Sense: to bear (fruit)
v. — to bring forth fruit or vegetation.
You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear [φέρω] fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
John 15:16 (NRSV)
Many are familiar with Jesus’ words about “bearing fruit” in the New Testament; however, many are unaware that this rich metaphor is used throughout the Hebrew Bible. As a cross-language tool, the Bible Sense Lexicon allows us to easily explore the background where we find texts like the following: “They [blessed persons who avoid sinners and love God’s law] are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper” (Ps. 1:3, NRSV). God warns, “It may be that there is among you a man or woman, or a family or tribe, whose heart is already turning away from the Lord our God to serve the gods of those nations. It may be that there is among you a root sprouting poisonous and bitter growth” (Deut. 29:18, NRSV). And we find that the mountains of Israel are the original fruit bearers: “But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot out your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they shall soon come home” (Ezek. 36:8, NRSV).
What is the Bible Sense Lexicon?
Sense of the Day is based on content from Logos’ Bible Sense Lexicon, which organizes biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words by meaning based on a variety of semantic relationships. Sense of the Day provides examples of senses in context, along with insight into their application for theology and interpretation.
The Bible Sense Lexicon is a Logos dataset available in Logos 5 Gold and higher base packages. If you’re enrolled in the Logos Academic Discount Program, you can also find the Bible Sense Lexicon in the Biblical Languages base package. Take your studies even further by exploring semantic domains, engaging the biblical text like never before.
Learn more about the Bible Sense Lexicon.