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FRUIT (bear), FRUITFUL, UNFRUITFUL
A. Nouns.
1.
(
$
, 2590), “fruit,” is used (I) of the fruit of trees, fields, the earth, that
which is produced by the inherent energy of a living organism, e.g., Matt. 7:17; Jas. 5:7,
18; plural, e.g., in Luke 12:17 [for the next verse, see
Note
(1) below] and 2 Tim. 2:6; of
the human body, Luke 1:42; Acts 2:30; (II), metaphorically, (a) of works or deeds, “fruit”
being the visible expression of power working inwardly and invisibly, the character of the
“fruit” being evidence of the character of the power producing it, Matt. 7:16. As the
visible expressions of hidden lusts are the works of the flesh, so the invisible power of the
Holy Spirit in those who are brought into living union with Christ (John 15:2-8, 16)
produces “the fruit of the Spirit,” Gal. 5:22, the singular form suggesting the unity of the
character of the Lord as reproduced in them, namely, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance,” all in contrast with the
confused and often mutually antagonistic “works of the flesh.” So in Phil. 1:11, marg.,
“fruit of righteousness.” In Heb. 12:11, “the fruit of righteousness” is described as
“peaceable fruit,” the outward effect of divine chastening; “the fruit of righteousness is
sown in peace,” Jas. 3:18, i.e., the seed contains the fruit; those who make peace, produce
a harvest of righteousness; in Eph. 5:9, “the fruit of the light” (
RV
, and see context) is
seen in “goodness and righteousness and truth,” as the expression of the union of the
Christian with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit); for God is good, Mark 10:18, the Son
is “the righteous One,” Acts 7:52, the Spirit is “the Spirit of truth,” John 16:13; (b) of
advantage, profit, consisting (1) of converts as the result of evangelistic ministry, John
4:36; Rom. 1:13; Phil. 1:22; (2) of sanctification, through deliverance from a life of sin
and through service to God, Rom. 6:22, in contrast to (3) the absence of anything
regarded as advantageous as the result of former sins, v. 21; (4) of the reward for
ministration to servants of God, Phil. 4:17; (5) of the effect of making confession to
God’s Name by the sacrifice of praise, Heb. 13:15.
2.
(
&
, 1096d), from
, “to come into being,” denotes “fruit” (a)
as the produce of the earth, e.g., the vine; in the following the best mss. have this noun,
Matt. 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18; [12:18 in some mss., see
Note
(1)]; (b)
metaphorically, as “the fruits of … righteousness” (i.e., of material ministrations to the
needy), 2 Cor. 9:10.¶
Notes:
(1) In Luke 12:18 some mss. have
, a mistake for
; the
best have
, “corn.” (2)
5
is to be distinguished from
, “offspring”
(from
, “to beget”), Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7.¶
3.
(
A 0$
, 3703) primarily denotes “late summer or early autumn,” i.e., late
July, all August and early September. Since that is the time of “fruit-bearing,” the word
was used, by metonymy, for the “fruits” themselves, Rev. 18:14.¶
Note:
Cf.
, “autumnal,” in Jude 12, “autumn trees,” bearing no “fruit”
when “fruit” should be expected.¶
d Derivatives or roots of other words not listed in
Strong’s
are indicated with with a “d”
following the number (for instance,
, a derivative of
5
, is 1096d).