Lexical Summary
therizó: To reap, to harvest
Original Word: θερίζω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: therizó
Pronunciation: theh-REE-zo
Phonetic Spelling: (ther-id'-zo)
KJV: reap
NASB: reap, reaps, reaping, did the harvesting, reaped
Word Origin: [from G2330 (θέρος - summer) (in the sense of the crop)]
1. to harvest
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
reap.
From theros (in the sense of the crop); to harvest -- reap.
see GREEK theros
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
therosDefinitionto reap
NASB Translationdid the harvesting (1), reap (14), reaped (1), reaping (2), reaps (3).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2325: θερίζωθερίζω; future
θερίσω (
Buttmann, 37 (32), cf.
WH's Appendix, p. 163f); 1 aorist
ἐθερισα; 1 aorist passive
ἐθερίσθην; (
θέρος); the
Sept. for
קָצַר; (from
Aeschylus,
Herodotus down);
to reap, harvest;
a. properly: Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24; James 5:4; (figuratively, John 4:36 (twice)).
b. in proverbial expressions about sowing and reaping: ἄλλος ... ὁ θερίζων, one does the work, another gets the reward, John 4:37f (where the meaning is 'ye hereafter, in winning over a far greater number of the Samaritans to the kingdom of God, will enjoy the fruits of the work which I have now commenced among them' (others do not restrict the reference to converted Samaritans)); θερίζων ὅπου οὐκ ἔσπειρας, unjustly appropriating to thyself the fruits of others' labor, Matthew 25:24, 26; Luke 19:21f; ὁ ἐάν ... θερίσει, as a man has acted (on earth) so (hereafter by God) will he be requited, either with reward or penalty (his deeds will determine his doom), Galatians 6:7 (a proverb: ut sententem feceris, ita metes, Cicero, de orat. 2, 65; (σύ δέ ταῦτα αἰσχρῶς μέν ἔσπειρας κακῶς δέ ἐθερισας, Aristotle, rhet. 3, 3, 4; cf. Plato, Phaedr. 260 d.; see Meyer on Galatians, the passage cited)); τί, to receive a thing by way of reward or punishment: τά σαρκικά, 1 Corinthians 9:11; φθοράν, ζωήν αἰώνιον, Galatians 6:8, (σπείρειν πυρούς, θερίζειν ἀκάνθας, Jeremiah 12:13; ὁ σπείρων φαῦλα θερίσει κακά, Proverbs 22:8; ἐάν σπείρητε κακά, πᾶσαν ταραχήν καί θλῖψιν θερισετε, Test. xii. Patr., p. 576 (i. e. test. Levi § 13)); absolutely: of the reward of well-doing, Galatians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 9:6.
c. As the crops are cut down with the sickle, θερίζειν, is figuratively used for to destroy, cut off: Revelation 14:15; with the addition of τήν γῆν, to remove the wicked inhabitants of the earth and deliver them up to destruction, Revelation 14:16 (τήν Ἀσίαν, Plutarch, reg. et. imper. apophthegm. (Antig. 1), p. 182 a.).
Topical Lexicon
Agricultural Context in the Biblical World Reaping was the climactic moment of the agricultural year, marking abundance or loss after months of expectation. In ancient Israel the grain harvest began with barley at Passover and concluded with wheat at Pentecost (Exodus 34:22). Because most listeners lived by the land, reaping became a ready parable for both everyday providence and ultimate accountability.
Illustrations in the Teaching of Jesus
Jesus drew on the harvest to unveil kingdom realities. He pointed to the birds that “do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26) to assure His disciples of God’s care. In the Parable of the Talents He was portrayed as a master who “reap[s] where [He has] not sown” (Matthew 25:24-26), pressing home the truth that servants must maximize entrusted resources.
At Sychar the Lord shifted from the literal fields to the spiritual: “Already the one who reaps draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life” (John 4:36). The presence of Samaritan believers proved that sowing and reaping can occur almost simultaneously when God prepares the heart, fulfilling the proverb, “One sows and another reaps” (John 4:37).
Spiritual Laws of Sowing and Reaping in the Epistles
Paul turns the farm image into a moral principle. “Whatever a man sows, he will reap” (Galatians 6:7). The warning addresses self-deception: sinful seed inevitably yields corruption, whereas Spirit-led investments bear everlasting life (Galatians 6:8). Yet the same verb encourages perseverance: “Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Generosity functions by the same rule: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Paul appeals to this principle to justify material support for gospel workers: “If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?” (1 Corinthians 9:11).
James widens the application to social justice. Withheld wages from those “who reaped your fields” cry out against wealthy oppressors (James 5:4), showing that unrighteous reaping invites divine judgment.
Eschatological Reaping in Revelation
The final occurrence of the verb depicts the consummation of history. A messenger commands the Son of Man, “Use Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe” (Revelation 14:15). Verse 16 follows: “So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.” This scene affirms that human history moves toward an appointed “fullness of time” when Christ Himself gathers both the righteous and the wicked for their eternal destiny.
Ethical Implications for Believers
1. Stewardship: The Master expects a return on every gift—time, talent, and treasure.
2. Generosity: Openhanded giving multiplies harvest both for donor and recipient.
3. Perseverance: Kingdom fruit often ripens slowly; faithfulness today guarantees reaping “in due season.”
4. Accountability: Secret sins eventually sprout; repentance uproots bitter seed before the final harvest.
Missionary and Pastoral Applications
• Evangelism embraces both sowers and reapers. Some proclaim, others gather, but “the sower and the reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36).
• Church planters can trust that God will complete the cycle. Labor in unreached fields today may be reaped by another generation tomorrow.
• Leaders should honor those who “harvest” unseen work—Sunday-school teachers, translators, intercessors—whose sowing prepares future ingathering.
• Congregations are urged to view resources as seed, not static assets; strategic distribution accelerates gospel momentum.
The twenty-one uses of θερίζω collectively declare that God sovereignly governs both the ordinary grain field and the ultimate judgment. What is sown in time is harvested in eternity, and the Lord of the harvest will not be mocked nor will He fail to reward.
Forms and Transliterations
εθέριζον εθέρισαν εθερίσατε εθερισθη εθερίσθη ἐθερίσθη θεριζειν θερίζειν θεριζεις θερίζεις θερίζητε θεριζόμενος θερίζοντας θερίζοντος θεριζόντων θερίζουσι θεριζουσιν θερίζουσιν θεριζω θερίζω θεριζων θερίζων θερίζωσι θερινής θερινόν θερινώ θεριούσι θεριούσιν θερισαι θερίσαι θερισαντων θερισάντων θερισει θερίσει θερισθή θερισομεν θερίσομεν θερισον θέρισον etheristhe etheristhē etherísthe etherísthē therisai therísai therisanton therisantōn therisánton therisántōn therisei therísei therisomen therísomen therison thérison therizein therízein therizeis therízeis therizo therizō therízo therízō therizon therizōn therízon therízōn therizousin therízousin
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