Topical Bible: Fertile

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The concept of fertility in the Bible is often associated with God's blessing and provision. Fertility, both in terms of land and progeny, is a recurring theme that signifies abundance, prosperity, and divine favor. The Bible frequently uses agricultural metaphors to describe spiritual truths, and the fertility of the land is often seen as a reflection of the spiritual state of the people.

Fertility of the Land

The Promised Land, described as "a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8), is a prime example of fertility in the Bible. This description emphasizes the abundance and richness of the land that God promised to the Israelites. The fertility of the land is contingent upon the Israelites' obedience to God's commandments. In Deuteronomy 28:11-12 , God promises, "The LORD will make you prosper abundantly—in the fruit of your womb, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land—in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands."

Conversely, disobedience leads to barrenness and desolation, as seen in Deuteronomy 28:23-24 : "The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. The LORD will turn the rain of your land into dust and powder; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed."

Fertility of the Womb

Fertility in terms of progeny is also a significant theme. Children are considered a blessing from the Lord, as expressed in Psalm 127:3 : "Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward." The patriarchs of Israel, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, received promises of numerous descendants, which were seen as a sign of God's covenant and blessing.

Instances of barrenness and subsequent divine intervention highlight God's control over fertility. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Hannah are notable examples of women who experienced barrenness but were later blessed with children through God's intervention. In Genesis 21:1-2 , the Lord fulfills His promise to Sarah: "Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him."

Spiritual Fertility

The Bible also uses the concept of fertility metaphorically to describe spiritual fruitfulness. In John 15:5 , Jesus says, "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." Spiritual fertility is characterized by the production of the fruits of the Spirit, as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 : "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

In summary, fertility in the Bible encompasses both physical and spiritual dimensions, symbolizing God's blessing, provision, and the fulfillment of His promises. It serves as a reminder of the dependence on God's grace for both material and spiritual abundance.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (a.) Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or fields; a fertile mind or imagination.

2. (a.) Capable of producing fruit; fruit-bearing; as, fertile flowers.

3. (a.) Containing pollen; -- said of anthers.

4. (a.) produced in abundance; plenteous; ample.

Greek

1082. Gennesaret -- Gennesaret, a fertile plain on W. shore of the ...
... Gennesaret, a fertile plain on W. shore of the Sea of Galilee. Part of Speech: Proper
Noun, Indeclinable Transliteration: Gennesaret Phonetic Spelling: (ghen-nay ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1082.htm - 6k

2164. euphoreo -- to bear well, ie to be fruitful
... bring forth abundantly. From eu and phoreo; to bear well, ie Be fertile -- bring
forth abundantly. see GREEK eu. see GREEK phoreo. (euphoresen) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2164.htm - 6k

2592. karpophoreo -- to bear fruit
... to bear fruit. From karpophoros; to be fertile (literally or figuratively) --
be (bear, bring forth) fruit(-ful). see GREEK karpophoros. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2592.htm - 7k

Strong's Hebrew

8082b. shaman -- a fat or fertile place
... 8082a, 8082b. shaman. 8083 . a fat or fertile place. Transliteration:
shaman Short Definition: fatness. Word Origin from shamen ...
/hebrew/8082b.htm - 5k

3759. karmel -- a plantation, garden land, fruit, garden growth
... Word Origin from the same as kerem Definition a plantation, garden land, fruit,
garden growth NASB Word Usage fertile field (5), fertile fields (1), fresh ears ...
/hebrew/3759.htm - 6k

8081. shemen -- fat, oil
... Word Origin from shamen Definition fat, oil NASB Word Usage choice (1), fatness
(2), fertile (2), fertile* (1), lavish (1), oil (176), oils (3), ointment (1 ...
/hebrew/8081.htm - 6k

2832. Chashmonah -- a place in the S. desert
... Hashmonah. Feminine of chashman; fertile; Chasmonah, a place in the Desert -- Hashmonah.
see HEBREW chashman. 2831, 2832. Chashmonah. 2833 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/2832.htm - 6k

8082a. shamen -- fat, robust
... Word Origin from shamen Definition fat, robust NASB Word Usage fat (2), fertile
(1), large (1), rich (4), robust (1). 8082, 8082a. shamen. 8082b . ...
/hebrew/8082a.htm - 5k

3693. Kesalon -- a place on the border of Judah
... Chesalon. From kacal; fertile; Kesalon, a place in Palestine -- Chesalon. see
HEBREW kacal. 3692, 3693. Kesalon. 3694 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/3693.htm - 6k

303. Achlab -- a city assigned to Asher
... Ahlab. From the same root as cheleb; fatness (ie Fertile); Achlab, a place in Palestine
-- Ahlab. see HEBREW cheleb. 302, 303. Achlab. 304 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/303.htm - 6k

2233. zera -- a sowing, seed, offspring
... sowing, seed, offspring NASB Word Usage carnally* (1), child (1), children (3),
descendant (3), descendants (105), descent (1), family (6), fertile (1), grain ...
/hebrew/2233.htm - 6k

1121. ben -- son
... 1), colts (1), common (2), descendants (14), descendants of the son (1), deserves
(2), exiles* (5), father* (1), fellow* (3), fellows (2), fertile* (1), foal (1 ...
/hebrew/1121.htm - 8k

1879. dashen -- fat
... rich (1). fat. From dashen; fat; figuratively, rich, fertile -- fat. see HEBREW
dashen. 1878, 1879. dashen. 1880 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1879.htm - 6k

Library

Egypt and Greece.
... The Greeks and the Egyptians were both wealthy and powerful, and the countries which
they respectively inhabited were fertile and beautiful beyond expression ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter ii egypt and greece.htm

On Fruit Bearing.
... You are his fertile field, where he has under cultivation the precious fruits
of the kingdom of heaven. ... You are God's fertile field. ...
/.../orr/food for the lambs or helps for young christians/on fruit bearing.htm

Humility.
... that it is hard to get down into the valley of humiliation, the descent into it
is steep and rugged; but that it is very fruitful and fertile and beautiful ...
//christianbookshelf.org/moody/the overcoming life/humility.htm

The Divided Kingdom.
... (1) The northern kingdom, from the material point of view, was far superior
to the southern. It had a larger and more fertile country. ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter xiii the divided kingdom.htm

A Revival Sermon
... before us. Originally, as you are aware, the land of Canaan was very fertile;
it was a land that flowed with milk and honey. Even ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/a revival sermon.htm

Fragment xii. We Therefore have Formed the Belief that Bodies Also ...
... For although they go to corruption, yet they do not perish; for the earth, receiving
the remains, preserves them, even like fertile seed mixed with more ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment xii we therefore have.htm

How the Old Man Exposed Our Errors.
... 2299] Nor are we ignorant that there are even in our country some pleasant recesses,
where plenty of fruits, and pleasant gardens, and fertile ground would ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter ii how the old.htm

Joshua Kocherthal.
... plowed up. The orchards were hewn down. No promise of a harvest was left
on the fertile plains where had once been Frankenthal. Not a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bente/american lutheranism/joshua kocherthal.htm

Love and Law.
... The former had greatly improved the portion into the full possession of which he
had come, as it was by far the most beautiful and fertile part of his estate. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arthur/words for the wise/love and law.htm

The Early Training of a Race.
... Even in more fertile lands the Greeks reared beside such springs temples to the
god, whom they thought of as thus signally revealing himself. ...
/.../kent/the making of a nation/study xi the early training.htm

Thesaurus

Fertile (55 Occurrences)
... 1. (a.) Producing fruit or vegetation in abundance; fruitful; able to produce
abundantly; prolific; fecund; productive; rich; inventive; as, fertile land or ...
/f/fertile.htm - 23k

Increase (184 Occurrences)
... advance; -- opposed to decrease. 2. (vi) To multiply by the production of young;
to be fertile, fruitful, or prolific. 3. (vi) To become ...
/i/increase.htm - 40k

Fertility (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The state or quality of being fertile or fruitful;
fruitfulness; productiveness; fecundity; richness; abundance of resources ...
/f/fertility.htm - 7k

Damascus (58 Occurrences)
... Features: Damascus is situated (33 degrees 30' North latitude, 36 degrees 18' East
longitude) in the Northwest corner of the Ghuta, a fertile plain about 2,300 ...
/d/damascus.htm - 45k

Minor (2 Occurrences)
... The South coast can boast of the plains of Pamphylia and Cilicia, both highly fertile,
the harbors of Makri and Marmariki, and the sheltered bays of Adalia and ...
/m/minor.htm - 62k

Offspring (186 Occurrences)
... with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which
goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be ...
/o/offspring.htm - 36k

Asia (22 Occurrences)
... The South coast can boast of the plains of Pamphylia and Cilicia, both highly fertile,
the harbors of Makri and Marmariki, and the sheltered bays of Adalia and ...
/a/asia.htm - 71k

Jordan (188 Occurrences)
... After flowing 4 or 5 miles through a fertile plain, the Jordan enters a morass of
marshy land which nearly fills the valley, with the exception of 1 or 2 miles ...
/j/jordan.htm - 70k

Fading (8 Occurrences)
... 28:1 Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower
of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of ...
/f/fading.htm - 9k

Fat (150 Occurrences)
... 6. (superl.) Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull;
stupid. 7. (superl.) Fertile; productive; as, a fat soil; a fat pasture. ...
/f/fat.htm - 44k

Resources

Why was Israel called the land of milk and honey? | GotQuestions.org

Who were the Sumerians? | GotQuestions.org

Where was Ur of the Chaldees? | GotQuestions.org

Fertile: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Fertile (55 Occurrences)

Luke 12:16
And he said to them, in a story, The land of a certain man of great wealth was very fertile:
(BBE)

Luke 13:8
And he said, Lord, let it be for this year, and I will have the earth turned up round it, and put animal waste on it, to make it fertile:
(BBE)

Romans 11:17
But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, an olive-tree of the fields, were put in among them, and were given a part with them in the root by which the olive-tree is made fertile,
(BBE)

2 Peter 1:8
For if you have these things in good measure, they will make you fertile and full of fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(BBE)

Genesis 1:22
And God gave them his blessing, saying, Be fertile and have increase, making all the waters of the seas full, and let the birds be increased in the earth.
(BBE)

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.
(BBE)

Genesis 8:17
Take out with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be increased on the earth.
(BBE)

Genesis 9:1
And God gave his blessing to Noah and his sons, and said, Be fertile, and have increase, and make the earth full.
(BBE)

Genesis 9:7
And now, be fertile and have increase; have offspring on the earth and become great in number.
(BBE)

Genesis 17:6
I will make you very fertile, so that nations will come from you and kings will be your offspring.
(BBE)

Genesis 17:20
As for Ishmael, I have given ear to your prayer: truly I have given him my blessing and I will make him fertile and give him great increase; he will be the father of twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.
(BBE)

Genesis 27:39
Then Isaac his father made answer and said to him, Far from the fertile places of the earth, and far from the dew of heaven on high will your living-place be:
(BBE)

Genesis 30:22
Then God gave thought to Rachel, and hearing her prayer he made her fertile.
(BBE)

Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, I am God, the Ruler of all: be fertile, and have increase; a nation, truly a group of nations, will come from you, and kings will be your offspring;
(BBE)

Genesis 48:4
And said to me, Truly, I will make you fertile and give you increase and will make of you a great family of nations: and I will give this land to your seed after you to be their heritage for ever.
(BBE)

Genesis 49:25
Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:
(BBE)

Exodus 1:7
And the children of Israel were fertile, increasing very greatly in numbers and in power; and the land was full of them.
(BBE)

Leviticus 26:9
And I will have pleasure in you and make you fertile and greater in number; and I will keep my agreement with you.
(BBE)

Numbers 13:20
And if the land is fertile or poor, and if there is wood in it or not. And be of good heart, and come back with some of the produce of the land. Now it was the time when the first grapes were ready.
(BBE WBS NIV)

Deuteronomy 28:11
And the Lord will make you fertile in every good thing, in the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your fields, in the land which the Lord, by his oath to your fathers, said he would give you.
(BBE)

Deuteronomy 30:9
And the Lord your God will make you fertile in all good things, blessing the work of your hands, and the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of your land: for the Lord will have joy in you, as he had in your fathers:
(BBE)

Judges 18:9
They said, "Arise, and let us go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very fertile. And will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, and enter in and possess the land.
(DBY RSV)

1 Chronicles 4:27
And Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers had only a small number of children, and their family was not as fertile as the children of Judah.
(BBE)

1 Chronicles 4:40
And they came to some good fertile grass-land, in a wide quiet country of peace-loving people; for the people who were living there before were of the offspring of Ham.
(BBE DBY)

2 Chronicles 26:10
And he put up towers in the waste land and made places for storing water, for he had much cattle, in the low hills and in the table land; and he had farmers and vine-keepers in the mountains and in the fertile land, for he was a lover of farming.
(BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Nehemiah 9:25
They took fortified cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, cisterns dug out, vineyards, and olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance: so they ate, and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in your great goodness.
(See NAS NIV)

Nehemiah 9:35
For they have not served you in their kingdom, and in your great goodness that you gave them, and in the large and fat land which you gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.
(See NIV)

Psalms 65:9
You have given your blessing to the earth, watering it and making it fertile; the river of God is full of water: and having made it ready, you give men grain.
(BBE)

Psalms 92:14
They will give fruit even when they are old; they will be fertile and full of growth;
(BBE)

Psalms 107:34
He makes a fertile country into a salt waste, because of the sins of those who are living there.
(BBE)

Psalms 128:3
Your wife will be like a fertile vine in the inmost parts of your house: your children will be like olive plants round your table.
(BBE)

Psalms 132:17
There I will make the horn of David fertile: I have made ready a light for my king.
(BBE)

Isaiah 5:1
Let me make a song about my loved one, a song of love for his vine-garden. My loved one had a vine-garden on a fertile hill:
(BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 10:18
And he will put an end to the glory of his woods and of his planted fields, soul and body together; and it will be as when a man is wasted by disease.
(See NIV)

Isaiah 16:10
And all joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field; and in the vine-gardens there are no songs or sounds of joy: the crushing of grapes has come to an end, and its glad cry has been stopped.
(BBE)

Isaiah 17:6
But it will be like a man shaking an olive-tree, something will still be there, two or three berries on the top of the highest branch, four or five on the outside branches of a fertile tree, says the Lord, the God of Israel.
(BBE)

Isaiah 22:7
And your most fertile valleys were full of war-carriages, and the horsemen took up their positions in front of the town.
(BBE)

Isaiah 28:1
Woe to the crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley of those who are overcome with wine!
(WEB NAS NIV)

Isaiah 28:4
The fading flower of his glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be like the first-ripe fig before the summer; which someone picks and eats as soon as he sees it.
(WEB BBE NAS NIV)

Isaiah 29:17
In a very short time Lebanon will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will seem like a wood.
(BBE NAS NIV)

Isaiah 32:12
Have sorrow for the fields, the pleasing fields, the fertile vine;
(BBE)

Isaiah 32:15
Till the spirit comes on us from on high, and the waste land becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is changed into a wood.
(BBE NAS NIV)

Isaiah 32:16
Then in the waste land there will be an upright rule, and righteousness will have its place in the fertile field.
(BBE NAS NIV)

Isaiah 44:26
Who makes the word of his servants certain, and gives effect to the purposes of his representatives; who says of Jerusalem, Her people will come back to her; and of the towns of Judah, I will give orders for their building, and will make her waste places fertile again:
(BBE)

Isaiah 55:10
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and does not go back again, but gives water to the earth, and makes it fertile, giving seed to the planter, and bread for food;
(BBE)

Jeremiah 2:7
And I took you into a fertile land, where you were living on its fruit and its wealth; but when you came in, you made my land unclean, and made my heritage a disgusting thing.
(BBE NIV)

Jeremiah 4:26
Looking, I saw that the fertile field was a waste, and all its towns were broken down before the Lord and before his burning wrath.
(BBE)

Jeremiah 48:33
All joy is gone; no longer are they glad for the fertile field and for the land of Moab; I have made the wine come to an end from the crushing vessels: no longer will the grapes be crushed with the sound of glad voices.
(BBE)

Ezekiel 17:5
And he took some of the seed of the land, planting it in fertile earth, placing it by great waters; he put it in like a willow-tree.
(BBE NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 19:10
Your mother was in comparison like a vine, planted by the waters: she was fertile and full of branches because of the great waters.
(BBE)

Ezekiel 36:11
Man and beast will be increased in you, and they will have offspring and be fertile: I will make you thickly peopled as you were before, and will do more for you than at the first: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.
(BBE)

Daniel 11:24
Against fertile places, and will make waste a part of the country; and he will do what his fathers have not done, or his fathers' fathers; he will make distribution among them of goods taken in war and by force, and of property: he will even make designs against the strong places for a time.
(BBE YLT)

Micah 7:14
Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the midst of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
(WEB NIV)

Habakkuk 1:16
Therefore he doth sacrifice to his net, And doth make perfume to his drag, For by them 'is' his portion fertile, and his food fat.
(YLT)

Zechariah 6:12
And say to him, These are the words of the Lord of armies: See, the man whose name is the Branch, under whom there will be fertile growth.
(BBE)

Subtopics

Fertile

Related Terms

Gennesaret (3 Occurrences)

Agriculture

Botany

Land (19790 Occurrences)

Genneseret

Fatness (17 Occurrences)

Asherah (40 Occurrences)

Siddim (3 Occurrences)

Dew (35 Occurrences)