The Hebrew word gath, represented by H1660, refers to a wine-press or a vat for holding grapes during pressing. It is likely derived from a root word meaning to tread out grapes. This term appears 5 times in 5 unique verses, carrying both a literal agricultural meaning and a powerful metaphorical weight.
In its literal sense, H1660 denotes the physical press used for winemaking. In Nehemiah, the people are rebuked for "treading wine presses on the sabbath" Nehemiah 13:15, highlighting its role in daily labor and commerce. It also serves as a landmark or location, as when Gideon "threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites" Judges 6:11. Figuratively, it becomes a symbol of divine judgment. The Lord is depicted as treading the people of Judah "as in a winepress" Lamentations 1:15, and a figure with red-stained garments is compared to one "that treadeth in the winefat" Isaiah 63:2, symbolizing the consequences of wrath.
Several related words illuminate the actions associated with the winepress:
- H1869 dârak (to tread): This word for treading is explicitly linked to the winepress imagery. In a vision of judgment, God is described as having "trodden" the people of Judah in a winepress Lamentations 1:15.
- H2251 châbaṭ (to thresh): This term for beating out grain is used when Gideon "threshed" wheat at the winepress, showing a related agricultural process of separation taking place at the same location Judges 6:11.
- H7665 shâbar (to crush, break): This word intensifies the winepress metaphor for judgment. God calls an assembly against Judah specifically "to crush" the young men, linking the act of crushing to the treading of the press Lamentations 1:15.
The theological significance of H1660 is primarily tied to its use as a metaphor for God's judgment.
- Divine Judgment: The image of treading grapes in a winepress is used to portray the complete and overwhelming nature of divine wrath against wickedness. The press is "full" and the vats "overflow" because the people's "wickedness is great" Joel 3:13.
- National Suffering: For Israel, the winepress symbolizes a place of immense suffering and destruction at the hand of the Lord. The prophecy in Lamentations describes Judah itself being trodden down, showing the severity of the consequences of sin Lamentations 1:15.
- Place of Unconventional Work: In the narrative of Gideon, the winepress becomes a place of desperate, hidden activity. Threshing wheat there, instead of on an open threshing floor, illustrates a time of oppression and the need for God's deliverance Judges 6:11.
In summary, H1660 is a word with a dual identity. While it refers to a simple agricultural tool, the gath or winepress is transformed in prophetic and poetic scripture into a fearsome symbol. It powerfully illustrates the concept of divine judgment, where wickedness is crushed like grapes, and serves as a stark metaphor for the suffering and pressure experienced by a people under God's hand.
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