In biblical times, the term "picker" is not directly mentioned in the Scriptures. However, the concept of picking or gathering is prevalent throughout the Bible, often associated with agricultural practices, harvests, and the gathering of fruits and grains. The role of a picker, therefore, can be understood through the lens of these activities, which were central to the agrarian society of ancient Israel.

Agricultural Context

The Israelites were primarily an agrarian society, and the cycles of planting and harvesting were integral to their way of life. The Law of Moses included numerous instructions related to agriculture, emphasizing the importance of the harvest and the ethical treatment of workers. For instance, Leviticus 19:9-10 instructs, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God."

This passage highlights the practice of leaving gleanings for the poor and the foreigner, indicating that pickers, or those who gathered the harvest, played a role in ensuring provision for the less fortunate. The act of picking was not only a task of labor but also a means of fulfilling God's command to care for the needy.

Harvest and Festivals

The harvest was a time of great significance and joy, often associated with festivals and offerings to God. The Feast of Weeks, also known as Pentecost, was one such festival that celebrated the wheat harvest. Deuteronomy 16:9-10 states, "You are to count off seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain. And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with a freewill offering that you give in proportion to how the LORD your God has blessed you."

During these times, pickers would have been actively involved in gathering the crops, ensuring that the community could celebrate and give thanks to God for His provision. The work of the picker was thus intertwined with the spiritual and communal life of Israel.

Parables and Teachings of Jesus

In the New Testament, Jesus often used agricultural imagery in His parables and teachings. While the term "picker" is not used, the concept of gathering is evident. In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus speaks of the harvest at the end of the age, where the reapers will gather the wheat into the barn and burn the weeds (Matthew 13:30). This imagery underscores the importance of discernment and the ultimate gathering of God's people.

Similarly, in John 4:35-36 , Jesus says, "Do you not say, 'There are still four months until the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest. Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together." Here, the act of gathering is linked to the spiritual harvest, where the labor of spreading the Gospel results in the gathering of souls for eternal life.

Conclusion

While the specific role of a "picker" is not explicitly detailed in the Bible, the concept of gathering and harvesting is deeply embedded in the biblical narrative. It reflects both the physical labor necessary for sustenance and the spiritual labor involved in the Kingdom of God. The imagery of picking and gathering serves as a powerful metaphor for God's provision, the care for the needy, and the ultimate gathering of believers into His eternal kingdom.1. (n.) One who, or that which, picks, in any sense, -- as, one who uses a pick; one who gathers; a thief; a pick; a pickax; as, a cotton picker.

2. (n.) A machine for picking fibrous materials to pieces so as to loosen and separate the fiber.

3. (n.) The piece in a loom which strikes the end of the shuttle, and impels it through the warp.

4. (n.) A priming wire for cleaning the vent.

4691. spermologos -- a seed picker, fig. one who picks up scraps ...
... a seed picker, fig. ... Word Origin from sperma and lego (to pick out, same verb as
lego but with a different mean.) Definition a seed picker, fig. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4691.htm - 6k

Paul's Great Speech at Athens
... Some of them said, "What has this picker-up of scraps of learning to say?" Others
said, "He seems to be a herald of some new deities." This was because he had ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/pauls great speech at athens.htm

Prologue.
... and (b) "beg for contributions." So eranistes is by some rendered "beggar." The
idea of Theodoretus seems rather that his worse character is a picker up of ...
/.../theodoret/the ecclesiastical history of theodoret/prologue.htm

Picker (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) One who, or that which, picks, in any sense, -- as, one who uses a pick;
one who gathers; a thief; a pick; a pickax; as, a cotton picker. ...
/p/picker.htm - 7k

Picked (43 Occurrences)

/p/picked.htm - 18k

Proclaimer (1 Occurrence)
... 17:18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together
to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to ...
/p/proclaimer.htm - 6k

Pickers (2 Occurrences)

/p/pickers.htm - 7k

Proclaim (172 Occurrences)
... 17:18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together
to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to ...
/p/proclaim.htm - 36k

Rising (162 Occurrences)
... 17:18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together
to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to ...
/r/rising.htm - 36k

Wish (141 Occurrences)
... 17:18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together
to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to ...
/w/wish.htm - 36k

Seed (337 Occurrences)
... 17:18 And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together
to see him, and some were saying, 'What would this seed picker wish to ...
/s/seed.htm - 41k

Summary of the Book of Amos - Bible Survey | GotQuestions.org

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Picker: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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