In biblical literature, the term "stalk" primarily refers to the stem or main axis of a plant, particularly grain plants such as wheat, barley, or corn. The stalk is an essential part of the plant, providing support and transporting nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. In the context of the Bible, the stalk often symbolizes growth, sustenance, and the cycle of life and harvest.

Biblical References:

1. Genesis 41:5-7 : In Pharaoh's dream, as interpreted by Joseph, the imagery of stalks is significant. "He fell asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, full heads." This dream, involving stalks of grain, foretold seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in Egypt. The stalks here symbolize the prosperity and subsequent hardship that would affect the land.

2. Job 8:11-12 : "Does papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Do reeds flourish without water? While the shoots are still uncut, they dry up quicker than grass." In this passage, Bildad uses the imagery of plant stalks to illustrate the fragility of life and the necessity of a proper foundation for growth. The stalks, in this context, represent the need for spiritual nourishment and the consequences of lacking it.

3. Isaiah 17:5 : "It will be as when a reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as when one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim." The stalks of grain here are part of a metaphor for judgment and the gathering of people. The reaping of stalks signifies the coming judgment and the separation of the righteous from the wicked.

4. Matthew 12:1 : "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them." The disciples plucking heads of grain from the stalks on the Sabbath highlights the tension between Jesus and the Pharisees regarding the interpretation of the Law. The stalks of grain serve as a backdrop for a lesson on mercy and the spirit of the law.

Symbolism and Themes:

· Provision and Sustenance: Stalks of grain are often associated with God's provision. The growth and harvest of grain are seen as blessings from God, providing sustenance for His people.

· Judgment and Harvest: The imagery of reaping stalks is frequently used to symbolize divine judgment. Just as a farmer separates wheat from chaff, God will separate the righteous from the unrighteous.

· Life and Growth: The stalk represents life and growth, both physically and spiritually. It serves as a reminder of the need for a strong foundation in faith to support spiritual growth.

· Fragility and Dependence: The stalk's dependence on water and nutrients mirrors humanity's dependence on God for spiritual nourishment and life.

In summary, the concept of the stalk in the Bible is rich with meaning, encompassing themes of provision, judgment, growth, and dependence on God. It serves as a powerful symbol in various biblical narratives and teachings.1. (n.) The stem or main axis of a plant; as, a stalk of wheat, rye, or oats; the stalks of maize or hemp.

2. (n.) The petiole, pedicel, or peduncle, of a plant.

3. (n.) That which resembles the stalk of a plant, as the stem of a quill.

4. (n.) An ornament in the Corinthian capital resembling the stalk of a plant, from which the volutes and helices spring.

5. (n.) One of the two upright pieces of a ladder.

6. (n.) A stem or peduncle, as of certain barnacles and crinoids.

7. (n.) The narrow basal portion of the abdomen of a hymenopterous insect.

8. (n.) The peduncle of the eyes of Decapod crustaceans.

9. (n.) An iron bar with projections inserted in a core to strengthen it; a core arbor.

10. (v. i.) To walk slowly and cautiously; to walk in a stealthy, noiseless manner; -- sometimes used with a reflexive pronoun.

11. (v. i.) To walk behind something as a screen, for the purpose of approaching game; to proceed under clover.

12. (v. i.) To walk with high and proud steps; usually implying the affectation of dignity, and indicating dislike. The word is used, however, especially by the poets, to express dignity of step.

13. (v. t.) To approach under cover of a screen, or by stealth, for the purpose of killing, as game.

14. (n.) A high, proud, stately step or walk.

STALK

stok: In Genesis 41:5, 22 is for qaneh, "cane"; in Joshua 2:6 for ets, "wood." In Hosea 8:7, the Revised Version margin has "stalk" for qamah, "that which stands." The Revised Version's "standing grain" is due to this meaning of qamah in Exodus 22:6, etc., but this translation spoils the figure. The meaning is, "They sow the wind, a worthless sowing, for such seed produces no stalk, it yields no grain."

2595. karphos -- a small dry stalk
... a small dry stalk. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: karphos Phonetic
Spelling: (kar'-fos) Short Definition: a dry stalk, chip of wood Definition: a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2595.htm - 6k

2562. kalame -- stubble
... stubble. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: kalame Phonetic Spelling:
(kal-am'-ay) Short Definition: stubble Definition: stubble, straw, the stalk. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2562.htm - 6k

5301. hussopos -- hyssop
... hyssop. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: hussopos Phonetic Spelling:
(hoos'-so-pos) Short Definition: hyssop Definition: hyssop, a stalk or stem ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5301.htm - 6k

4719. stachus -- a head of grain
... ear of corn. From the base of histemi; a head of grain (as standing out from the
stalk) -- ear (of corn). see GREEK histemi. (stachuas) -- 3 Occurrences. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4719.htm - 6k

7070. qaneh -- a stalk, reed
... qaneh. 7071 . a stalk, reed. Transliteration: qaneh Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-neh')
Short Definition: branches. ... balance, bone, branch, cane, reed, spearman, stalk ...
/hebrew/7070.htm - 6k

5577. sansin -- fruit stalk (of the date)
... 5576, 5577. sansin. 5578 . fruit stalk (of the date). Transliteration: sansin
Phonetic Spelling: (san-seen') Short Definition: stalks. ...
/hebrew/5577.htm - 5k

7054. qamah -- standing grain
... standing corn, grown up, stalk. Feminine of active participle of quwm; something
that rises, ie A stalk of grain -- (standing) corn, grown up, stalk. ...
/hebrew/7054.htm - 6k

6086. ets -- tree, trees, wood
... wooden (6). carpenter, gallows, helve, pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick,.
From atsah; a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural ...
/hebrew/6086.htm - 6k

Christian Unity.
... The whole of society is like a cabbage-stalk covered with caterpillars,
and none is satisfied till it has crawled to the top. The ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/xxxvii christian unity.htm

On the Study of Zoology.
... one of the middle rings, say the third, I find it carries upon its under surface
a pair of limbs or appendages, each of which consists of a stalk and two ...
/.../huxley/lay sermons addresses and reviews/vi on the study of.htm

Chapter xli
... 5-8. And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time: and, lo, there were seven ears
of grain coming up on one stalk, plump and nice; and, lo, seven ears, thin ...
//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xli.htm

Death to Sin's Penalty is the Way Out into a Life of Justification ...
... If you picked off one of the dead leaves and examined the leaf-stalk through a
microscope, you would find that the old channel is silted up by a barrier ...
/.../trotter/parables of the cross/death to sins penalty is.htm

Of the Voice.
... against the obstacle presented by the throat, forces out the sound of the voice:
as when we send down the breath into an open hemlock stalk, having applied it ...
/.../lactantius/on the workmanship of god/chap xv of the voice.htm

Bread and Wine
... Grains of wheat are put in the ground by the farmer, and these grains give up their
lives in order that other grains may grow on the stalk at harvest-time. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/bread and wine.htm

Whereunto Art Thou Like? Let Thy Stillness Speak to one that Hears
... As the wheat is in the stalk, so thou art in the crown with princes: and it is a
just restoration to thee, as if of a pledge, [523] that from that depth thou ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn ii whereunto art thou.htm

Perfect Knowledge Cannot be Attained in the Present Life: Many ...
... brings an infant which has been conceived in the womb into the light of the sun,
and lays up wheat in the barn after He has given it full strength on the stalk ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxviii perfect knowledge cannot be.htm

A Prisoner who Became a Mighty Ruler
... Then Pharaoh awoke. Afterward he slept and had a second dream and saw
seven ears, plump and good, growing up on one stalk. Also ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/a prisoner who became a.htm

section 3
... In the plant life the two are absolutely and for ever separate"there is no possibility
of confounding the perishable existence of leaf and stalk with the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/trotter/parables of the christ-life/section 3.htm

Stalk (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The stem or main axis of a plant; as, a stalk
of wheat, rye, or oats; the stalks of maize or hemp. ...STALK. ...
/s/stalk.htm - 10k

Tiller (3 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) One who tills; a husbandman; a cultivator; a plowman. 2. (n.) A shoot of
a plant, springing from the root or bottom of the original stalk; a sucker. ...
/t/tiller.htm - 8k

Reed (41 Occurrences)
... The reed of Egypt and Palestine is the Arundo donax, which grows to the height of
12 feet, its stalk jointed like the bamboo, "with a magnificent panicle of ...
/r/reed.htm - 29k

Growing (31 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Genesis 41:5 He slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads
of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. (See RSV NIV). ...
/g/growing.htm - 15k

Stalked (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & pp) of Stalk. 2. (a.) Having a stalk or stem;
borne upon a stem. Multi-Version Concordance Stalked (1 Occurrence). ...
/s/stalked.htm - 7k

Spindle (2 Occurrences)
... 7. (n.) A long and slender stalk resembling a spindle. ... (vi) To shoot or grow into
a long, slender stalk or body; to become disproportionately tall and slender. ...
/s/spindle.htm - 8k

Grain (413 Occurrences)
... (n.) To form grains, or to assume a granular form, as the result of crystallization;
to granulate. 20. (n.) A branch of a tree; a stalk or stem of a plant. 21. ...
/g/grain.htm - 39k

Single (65 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Genesis 41:5 He slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads
of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. (See NAS NIV). ...
/s/single.htm - 28k

Heads (439 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Genesis 41:5 He slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads
of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good. (WEB BBE NIV). ...
/h/heads.htm - 38k

Yields (21 Occurrences)
... Hosea 8:7 For wind they sow, and a hurricane they reap, Stalk it hath none -- a
shoot not yielding grain, If so be it yield -- strangers do swallow it up. ...
/y/yields.htm - 12k

What does the Bible say about stalking? | GotQuestions.org

What is hyssop? What was hyssop used for in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)? | GotQuestions.org

Stalk: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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