Glean

Glean - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

The corners of fields were not to be reaped, and the sheaf accidentally left behind was not to be fetched away, according to the law of Moses (Lev. 19:9; 23:22; Deut. 24:21). They were to be left for the poor to glean. Similar laws were given regarding vineyards and oliveyards. (Comp. Ruth 2:2.)

Glean - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

GLEAN, v.t.

1. To gather the stalks and ears of grain which reapers leave behind them.

Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of

corn---Ruth 2.

2. To collect things thinly scattered; to gather what is left in small parcels or numbers, or what is found in detached parcels; as, to glean a few passages from an author.

They gleaned of them in the highways five thousand

men. Judg 20.

GLEAN, v.i. To gather stalks or ears of grain left by reapers.

And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. Ruth 2.

GLEAN, n. A collection made by gleaning, or by gathering here and there a little.

The gleans of yellow thyme distend his thighs.

Gleaning - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

GLE'ANING, ppr. Gathering what reapers leave; collecting in small detached parcels.

GLE'ANING, n. The act of gathering after reapers.

1. That which is collected by gleaning.

glen'-ing (laqat, `alal): The custom of allowing the poor to follow the reapers in the field and glean the fallen spears of grain is strikingly illustrated in the story of Ru (Ru 2:2-23). This custom had back of it one of the early agricultural laws of the Hebrews (Le 19:9; 23:22; De 24:19-21). Breaking this law was a punishable offense. The generosity of the master of the crop determined the value of the gleanings, as the story of Ru well illustrates (Ru 2:16). A reaper could easily impose upon the master by leaving too much for the gleaners, who might be his own children. The old Levitical law no longer holds in the land, but the custom of allowing the poor to glean in the grain fields and vineyards is still practiced by generous landlords in Syria. The writer has seen the reapers, even when they exercised considerable care, drop from their hands frequent spears of wheat. When the reapers have been hirelings they have carelessly left bunches of wheat standing behind rocks or near the boundary walls. The owner usually sends one of his boy or girl helpers to glean these. If he is of a generous disposition, he allows some needy woman to follow after the reapers and benefit by their carelessness. It is the custom in some districts, after the main crop of grapes has been gathered, to remove the watchman and allow free access to the vineyards for gleaning the last grapes.

Gideon touched the local pride of the men of Ephraim when he declared that the glory of their conquest surpassed his, as the gleanings of their vineyards did the whole crop of Abiezer (Jud 8:2). Gleaned is used of a captured enemy in Jud 20:45.

Figurative: Israel, because of her wickedness, will be utterly destroyed, even to a thorough gleaning and destruction of those who first escape (Jer 6:9). The same picture of complete annihilation is given in Jer 49:9,10.

James A. Patch

Definition

The term “glean” means to go through a field or orchard and pick up whatever grain or fruit the harvesters have left behind.

• God commanded the Israelites to let the widows, poor people, and foreigners glean the leftover grain in order to provide food for themselves.
• Sometimes the owner of the field would allow the gleaners to go directly behind the harvesters to glean, which enabled them to glean much more of the grain. A clear example of how this worked is in the story of Ruth, who was generously allowed to glean among the harvesters in the fields of her relative Boaz.
• Other ways to translate “glean” can be “pick up” or “gather” or “collect.”

(See also: Boaz, grain, harvest, Ruth)

Bible References

• Deuteronomy 24:21-22
• Isaiah 17:4-5
• Job 24:6
• Ruth 2:2
• Ruth 2:15

Word Data

• Strong’s: H3950, H3951, H5953, H5955