Vintage-time in the Bible refers to the period of grape harvesting, a significant event in the agricultural calendar of ancient Israel. This time was marked by joy and celebration, as it represented the culmination of a year's labor and the provision of sustenance and economic stability for the community. The vintage was not only a time of physical harvest but also held spiritual and symbolic significance throughout the Scriptures.

Biblical References and Significance

The vintage is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, often symbolizing abundance and divine blessing. In Leviticus 26:5, the Lord promises the Israelites that "your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat your fill and live securely in your land." This passage highlights the continuous cycle of provision and the security that comes from God's blessing on the land.

In the prophetic literature, the vintage is sometimes used metaphorically to describe judgment. Isaiah 63:2-3 uses the imagery of treading the winepress to depict God's wrath: "Why are Your clothes red, and Your garments like one who treads the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the nations no one was with Me." Here, the vintage becomes a symbol of divine retribution against the nations.

Cultural and Religious Practices

The vintage was a time of communal activity and celebration. The process of gathering grapes and producing wine was labor-intensive, involving the entire community. The Book of Judges provides a glimpse into the social aspect of the vintage in Judges 9:27, where the people "went out into the fields, gathered the grapes from their vineyards, and trod them. Then they held a festival in the temple of their god."

The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, which occurs after the grape harvest, is a time of thanksgiving and remembrance of God's provision. Deuteronomy 16:13-15 instructs the Israelites to celebrate this feast with joy, acknowledging the bounty of the harvest: "You are to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress."

Symbolism in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the vintage continues to hold symbolic meaning. Jesus uses the imagery of the vineyard and the harvest in His parables to convey spiritual truths. In John 15:1-5, Jesus declares, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser... Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." Here, the vintage symbolizes the relationship between Christ and His followers, emphasizing the necessity of abiding in Him to bear spiritual fruit.

The Book of Revelation also employs vintage imagery to describe the end times. Revelation 14:18-20 depicts an angel with authority over fire calling out to another angel to "gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." This passage uses the vintage as a metaphor for the final judgment, where the earth is harvested and the wicked are judged.

Conclusion

Vintage-time in the Bible is rich with agricultural, cultural, and spiritual significance. It serves as a reminder of God's provision and blessing, a symbol of judgment, and a metaphor for spiritual truths. The imagery of the vintage weaves through both the Old and New Testaments, illustrating the continuity of God's plan and the importance of remaining faithful to Him.

As his Lungs were Affected, He Meditates Withdrawing Himself from ...
... a public profession, and one, too, under general observation; so that all who looked
on this act of mine, and saw how near was the vintage-time I desired to ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter ii as his lungs were.htm

Argument: the Arrival of Octavius at Rome During the Time of the ...
... a soothing and appropriate remedy for drying its humours from the marine bathing,
especially as the holidays of the courts at the vintage-time had released me ...
/.../felix/the octavius of minucius felix/chapter ii argument the arrival of.htm

Man, O Death, Despise Thou it Not, that Image of Adam: which Like ...
... present state passes away, as winter does: and as a handful of corn it comes in
the resurrection, to the garner of life."5. D., That there is vintage-time, lo ...
/.../ephraim/hymns and homilies of ephraim the syrian/hymn lxv man o death.htm

Jesus Fights Wrong in the Temple
... At vintage time he sent his servants to the tenants to collect the fruits of the
vineyard, but they took the servants and flogged one, stoned another, and ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/jesus fights wrong in the.htm

The Consecration of Joy
... To tumble down cartloads of quotations about all sorts of nations that ran up booths
and feasted in them at vintage-time does not help us much. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the consecration of joy.htm

Book Nine the End of the Autobiography. ...
... of time, and had made the break in the eye of the general public, all who took notice
of this act of mine and observed how near was the vintage time that I ...
/.../augustine/confessions and enchiridion/book nine the end of.htm

Vintage-time (3 Occurrences)
Vintage-time. Vintaged, Vintage-time. Viol . Multi-Version Concordance
Vintage-time (3 Occurrences). Matthew 21:34 When ...
/v/vintage-time.htm - 7k

Vine-dressers (18 Occurrences)
... Vine-dressers (18 Occurrences). Matthew 21:34 When vintage-time approached, he sent
his servants to the vine-dressers to receive his share of the grapes; (WEY). ...
/v/vine-dressers.htm - 11k

Grapes (74 Occurrences)
... Matthew 21:34 When vintage-time approached, he sent his servants to the
vine-dressers to receive his share of the grapes; (WEY). ...
/g/grapes.htm - 31k

Viol (2 Occurrences)

/v/viol.htm - 8k

Vine-growers (13 Occurrences)
... Matthew 21:34 When vintage-time approached, he sent his servants to the
vine-dressers to receive his share of the grapes; (See NAS). ...
/v/vine-growers.htm - 9k

Vintaged (1 Occurrence)

/v/vintaged.htm - 6k

Empty-handed (13 Occurrences)
... Luke 20:10 At vintage-time he sent a servant to the vine-dressers, for them to give
him a share of the crop; but the vine-dressers beat him cruelly and sent ...
/e/empty-handed.htm - 10k

Produce (140 Occurrences)
... (WEB DBY NAS). Matthew 21:34 When vintage-time approached, he sent his servants
to the vine-dressers to receive his share of the grapes; (See NAS). ...
/p/produce.htm - 37k

Crop (33 Occurrences)
... Luke 20:10 At vintage-time he sent a servant to the vine-dressers, for them to give
him a share of the crop; but the vine-dressers beat him cruelly and sent ...
/c/crop.htm - 17k

Cruelly (26 Occurrences)
... Luke 20:10 At vintage-time he sent a servant to the vine-dressers, for them to give
him a share of the crop; but the vine-dressers beat him cruelly and sent ...
/c/cruelly.htm - 14k

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