### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **gannâh**, represented by `{{H1593}}`, is the feminine of גַּן and translates as **a garden**. It appears **12 times** across **12 unique verses** in the Bible. This term is used to describe a cultivated plot of land, often signifying fruitfulness and life, but it also appears in contexts of idolatry and divine judgment, highlighting its dual symbolic role.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H1593}}` is used to illustrate both blessing and corruption. As a sign of restoration and security, the people are instructed to **plant** gardens and eat their **fruit** ([[Jeremiah 29:5]], [[Jeremiah 29:28]]; [[Amos 9:14]]). It is a symbol of prosperity and beauty, described as being "by the river's side" [[Numbers 24:6]]. Conversely, **gardens** become places of profane worship, where people provoke God by sacrificing [[Isaiah 65:3]] and performing impure rituals [[Isaiah 66:17]]. This leads to judgment, where Israel is warned they will become like a **garden** that hath no **water** [[Isaiah 1:30]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the concept of a garden as a place of cultivation and life:
* `{{H5193}}` **nâṭaʻ** (to plant): This action is foundational to creating a garden. It appears in commands to **plant** gardens in exile [[Jeremiah 29:5]] and descriptions of making gardens and orchards [[Ecclesiastes 2:5]].
* `{{H6529}}` **pᵉrîy** (fruit): This is the intended outcome of a garden, representing sustenance and reward. The ability to eat the **fruit** of one's garden is a sign of peace and restoration [[Amos 9:14]].
* `{{H4325}}` **mayim** (water): Essential for a garden's survival, its absence symbolizes desolation and judgment. A flourishing people are compared to gardens by the river, while a cursed people are like a garden with no **water** ([[Isaiah 1:30]], [[Numbers 24:6]]).
* `{{H6779}}` **tsâmach** (to spring forth): This word describes the active growth within a garden, used metaphorically to show how a **garden** causeth sown things to **spring forth**, just as God causes righteousness to do the same [[Isaiah 61:11]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1593}}` is demonstrated through its symbolic usage.
* **Divine Blessing and Provision:** A flourishing **garden** is a tangible sign of God's favor and restored covenant. God promises his people will make **gardens** and eat their **fruit** as part of their restoration [[Amos 9:14]].
* **Idolatry and Rebellion:** The use of **gardens** for illicit worship highlights humanity's tendency to corrupt places of beauty. People are condemned for sacrificing in **gardens** and choosing them for pagan rites ([[Isaiah 65:3]], [[Isaiah 1:29]]).
* **Metaphor for Spiritual Life:** The **garden** serves as a potent metaphor for spiritual conditions. In Isaiah, it illustrates how God will cause righteousness and praise to **spring forth** [[Isaiah 61:11]], but it also represents a person or nation that is spiritually desolate, like a **garden** that hath no **water** [[Isaiah 1:30]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1593}}` is much more than a simple word for a cultivated space. It functions as a barometer of Israel's spiritual health, representing both the life-giving blessings of obedience and the desolate consequences of rebellion. The **garden** can be a place of divine provision and fruitful labor [[Jeremiah 29:5]] or a site of profane worship that invites judgment [[Isaiah 65:3]]. Its condition, whether flourishing with water or fading into dust, powerfully illustrates the relationship between God and His people.
TRV