גַּרְגַּר (gar.gar)
gar.gar
berry
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word gargar refers to a small fruit, specifically identified in Scripture as an olive berry. It appears only once in the biblical text, within Isaiah 17:6. In this context, it describes the remnant of olives left after a harvest, likening the surviving people of Israel to the few fruits that remain on the branches.
This singular usage highlights the word’s concrete imagery of scarcity and preservation. The term does not denote a large crop but rather the small, precious leftovers that are gathered from the top of the olive tree. By connecting this rare fruit to the survival of a nation, the text uses a familiar agricultural detail to illustrate God’s faithful remnant.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
When life feels like a storm has stripped away your resources, it is easy to feel that you are left with nothing. The Hebrew word gargar points to something far more specific than total loss. It describes the few olive berries that remain on the branches after the harvest is complete. These small fruits are not discarded; they are gathered with care because they still hold value.
This image offers a quiet hope for those who feel overlooked or diminished. Even when circumstances seem to leave you with very little, there is still something precious left behind. God’s attention often rests on these small remnants, the two or three olives that others might miss. Your current season of scarcity does not mean you are forgotten.
Instead, this word invites us to look closely at what remains. In a world that celebrates abundance, Scripture reminds us that God values the few as much as the many. You are part of a faithful remnant, preserved and seen by the One who knows every branch and every berry. Rest in the knowledge that your worth is not defined by your volume, but by His gaze.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- olives1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גַּרְגְּרִ֖ים1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 17:6
Yet gleanings will be left there, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of a fruitful tree,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel.
This verse uses gargar to illustrate how God preserves a small remnant of Israel even after judgment, showing that scarcity does not mean abandonment.