גַּנָּה (gan.nah)
gan.nah
garden
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 12 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The noun gan denotes a cultivated plot of land, typically an enclosed garden or orchard. Unlike wild fields, this space is tended by human hands for fruit, vegetables, or shade. The term appears twelve times in the Hebrew Bible, with significant usage in the prophetic books of Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Its meaning extends beyond mere agriculture to symbolize intimacy and protection. In Isaiah 51:3, the prophet describes how God will comfort Zion, making her wilderness like Eden and its desert like the garden of the Lord. Here, the garden represents a place of divine blessing and restoration where joy and gladness reside.
Conversely, Jeremiah uses the image to illustrate judgment. In Jeremiah 5:10, he commands those who pass by to look at the vineyard of the Lord, which has been ruined. This contrast highlights how the garden reflects the spiritual state of God’s people: flourishing when faithful and desolate when abandoned.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word gan refers to a cultivated garden, a space carefully tended by human hands for fruit, shade, or beauty. Unlike wild fields, this is an enclosed area where growth is nurtured and protected. In the Bible, it often symbolizes intimacy with God, reflecting how He tends to His people with care and provision.
When we read of gardens in Scripture, we see a picture of blessing and restoration. Isaiah describes God making the wilderness like Eden, a place of joy and gladness (Isaiah 51:3). Even in times of exile, Jeremiah encourages the people to plant gardens and eat their fruit, reminding them that God’s provision continues even in difficult seasons (Jeremiah 29:5). This word invites us to trust in God’s ability to bring life out of barrenness.
As you reflect on your own life, consider how God might be inviting you to cultivate a deeper relationship with Him. Just as a gardener tends to plants, God tends to our hearts, helping us grow in righteousness and peace. May you find comfort in knowing that He is the one who makes the desert bloom.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 12 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- gardens4×
- and/ like/ a garden2×
- the/ gardens1×
- like/ gardens1×
- in <the>/ gardens1×
- gardens/ your1×
- garden/ its1×
- from/ the/ gardens1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גַנּ֔וֹת3×
- מֵ/הַ/גַּנּ֖וֹת1×
- כְּ/גַנֹּ֖ת1×
- וּֽ/כְ/גַנָּ֔ה1×
- וּ/כְ/גַנָּ֖ה1×
- הַ/גַּנּ֗וֹת1×
- גַּנּוֹתֵי/כֶ֧ם1×
- גַּנּ֖וֹת1×
- גַּ֝נָּת֗/וֹ1×
- בַּ/גַּנּ֔וֹת1×
Key Verses
-
Jeremiah 29:5
“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit.
Here, the command to plant gardens serves as a practical hope for exiles, showing God’s care for their daily sustenance in a foreign land.
-
Isaiah 61:11
For as the earth produces its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring up, so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
The garden illustrates how God causes righteousness and praise to spring up naturally, like plants from the earth.