עֹלֵלוֹת (o.le.lah)
o.le.lah
gleaning
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun olalot refers to the act of gleaning, specifically describing the thorough collection of remaining grain after the initial harvest. Its intensive form suggests a second pass through the fields, ensuring that nothing is left behind. This word captures the meticulous effort involved in gathering every last ear of wheat or stalk of barley.
In Scripture, this term appears in prophetic texts such as Isaiah, Obadiah, and Micah to describe the severe scarcity faced by nations under judgment. The imagery is stark: instead of a bountiful harvest, only the meager remnants are left for the poor to gather. It highlights a state where even the basic sustenance of gleaning becomes a struggle, emphasizing the depth of loss and the stripping away of prosperity.
Translators typically render olalot as "gleaning" or "the gleanings," preserving the concrete agricultural context. The word serves as a powerful metaphor for deprivation, illustrating how divine judgment can reduce a once-fertile land to a place where survival depends on picking up what others have discarded.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word olalot describes the careful act of gathering what remains after the main harvest. In ancient Israel, this was not a sign of poverty alone but a divine provision for the poor and stranger. It reminds us that God’s care often appears in small, overlooked moments rather than grand displays.
Yet Scripture also uses this image to show how judgment strips away abundance, leaving only scraps. When Isaiah or Micah speak of gleanings, they highlight a world turned upside down, where even the safety net of leftovers is gone. This contrast helps us see that true security does not come from our own harvests.
For your faith, this word invites trust in God’s timing and provision. Even when life feels like it has been stripped bare, remember that the Giver of the harvest sees every detail. He knows the value of what remains and cares for those who wait on Him with patience and hope.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- gleanings3×
- like/ gleanings of1×
- like/ gleanings1×
- [are] [the] gleanings of1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- עֽוֹלֵלֹת֙1×
- עֽוֹלֵל֑וֹת1×
- עֹלֵלֽוֹת\׃1×
- עֹלְל֥וֹת1×
- כְּ/עוֹלֵלֹ֖ת1×
- כְּ/עֹלְלֹ֖ת1×
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 the image of sparse gleanings to illustrate the severity of judgment against Damascus, showing how divine discipline can reduce abundance to mere remnants.
-
Judges 8:2
He said to them, “What have I now done in comparison with you? Isn’t the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
Gideon compares the humble gleanings of Ephraim favorably to Abiezer’s vintage, highlighting that God’s work often begins in small, seemingly insignificant ways.
-
Micah 7:1
Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vineyard. There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig.
The prophet uses the metaphor of gathering gleanings to express personal despair and the widespread spiritual barrenness of his time.
-
Obadiah 1:5
“If thieves came to you, if robbers by night—oh, what disaster awaits you—wouldn’t they only steal until they had enough? If grape pickers came to you, wouldn’t they leave some gleaning grapes?
This rhetorical question emphasizes that even thieves leave something behind, making Edom’s total plundering a unique and shocking act of evil.