In biblical times, ploughmen played a crucial role in the agrarian society of ancient Israel and the surrounding regions. The ploughman was responsible for preparing the soil for planting, a task that was essential for the sustenance and economic stability of the community. The imagery of the ploughman is used throughout the Bible to convey themes of labor, diligence, and the cycles of life and harvest.

Biblical References:

1. Isaiah 28:24-26 · The prophet Isaiah uses the work of the ploughman to illustrate God's wisdom and instruction. "Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in rows, barley in its place, and spelt as its border? For his God instructs and teaches him the right way." This passage highlights the ploughman's role in preparing the ground and the divine guidance that underlies all human labor.

2. Amos 9:13 · The prophet Amos speaks of a time of abundant blessing, using the ploughman as a symbol of prosperity. "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when the plowman will overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes, the sower of seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, with which all the hills will flow." Here, the ploughman is part of a prophetic vision of a future where the blessings of God are so abundant that the cycles of planting and harvesting overlap.

3. 1 Kings 19:19 · The calling of Elisha by Elijah involves the imagery of the ploughman. "So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him." Elisha's initial occupation as a ploughman signifies his humble beginnings and readiness to serve, as he leaves his work to follow Elijah.

4. Luke 9:62 · Jesus uses the metaphor of the ploughman to teach about commitment to the Kingdom of God. "But Jesus declared, 'No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.'" This statement emphasizes the importance of dedication and forward focus in the Christian life, drawing on the ploughman's need to maintain a straight furrow.

Cultural and Historical Context:

In ancient Israel, ploughing was typically done with a wooden plough drawn by oxen. The ploughman had to be skilled in guiding the animals and managing the plough to ensure that the soil was properly turned and ready for sowing. This task required strength, patience, and perseverance, qualities that are often associated with the spiritual life in biblical teaching.

The ploughman's work was seasonal, aligning with the agricultural calendar. The preparation of the soil was a critical step in the process of food production, and the success of the harvest depended on the diligence and expertise of the ploughman. This agricultural imagery is frequently used in Scripture to illustrate spiritual truths, such as the preparation of the heart to receive God's word and the importance of sowing righteousness to reap a bountiful spiritual harvest.

Symbolism and Theological Themes:

The figure of the ploughman in the Bible is rich with symbolism. It represents the labor and toil necessary for growth and fruitfulness, both in the physical and spiritual realms. The ploughman's task of breaking up the fallow ground is often used metaphorically to describe the need for repentance and spiritual renewal. Just as the soil must be prepared to receive seed, so must the human heart be prepared to receive the word of God.

Moreover, the ploughman is a symbol of hope and expectation. The act of ploughing is an investment in the future, a demonstration of faith that the seeds sown will yield a harvest. This forward-looking aspect of the ploughman's work is echoed in the Christian call to live with an eternal perspective, sowing seeds of faith, love, and righteousness in anticipation of the ultimate harvest in God's Kingdom.

A Sermon of the Reverend Father Master Hugh Latimer, Preached in ...
... the word of God. For preaching of the gospel is one of God's plough-works,
and the preacher is one of God's ploughmen. Ye may not ...
/.../latimer/sermons on the card and other discourses/a sermon of the reverend.htm

A Revival Sermon
... God does not promise that there shall be fruitful crops without labor; but here
we find mention made of ploughmen, reapers, treaders of grapes, and sowers of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 6 1860/a revival sermon.htm

Conversion.
... Why is man's heart compared to fallow ground, God's word to a plough, and his ministers
to ploughmen, if the heart indeed has no need of breaking in order to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bunyan/the riches of bunyan/xi conversion.htm

Spiritual Farming. --No. 2 Ploughing.
... Calvary. There are some directions given in the Old Book which it will pay
our ploughmen to study. One is as to the choice of the team. ...
/.../champness/broken bread/iii spiritual farming no 2 ploughing.htm

A Home Mission Sermon
... We are not here in vain, dear brethren. We are here on earth like sowers scattering
good seed; like ploughmen ploughing up the fallow ground. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/a home mission sermon.htm

Triumphant Prayer
... The ploughmen are standing among the cracked furrows, gazing with despair on the
brown chapped earth, and in the field the very dumb creatures are sharing in ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/triumphant prayer.htm

1861-1869. Prayer of Hon. And Rev. Baptist Noel --Residence in ...
... down. Though diggers, they are residents in a neighbouring village, and
have attended my ploughmen's Bible-class for some years. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/chapter i 1861-1869 prayer of.htm

Of Former Times
... And I apprehend, the common Egyptians were just as wise three thousand years ago
as the common ploughmen in England and Wales are at this day. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 102 of former times.htm

Withholding Corn
... The terms of theology, the phrases of art, the definitions of philosophy, the jargon
of science, are an unknown tongue to the young godly ploughmen or praying ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/withholding corn.htm

The Apostle's Theme
... And we all, scholars and fools, poets and common-place people, artists and ploughmen,
all of us, in all conditions of life, in all varieties of culture, in all ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/the apostles theme.htm

Ploughmen (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Ploughmen (3 Occurrences). Psalms 129:3 The ploughmen
were ploughing on my back; long were the wounds they made. (BBE). ...
/p/ploughmen.htm - 7k

Vine-keepers (1 Occurrence)
... Isaiah 61:5 And men from strange countries will be your herdsmen, and those who
are not Israelites will be your ploughmen and vine-keepers. (BBE). ...
/v/vine-keepers.htm - 6k

Lengthened (4 Occurrences)
... like grass. (DBY NAS). Psalms 129:3 The ploughmen were ploughing on my back;
long were the wounds they made. (See NAS). Jeremiah 6 ...
/l/lengthened.htm - 7k

Goad (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Hebrews malmad, only in Judges 3: 31), an
instrument used by ploughmen for guiding their oxen. Shamgar ...
/g/goad.htm - 9k

Farmers (23 Occurrences)
... (WEB BBE RSV). Isaiah 61:5 And men from strange countries will be your herdsmen,
and those who are not Israelites will be your ploughmen and vine-keepers. ...
/f/farmers.htm - 12k

Ploughs (2 Occurrences)

/p/ploughs.htm - 7k

Ploughing (14 Occurrences)
... their side: (BBE DBY). Psalms 129:3 The ploughmen were ploughing on my
back; long were the wounds they made. (BBE). Proverbs 20:4 ...
/p/ploughing.htm - 10k

Ploughman (2 Occurrences)

/p/ploughman.htm - 7k

Wounds (57 Occurrences)
... be wounded. (See JPS YLT). Psalms 129:3 The ploughmen were ploughing on
my back; long were the wounds they made. (BBE). Psalms 147 ...
/w/wounds.htm - 22k

Herdsmen (11 Occurrences)
... (BBE). Isaiah 61:5 And men from strange countries will be your herdsmen, and those
who are not Israelites will be your ploughmen and vine-keepers. (BBE). ...
/h/herdsmen.htm - 9k

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