The term "harvested" in the biblical context primarily refers to the gathering of crops, a significant event in the agricultural society of ancient Israel. The concept of harvest is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative, symbolizing both physical and spiritual truths.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the harvest was a time of joy and thanksgiving, as it represented God's provision and blessing. The Israelites celebrated several feasts that coincided with the harvest seasons, such as the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) and the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). These feasts were times of communal gathering and worship, acknowledging God's faithfulness in providing for His people.

The Law of Moses included specific instructions regarding the harvest. For instance, Leviticus 19:9-10 commands, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God." This command reflects God's concern for justice and care for the marginalized, ensuring that the poor and the foreigner could also partake in the blessings of the harvest.

Prophetic Imagery

The prophets often used the imagery of harvest to convey messages of judgment and restoration. In Joel 3:13 , the prophet declares, "Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the vats overflow, because their wickedness is great." Here, the harvest symbolizes the impending judgment of God upon the nations for their wickedness.

Conversely, the harvest also symbolizes hope and restoration. In Amos 9:13 , it is written, "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it." This passage speaks of a time of unprecedented blessing and abundance, reflecting God's promise to restore His people.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, Jesus frequently used the metaphor of harvest in His teachings. In Matthew 9:37-38 , Jesus says to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest." Here, the harvest represents the gathering of souls into the Kingdom of God, emphasizing the urgency and importance of evangelism.

The parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew 13:24-30 further illustrates the concept of harvest as a time of separation and judgment. Jesus explains that at the end of the age, the angels will gather the righteous into His kingdom, while the wicked will be cast into the fire.

Spiritual Significance

The concept of being "harvested" carries profound spiritual significance. It serves as a reminder of God's provision and faithfulness, His call to justice and mercy, and the ultimate gathering of His people. The harvest is both a present reality and a future hope, pointing to the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ.

In summary, the biblical theme of harvest encompasses both the physical act of gathering crops and the spiritual realities of judgment, restoration, and the ingathering of believers. It is a powerful symbol of God's ongoing work in the world and His ultimate purpose for humanity.(imp. & p. p.) of Harvest.

The Ancestral Home
... Last Friday-a-week, at eighty-three years of age, my father exchanged earth
for heaven. The wheat was ripe, and it has been harvested. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/i the ancestral home.htm

Introductory Note to Clement of Alexandria
... channel of Catholic orthodoxy, as it gathers into itself all human culture, and
enriches the world with products of regenerated mind, harvested from its ...
/.../athenagoras/a plea for the christians/introductory note to clement of.htm

Elucidations.
... Alexander was their product, and Athanasius (bringing all their sheaves to the Church's
garner, winnowed and harvested) is the perpetual gnomon of the ...
/.../epistles on the arian heresy and the deposition of arius/elucidations.htm

A Great victory
... Homes were there, but no children were about the doors; there were fields, but no
crops to be harvested; pastures, but no cattle fed upon them; the hills were ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/a great victory.htm

The Tillage of the Poor
... In all it is true that the bulk of the harvested results are due, not to the large
labours of the few, but to the minute, unnoticed toils of the many. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture g/the tillage of the poor.htm

Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
... Wheat ripens from one to three weeks later than barley, and upland wheat (and
Palestine has many mountain plateaus) is often harvested in June. ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xxxviii jesus defends disciples who.htm

Fear Not
... The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only have that, the seed of
which was sown from heaven, sprinkled in the heart, and harvested by the sun ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/fear not.htm

Things which are Characteristic of Mark.
... into the ground, which sprang up and grew, and brought forth first the blade, then
the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, and finally was harvested (4:26 ...
/.../pink/why four gospels/ii things which are characteristic.htm

On his Father'S Silence, Because of the Plague of Hail.
... crops. It could not be otherwise, when men are already rejoicing in their
hopes, and counting on their all but harvested stores. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xvi on his fathers.htm

Egypt and Greece.
... causes, continue, of course, unchanged to the present day; and the Arabs who live
now along the banks of the river, keep their crops, when harvested, in heaps ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter ii egypt and greece.htm

Harvested (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Harvest. Multi-Version Concordance
Harvested (6 Occurrences). James 5:4 Behold, the wages ...
/h/harvested.htm - 8k

Pentecost (3 Occurrences)
... The wheat was then also nearly everywhere harvested (Exodus 23:16; Exodus 34:22
Numbers 28:26), and the general character of the festival was that of a harvest ...
/p/pentecost.htm - 21k

Beans (2 Occurrences)
... This is sown in the autumn; is in full flower-filling the air with sweet
perfume-in the early spring; and is harvested just after the barley and wheat. ...
/b/beans.htm - 8k

Elamites (2 Occurrences)
... trees from the Iranian plain. Wheat and barley, sown in October and November,
are harvested in April. Sorghum remains in the ground ...
/e/elamites.htm - 39k

Elam (24 Occurrences)
... trees from the Iranian plain. Wheat and barley, sown in October and November,
are harvested in April. Sorghum remains in the ground ...
/e/elam.htm - 48k

Harvester (2 Occurrences)

/h/harvester.htm - 7k

Galilee (73 Occurrences)
... Naturally the temperature in the valley is higher than that of the uplands;
and here wheat and barley are harvested about a month earlier. ...
/g/galilee.htm - 67k

Harvest (109 Occurrences)

/h/harvest.htm - 44k

Sea (4178 Occurrences)
... Naturally the temperature in the valley is higher than that of the uplands;
and here wheat and barley are harvested about a month earlier. ...
/s/sea.htm - 87k

What is the meaning of gleaning in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the significance of the olive tree in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to sow the wind and reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7)? | GotQuestions.org

Harvested: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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