In biblical times, ploughers played a crucial role in the agrarian society of ancient Israel and the surrounding regions. The act of ploughing was essential for preparing the soil for sowing seeds, ensuring a fruitful harvest. The imagery of ploughing is frequently used in the Bible, both in literal and metaphorical contexts, to convey themes of labor, preparation, and divine judgment.

Agricultural Context

Ploughing involved breaking up the soil to make it suitable for planting crops. The plough, typically drawn by oxen or other draft animals, was a vital tool for farmers. In 1 Kings 19:19, we see the prophet Elisha called by Elijah while he was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, indicating the importance and scale of this task in daily life.

Symbolism and Metaphor

The Bible often uses the imagery of ploughing to symbolize spiritual and moral preparation. In Hosea 10:12 , the prophet exhorts the people, "Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground, for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain." Here, ploughing represents the preparation of one's heart to receive God's righteousness.

Ploughing is also used to depict the inevitability of divine judgment. In Micah 3:12 , the prophet warns, "Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets." This imagery underscores the thoroughness and completeness of God's judgment upon the unfaithful.

Social and Economic Implications

The role of ploughers was not only agricultural but also had social and economic implications. The ability to plough and cultivate land was a sign of stability and prosperity. In Proverbs 20:4 , it is noted, "The sluggard does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there." This proverb highlights the importance of diligence and timely effort in ensuring a successful harvest.

Ploughing in the New Testament

In the New Testament, ploughing is used metaphorically to describe commitment to the kingdom of God. In Luke 9:62 , Jesus states, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." This passage emphasizes the need for unwavering dedication and focus in following Christ.

Conclusion

The concept of ploughing in the Bible serves as a powerful metaphor for spiritual readiness, divine judgment, and the necessity of diligent labor. It reflects the agrarian context of the biblical world while conveying timeless truths about human responsibility and divine expectation.

A Sermon of the Reverend Father Master Hugh Latimer, Preached in ...
... And now I shall tell you who be the ploughers: for God's word is a seed to be sown
in God's field, that is, the faithful congregation, and the preacher is the ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon of the reverend.htm

Jesus, the Great Object of Astonishment.
... The ploughers made deep furrows upon His soul as well as upon His back, and His
heart was rent with inward convulsions, which could not but affect His whole ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/jesus the great object of.htm

The Friend of Sinners
... He is tied to the whipping-post, his back is marred and scarred; the ploughers
make deep furrows, and the blood flows in streams. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 8 1863/the friend of sinners.htm

"Bought with a Price"
... they bind his hands and fasten him to the whipping-post; see, they bring the scourges
and the cruel Roman whips; they tear his flesh; the ploughers make deep ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/bought with a price.htm

Our Glorious Transforming
... soil; there on the pavement, where the lash tears again and again into those blessed
shoulders till the purple streams gush down, and the ploughers make their ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 62 1916/our glorious transforming.htm

Between the Two Appearings
... His blessed shoulders, which upbear the world, they scourged with knotted whips
until the blood ran down in crimson rivers as the ploughers made deep furrows. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/between the two appearings.htm

An Exposition on the First Ten Chapters of Genesis, and Part of ...
... 18). Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he would send out his
ploughers to plough, and his labourers into his harvest. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exposition on the first.htm

Ploughers (2 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ploughers (2 Occurrences). Job 4:8 As I have seen --
ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it! (YLT). ...
/p/ploughers.htm - 6k

Ploughed (16 Occurrences)
... blessing on its growth. (BBE). Psalms 129:3 The ploughers ploughed upon my
back; they made long their furrows. (DBY YLT). Proverbs 13:23 ...
/p/ploughed.htm - 11k

Misery (38 Occurrences)
... KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV NIV). Job 4:8 As I have seen -- ploughers of iniquity,
And sowers of misery, reap it! (YLT). Job 5:6 For sorrow ...
/m/misery.htm - 16k

Plougheth (2 Occurrences)

/p/plougheth.htm - 6k

Sowers (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Sowers (1 Occurrence). Job 4:8 As I have seen --
ploughers of iniquity, And sowers of misery, reap it! (YLT). ...
/s/sowers.htm - 6k

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