### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ʻênâb**, represented by `{{H6025}}`, is the primary term for **grape**. Derived from a root meaning to bear fruit, it can refer to a ripe grape or, by extension, wine. It appears 19 times across 17 unique verses, highlighting its role in contexts of agriculture, law, and prophecy.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the biblical narrative, `{{H6025}}` is used in several key contexts. It is a literal fruit, central to the story of the spies who return from Canaan with a single cluster of **grapes** so large it required two men to carry, demonstrating the land's fertility [[Numbers 13:23]]. It also features in the chief butler's dream, where he presses **grapes** into Pharaoh's cup [[Genesis 40:11]]. The term is also woven into Israel's law, as in the Nazirite vow which forbade eating moist or dried **grapes** [[Numbers 6:3]], and the law permitting one to eat **grapes** in a neighbor's vineyard [[Deuteronomy 23:24]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words clarify the context of fruitfulness and judgment associated with the grape:
* `{{H1612}}` **gephen** (vine, tree): The source from which grapes grow. The absence of **grapes** on the **vine** is a sign of judgment [[Jeremiah 8:13]].
* `{{H811}}` **ʼeshkôwl** (cluster of grapes): This term describes a bunch of grapes, such as the one brought back by the spies [[Numbers 13:23]] or the bitter **clusters** from the vine of Sodom [[Deuteronomy 32:32]].
* `{{H1818}}` **dâm** (blood; the juice of the grape): This word links the juice of the grape to lifeblood, used metaphorically to describe the rich wine of a blessed land as the "blood of the **grape**" [[Deuteronomy 32:14]].
* `{{H891}}` **bᵉʼushîym** (wild grapes): These are poison-berries and serve as the antithesis of good fruit. In Isaiah's parable, the vineyard was expected to yield **grapes** `{{H6025}}` but instead produced **wild grapes** [[Isaiah 5:2]].
* `{{H3196}}` **yayin** (wine): The fermented product of the grape. The Nazirite vow required separation from both **wine** and the **grapes** themselves [[Numbers 6:3]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H6025}}` is significant, often symbolizing the spiritual state of God's people.
* **Divine Blessing and Abundance:** The **grape** is a primary indicator of God's favor and the richness of the promised land. Prophecies of restoration include images of extreme fruitfulness, where the "treader of **grapes**" overtakes the sower of seed [[Amos 9:13]]. Judah's messianic blessing speaks of washing his clothes in "the blood of **grapes**" [[Genesis 49:11]].
* **Symbol of Israel:** God's relationship with His people is compared to finding **grapes** in the wilderness, signifying their preciousness to Him in their beginnings [[Hosea 9:10]]. The failure of the vineyard to produce good **grapes** is a direct metaphor for Israel's unfaithfulness [[Isaiah 5:4]].
* **Instrument of Judgment:** The absence of **grapes** on the vine serves as a sign of divine judgment and curse [[Jeremiah 8:13]]. Furthermore, the produce of a corrupt people is described as "**grapes** of gall," whose clusters are bitter [[Deuteronomy 32:32]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H6025}}` is far more than a simple agricultural term. It functions as a powerful biblical symbol, representing the literal fruitfulness of the land, the spiritual state of the nation of Israel, and the consequences of obedience and disobedience. From the tangible evidence of a promised land's abundance to the sharp metaphor of a nation's moral corruption, the **grape** illustrates the direct link between the physical world and spiritual realities.
TRV