τρυγάω (trugaō)
trugaō
to harvest
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb trugaō describes the specific act of gathering ripe fruit, particularly grapes, for harvest. In the New Testament, it appears only three times, with two occurrences in Revelation and one in Luke. The word carries a concrete, agricultural image: picking produce that is fully mature and ready for processing.
Its etymology links to drying, highlighting that the fruit must be ripe before it is gathered. This distinction matters because the harvest represents judgment or completion. In Luke 6:44, Jesus uses it metaphorically to show that good trees naturally yield good fruit, just as vines produce grapes when ready.
In Revelation 14:18-19, John employs trugaō for the final gathering of the earth’s harvest. Here, the imagery shifts from blessing to judgment. The angel commands the reaping of the vine of the earth, signaling the end of the age. Translators often render it simply as "gather" or "reap," but the Greek emphasizes the ripeness and inevitability of the moment.
This word reminds readers that harvest is not random. It happens when the fruit is ready. Whether in daily life or eschatological vision, trugaō points to a time of gathering that follows a period of growth. The focus remains on the result of what has been cultivated, not the effort of planting.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word trugaō paints a clear picture of waiting for ripeness. In Luke, Jesus uses this image to show that good fruit comes naturally from a healthy tree. You do not force figs from thorns or grapes from brambles. This reminds us that character grows slowly, rooted in who we are rather than what we pretend to be.
Revelation takes this same agricultural truth into the final judgment. The harvest happens only when the fruit is fully ready. It is not random or early. God’s timing matches the maturity of the crop. This offers comfort because it means no one is judged before their time, and no true growth goes unnoticed.
Whether you are tending a small garden or walking through life’s long seasons, this word invites patience. Trust that what is planted will yield its proper fruit in due time. The harvest is certain, and the Gardener knows exactly when to gather.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- gathered1×
- gather they.1×
- do gather1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐτρύγησεν1×
- τρύγησον1×
- τρυγῶσιν.¶1×
Key Verses
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Luke 6:44
For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
Jesus uses trugaō to illustrate that outward actions naturally flow from inner character, making it impossible to extract good fruit from a corrupt source.
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Revelation of John 14:18
Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Send your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth’s grapes are fully ripe!”
The angel calls for the harvest specifically because the earth’s grapes are fully ripe, emphasizing that divine judgment waits for complete maturity.
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Revelation of John 14:19
The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
This verse shows the execution of the command to gather, linking the act of harvesting directly to the wine press of God’s wrath.