1. 151, dxgan' , "fruit of the field," or agricultural produce. Under this term the Hebrews classed al- most everj^ object of_/?c/</-culture [see Agriculture]. Jahn saj's, "The word is of general signification, and comprehends in itself different kinds of grain and pulse, such as wheat, millet, spelt, wall-barley, barlej', beans, lentils, meadow-cumin, pepper-wort, flax, cot- ton, various species of the cucumber, and perhaps rice" {Bib. ArchiTol. § 58). There is now no doubt among scholars that dngan comprehends the largest and most valuable species of vegetable produce, and therefore it will be allowed that the rendering of the word in the common version by "co?7?,"and sometimes by '■'■icheat," instead of " every species ofcorn'^ or field produce, tends to limit our conceptions of the divine bounty, as well as to impair the beauty of the passages where it oc- curs. See Corn.
2. OITTI, tirosV , "the fruit of the vine'" in its nat- ural or its solid state, comprehending grapes, moist or dried, and the fruit in general, whether in the early cluster or the mature and ripened condition (Isa. Ixv, 8, which is rendered by j3t'iTpvc, grape, in the Sept., re- fers to the young grape ; while Judg. ix, 13, where "the vine said. Shall I leave my tirosh [fruit], which cheereth God and man ?" as evidenth' refers to the ripened produce which was placed on the altar as a first-fruit offering in grateful acknowledgment of the divine goodness). "Sometimes," sajs Jahn, "the grapes were dried in the sun, and preserved in masses, which were called D"""!", anabim', D'i"Jj'''wX, ashi- shim', and D'^plB^, tsimmiikim' (1 Sam. xxv, 18; 2 Sam. xvi, 1; IChron. xii, 40; 'Ros.ni,V)' {Bib. A rchmol. § 69). It is also distinctly referred to as the yielder of wine, and thei'efore was not wine itself, but the raw material from which it was expressed or prepared, as is evident from its distinctive contrast with wine in Amos vi, 15, last clause. See Wine.
3. '^'n'^^, yitshar' , "orchard-fruits," especially win- ter or keeping-fruits, as dates, figs, olives, pomegran- ates, citrons, nuts, etc. As we distinguish dagan from
FRUIT
684
FRUIT-TREE
JirjO (wheat), and tirosli from C^S" and 'i'^^, so must %ve jjUfhar from ""Cd (oil), wliicli are unfortunately confounded together in the common version. She- men, beyond question, is the proper word for oil, not yitfhar; hence, being a specific thing, we iind it in connection with a great variety of specific purposes, as sacriticial and holy uses, edibles, traffic, vessels, and used in illustration of taste, smoothness, plumpness, in- sinuation, condition, fertilit}', and luxury. YlUhur, as to the mode of its use, presents a complete contrast to skemen. It is not, even in a single passage, employed either by way of comparison or in illustration of any particular quality common to it with other specific arti- cles. In one passage only is it joined with 7"^}, zayith, "olive," the oil of wliich it has erroneously been sup- posed to signify, and even here (2 Kings xviii, 3"2) it retains as an adjective the generic sense of the noun, '■'■preserving-ivmt.''' It should be read, " a land of 2ir€serving-o\\ves (zeyth-yitshar') and dates (debash)." Cato has a similar expression, oleain conditivain, "pre- serving-olive tree" (/Je Re Rust. vi). It may be ob- served that the Latin terms maum and pomnm had an extended meaning ver}' analogous to the Hebrew yit- shnr. Thus Varro asks, " Is not Italj' so planted with fruit-trees as to seem one entire poTOc;r««OT?" i. e., or- chard (Z^e Re Rust, i, 2). See Olive ; Oil.
Thus the tiiad of terms we have been considering would comprehend every vegetable substance of neces- sitj- and luxury commonly consumed by the Hebrews of which first-fruits were presented or tithes paid, and this view of their meaning will also explain why the injunctions concerning offerings and tithes were suffi- ciently expressed bj' these terms alone (Numb, xviii, 12 ; Deut xiv, 23). See Orchard.
On the terms rendered in our version ' ' fruitful field, " " fruitful place," etc., see Caemel.
The term "fruit" is also used o? persons (2 Kings xix, 30 ; Jer. xii, 2), and oio{fspiing, children (Psa. xxi, 10; Hos.ix,16; Exod. xxi, 22), so in the phrases "fruit of the womb" (Gen. xxx, 2; Deut. vii, 13; Isa. xiii, 18; Luke i, 42), "fruit of the loins" (Acts ii, SO), "fruit of the body" (Psa. cxxxii, 13 ; Mic. vi, 7), and also for the progeny of beasts (Deut. xxviii, 51 ; Isa. xiv, 29). This word is also used metaphoi'icallj' in a variety of forms, the figure being often preserved: "The}- shall eat the fruit of their doings," i.e. experience the con- sequences (Isa. iii, 10; Prov. i, 31; Jer. vi, 19; xvii, 10) ; " with the fruit of thy works (of God) is the earth satisfied," i. e. is watered with rain, which is the fruit of the clouds (Psa. civ, 13) ; "fruit of the hands," i. e. gain, profits (Prov. xxxi, 16) ; " fruit of a proud heart." i.e. boasting (Isa. x, 12) ; "fruit of the mouth," i.e. Avhat a man says, or his words (Prov. xii, 14 ; xviii, 20) ; " fruit of the righteous," i. e. counsel and exam- ple (Prov. xi, 30); "to pay over the fruits," i. e. pro- duce as rent (^latt. xxi, 41); "fruit of tlie vine,"i. e. wine (Jlatt. xxvi, 29; Mark xiv, 25; Luke xxii, 18) ; "fruits meet for repentance," i. e. conduct becoming a profession of penitence (^Jlatt. iii, 8); "fruit of the lips," i. c. what the lips utter (Heb. xiii, 15 ; Hos. xiv, 3) ; " fruits of righteousness," i. e. holy actions spring- ing from a renewed heart (Phil, i, 11). "Fruit," in L'omans xv, 28, is the contribution jiroduced by benev- olence and zeal. " Fruit unto God," and "fruit unto death," i. e. to live worthy of God or of death (Rom. vii. 4, 5). The " fruits of the Sjnrit" are enumerated in Gal. v, 22, 23 ; Eph. v, 9 ; James iii, 17, 18. Fruit- fulness in the divine life stands opposed to an empty, barren, and unproductive profession of religion (.Jolm XV, 2-8 ; Col. i, 10 ; 2 Pet. i, 5-8 ; Matt, vii, 16-20). See Garden.