Fruit
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Key Words
| Word | Gloss | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| פְּרִי | "fruit" | Ps. 1:3 |
In the Hebrew Bible, "three main meanings [of the word פְּרִי] are discernible: (1) fruit in the modern sense of a specific food group, linked especially with fruit trees (Gen. 1:11; Neh. 9:25; Ps. 148:9; Eccles. 2:5; Is. 17:6; (2) the edible product of any tree of plant (Gen. 3:2-6; Ex. 10:15); (3) by metaphoric extension, the result of an action, including offspring as the result of sexual relations."[1]
Ancient Setting
Target Domains
- In Psalm 1, the image of fruit, as an image of abundance and productivity, maps onto the actions and success of the righteous person. In this Psalm, the image of fruit is part of a larger network of images connected to tree imagery.
References
- ↑ Leland Ryken, Tremper Longman III, and James Wilhoit, eds., “Fruit, Fruitfulness,” in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998).