance winepress fat Probably from nagan (in the sense of treading out grapes); a wine-press (or vat for holding the grapes in pressing them) -- (wine-)press (fat). see HEBREW nagan NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom an unused word Definition a wine press NASB Translation wine press (4), wine presses (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs גַּת wine-press. גַּת proper name גִּתִּי adjective, of a people I. גַּת noun feminine wine-press (contracted from *גַּנְתְּ = *יְגַּנְתְּ) — absolute גַּת Judges 6:11 3t.; גִּתּוֺת Nehemiah 13:15; — wine-press, literal חֹבֵט חִטִּים בַגַּת Judges 6:11 beating out wheat in the wine-press, to hide it from Midian; the juice of the grapes was pressed out by treading, דֹּרֵךְ בְּגַ֑ת Isaiah 63:2 (in simile), but also as accusative דֹּרְכִים גִּתּוֺת Nehemiah 13:15; in figure of judgment, ׳גַּת דָּרַךְ אֲדֹנָי לִבְתּוּלַת וגו Lamentations 1:15 a wine-press hath Adonay trodden for the virgin daughter of Judah; also רְדוּ כִּי מָֽלְאָה גַּת Joel 4:13 (רדה only here with גַּת). — On the form and use of wine-press, and Hebrew synonyms, see SmithDB (article wine-press) BenzArchaeology 212 f. RobBR iii, 137 SchickZPV x, 1887, 146, 150, and Plural see vii. AnderlindZPV xi, 1888, 166 f. Topical Lexicon Agricultural BackgroundIn ancient Israel a winepress was a hewn or built installation, often carved into bedrock, consisting of an upper treading floor and a lower collection vat. Grapes were crushed by foot, and the juice flowed through a narrow channel into a lower basin where it began to ferment. Because harvest occurred at the close of the dry season, the winepress became a vivid image of abundance, labor, and also vulnerability; when enemies struck after the fields and vines had yielded their best, the loss was doubly painful. Occurrences in Scripture Judges 6:11 – During Midianite oppression “Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.” The scene pictures Israel’s reduced state: grain normally threshed on an exposed threshing floor is hidden in a sunken winepress. The Press that should signal festive harvest now illustrates fear and deprivation, yet from that place the LORD calls Gideon to deliverance. Nehemiah 13:15 – Nehemiah finds men in Judah “treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in heaps of grain.” The winepress serves as evidence of covenant violation. By demanding Sabbath rest in every enterprise, the Law reminds God’s people that harvest belongs to Him; neglecting that rest was spiritual as well as social oppression. Isaiah 63:2 – The returning Divine Warrior asks, “Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress?” The image conveys solitary, overwhelming judgment. No human ally helps; the LORD alone tramples the nations, and their lifeblood spatters His robes. The winepress here is an apocalyptic theater in which holiness confronts rebellion. Lamentations 1:15 – Jeremiah laments, “The Lord has rejected all my strong men; He has summoned an army against me to crush my young men. In a winepress the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah.” The corporate body of Judah is treated as grapes crushed beneath divine feet. The metaphor communicates both intensity and completeness of judgment. Joel 3:13 – “Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great!” Here the winepress stands at the climax of eschatological reckoning: evil ripens, is reaped, and is pressed until no further respite remains. The Winepress as Symbol of Divine Judgment Because pressing separates the juice from the grape, the image naturally portrays the exposure of the inner life of nations and individuals before God. Prophets employ the winepress to announce that sin has reached its appointed limit and must be “pressed out” under holy wrath. The overflowing vat in Joel and the crimson-soaked garments in Isaiah reveal judgment that cannot be evaded or diminished. This motif culminates in Revelation 14:19-20 and Revelation 19:15, where the “winepress of the fury of the wrath of God” is wielded by the exalted Christ. The Old Testament gath therefore forms the backdrop for New Testament eschatology, reinforcing the unity of Scripture’s portrayal of final justice. Typology and Christological Fulfillment The solitary treader in Isaiah 63 prefigures the unique sufficiency of the Messiah. At His first coming Jesus entered Gethsemane—“oil-press”—and was “pressed” in soul (Matthew 26:38-39). At His second coming He will press the unrepentant world. The two events, though separated in time, reveal one Person: first crushed for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5), later crushing His foes in righteous retribution. The winepress thus speaks both of atonement and of ultimate victory. Ethical and Pastoral Implications 1. Sabbath Faithfulness – Nehemiah 13 warns against profit-driven disregard for sacred rhythms. Believers must guard against any labor, however lucrative, that erodes worship and rest. Historical Significance Archaeological finds throughout Israel—rock-cut presses in places like Lachish and Jezreel—confirm the centrality of viticulture to the economy. Presses were communal assets; whole villages shared them during the brief window of grape harvest. This seasonal convergence explains why prophets selected the winepress as a public, unforgettable stage for their oracles. Ministry Application Preaching and teaching can draw on the winepress to illustrate: Summary Gath serves both literal and figurative functions: a place of harvest celebration and a theater of divine scrutiny. Across its five Old Testament appearances the winepress discloses human frailty, covenant responsibility, and the twin realities of redemptive suffering and righteous judgment—realities perfectly embodied and resolved in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations בְּגַֽת׃ בַּגַּ֔ת בגת בגת׃ גִּתּ֣וֹת ׀ גַּ֔ת גַּ֚ת גת גתות bag·gaṯ bagGat baggaṯ bə·ḡaṯ beGat bəḡaṯ gat gaṯ git·tō·wṯ gitTot gittōwṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Judges 6:11 HEB: חֹבֵ֤ט חִטִּים֙ בַּגַּ֔ת לְהָנִ֖יס מִפְּנֵ֥י NAS: out wheat in the wine press in order to save KJV: wheat by the winepress, to hide INT: was beating wheat the wine to save from Nehemiah 13:15 Isaiah 63:2 Lamentations 1:15 Joel 3:13 5 Occurrences |
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