θεριστής
theristḗs
G2327 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Primary meaning: one who harvests, especially a person who cuts and gathers crops at the time of reaping. In scriptural and broader Hellenistic contexts, refers specifically to a reaper, most often of grain. By extension, the term can also depict one who figuratively brings a season or process to completion by collecting its fruit or results.
Semantic Range
harvester, reaper, one who gathers ripe crops, one who collects or gathers (literal or figurative), one who brings a process to completion
Root / Etymology
Derived from the verb θερίζω (therizō, 'to reap, to harvest'). Formed with the agentive suffix -τής, indicating a person who performs the action of the root verb.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical and Hellenistic Greek, θεριστής was commonly used to denote an agricultural worker responsible for cutting ripe grain or similar crops, distinguished from a σπείρων ('sower'), who is responsible for planting. In the Septuagint, θεριστής often translates Hebrew terms for reaper and is usually literal, referring to those engaged in harvesting. In New Testament usage (e.g., John 4:36), the term may be used both literally and metaphorically, describing either one who collects literal crops or one who, in a figurative sense, brings people or results into a final state (e.g., as in eschatological imagery). English translations typically render θεριστής as 'reaper', which captures the literal sense but may obscure metaphorical uses. In Greek agricultural society, the θεριστής was central to the agricultural cycle and featured in parables and teaching images.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from θερίζω; a harvester:--reaper.
Root Family
θεριστής (theristēs) — to reap, to harvest; harvester, reaper
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2327-01 |
θερισταὶ | theristai | N NOM M PL |
reapers | 1 | |
G2327-02 |
θερισταῖς | theristais | N DAT M PL |
to the harvesters | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G2327-02 |
Matthew 13:30 | θερισταῖς | theristais | N DAT M PL |
to the harvesters | |
G2327-01 |
Matthew 13:39 | θερισταὶ | theristai | N NOM M PL |
reapers |