Topical Bible: The Vine: Probably Produced Two Crops of Fruit in the Year

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Topical Encyclopedia

The vine holds significant symbolism and practical importance throughout the Bible, often representing Israel, spiritual fruitfulness, and divine blessing. In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, the cultivation of vines and the production of grapes were vital for sustenance and economic stability. The vine is frequently mentioned in Scripture, illustrating both literal and metaphorical truths.

Biblical References and Symbolism

The vine is first mentioned in Genesis 9:20, where Noah is described as a "man of the soil" who planted a vineyard. This early reference sets the stage for the vine's recurring presence in biblical narratives. The vine is emblematic of prosperity and divine favor, as seen in passages like Psalm 128:3, where a fruitful vine is likened to a blessed family: "Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house, your sons like olive shoots around your table."

In the prophetic literature, the vine often symbolizes Israel. Isaiah 5:1-7 presents the "Song of the Vineyard," where God likens Israel to a vineyard He lovingly tended, only to find it producing wild grapes. This imagery underscores themes of judgment and the expectation of righteousness. Similarly, in Jeremiah 2:21, God laments, "I planted you as a choice vine from the very best seed. How then could you turn against Me into a corrupt, wild vine?"

Agricultural Practices and Two Crops

The climate and geography of ancient Israel were conducive to viticulture, with the vine being a staple crop. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that vines in the region could produce two crops of fruit in a year. The primary harvest occurred in late summer or early autumn, aligning with the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, a time of ingathering and celebration (Leviticus 23:39-43). A secondary, smaller harvest might occur in the spring, providing an additional yield.

This dual cropping is hinted at in the Song of Solomon 7:12, where the beloved invites, "Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom." The anticipation of new growth and fruitfulness reflects the cyclical nature of vine cultivation.

New Testament Insights

In the New Testament, Jesus employs the vine metaphor to convey spiritual truths. In John 15:1-5, He declares, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He takes away; and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." This passage emphasizes the necessity of abiding in Christ to produce spiritual fruit, drawing a parallel to the care and cultivation required for a fruitful vine.

The vine also appears in the context of the Last Supper, where Jesus uses the fruit of the vine as a symbol of His blood in the institution of the Lord's Supper (Matthew 26:29). This sacramental use underscores the vine's role in the covenantal relationship between God and His people.

Conclusion

The vine, with its potential for producing two crops annually, serves as a rich symbol in biblical literature. It represents not only the agricultural abundance of the Promised Land but also the spiritual truths of growth, fruitfulness, and divine care. Through the imagery of the vine, Scripture communicates profound lessons about faithfulness, judgment, and the necessity of remaining connected to Christ, the true vine.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 13:20
And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be you of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

La Brea
... in little, the process which has produced the whole ... sprawled and dangled the common
Vine-bamboo, {161c ... hence, its ablest descendants will probably have made ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter viii la brea.htm

A Provision Ground
... at Christmas, and the creeping Crab's-eye Vine, {314g} will ... of the forest will be,
too probably, ruthlessly and ... I believe it to have been produced rather by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xvi a provision ground.htm

Naparima and Montserrat
... events, this crisis in his life produced, according to ... busy life, not under his own
vine and fig ... neighbouring coast of Venezuela, a mixture, probably, of Spanish ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter x naparima and montserrat.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... as, for instance, at Kirmanshahan, the vine stocks have ... The Scythians of this epoch
probably resembled those whom ... the monuments of Greek art two centuries later ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Book ii.
... For many products, as the vine, the olive, and different ... will of God living things
can be produced from those ... the destruction of the other of two peoples, that ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/book ii.htm

On the Great Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.
... Probably, therefore, this Oration was delivered on the former day ... heard of a briar
growing in a vine; [3312] and ... heard of the hand which was produced by fraud ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxi on the great.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... fruits of trees and the produce of the crops, and herbs ... all alike fell in the desert,
and two who were ... we read that the good ground brought forth fruit, some a ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm

Ancient Chaldaea
... fig, apple, almond, walnut, apricot, pistachio, vine, with the ... of the Babylonian
festival was probably thought to ... genii whom the gods that produced the deluge ...
/.../chapter iancient chaldaea.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... once implanted in the mind, quickly produced its inevitable ... a lawsuit carried on
against Queen Amitsi, probably refers to ... To these two works may be added the ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... which Arab tradition attaches to the latter term, probably comes from a ... The plains
produced barley and wheat in enormous quantities, the vine throve there ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm