Fruit

Fruit in Scripture denotes produce broadly — both agricultural crops (grain, grapes, olives, figs, pomegranates) and the offspring of animals and humans ("the fruit of the womb," Psalms 127:3). The agricultural richness of Canaan was captured in the promise of a land of "milk and honey" whose fruit was so abundant that the spies carried a single cluster of grapes on a pole between two men (Numbers 13:23). The firstfruits of all harvests were dedicated to the LORD as a tithe and offering, acknowledging God as the source of all abundance (Numbers 18:12; Deuteronomy 14:23).

In the prophetic and wisdom literature, fruit becomes a standard metaphor for moral and spiritual outcomes. Israel is God's vine whose failure to produce good fruit invites judgment (Isaiah 5:1–7; Hosea 10:1). Proverbs 11:30 states that "the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life." Jesus employs the fruit metaphor extensively: false prophets are known by their fruits (Matthew 7:16–20), the vine and branches parable (John 15:1–8) teaches that abiding in Christ produces lasting fruit, and the Spirit's fruit (Galatians 5:22–23) defines the character of transformed life. The harvest of souls appears in Revelation's imagery of eschatological judgment (Revelation 14:14–20).