Word Study for H6025 (עֵנָב) | Strong's Concordance

ʻênâb /ay-nawb'/ Ask about this word

Rootfrom an unused root probably meaning to bear fruit

Meaninga grape

KJV usage(ripe) grape, wine.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of ʻênâb — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

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.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 19 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

עֲנָבִים
עִנְּבֵי
עֵנָב

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 17 verses across 9 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Genesis, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (3 verses each); never once in the other 30.

Genesis

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Nehemiah

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Hosea

Amos

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.