גַּת
a wine-press (or vat for holding the grapes in pressing them)
Definition
גַּת (gath) primarily refers to a winepress, a crucial agricultural installation in ancient Israel. It specifically denotes the vat or trough where grapes were collected and crushed to extract their juice (Judges 6:11, Nehemiah 13:15). The word can also represent the entire pressing complex, including the upper treading floor. In prophetic and poetic literature, the winepress becomes a powerful metaphor for divine judgment, where God treads the nations like grapes (Isaiah 63:2-3, Lamentations 1:15, Joel 3:13).
Biblical Usage
The word is used in narrative, prophetic, and poetic contexts. In historical books like Judges and Nehemiah, it describes a literal agricultural tool (Judges 6:11, Nehemiah 13:15). In the Prophets and Writings, it is used almost exclusively as a vivid metaphor. Isaiah 63:2-3, Lamentations 1:15, and Joel 3:13 all employ the image of the winepress to portray God's wrathful judgment against enemies or sinful nations, evoking the imagery of crushing and staining.
Etymology
The noun גַּת (gath) is likely derived from the verbal root נָגַן (nagan, H5059), which means 'to touch or play a stringed instrument.' The semantic connection is through the shared concept of 'striking' or 'treading,' as one treads grapes in a press or strikes the strings of an instrument. Cognates appear in other Semitic languages, like Ugaritic *gt*, also meaning 'winepress.'
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as a central metaphor for God's judgment. The image of treading the winepress portrays divine wrath as deliberate, thorough, and inescapable, resulting in a shocking visual of blood-red juice staining the garments of the one who treads (Isaiah 63:2-3). This metaphor finds its ultimate New Testament fulfillment in Revelation 14:19-20 and 19:15, where Christ treads the 'winepress of the fury of the wrath of God.' Understanding this Hebrew term enriches the reading of both the prophetic warnings in the Old Testament and their apocalyptic culmination in the New.
In ancient Israel, the winepress (gath) was a familiar, essential feature of vineyard life, typically carved from bedrock or built with stone. It consisted of a shallow upper basin where grapes were trodden by foot and a lower collecting vat where the juice drained. The annual grape harvest and wine-making were communal activities tied to the agricultural calendar and religious festivals. The modern reader must appreciate this tangible, labor-intensive process to fully grasp the power of its use as a metaphor for crushing judgment.
יֶקֶב (yeqev, H3342) — A broader term for a wine vat or winepress, often used in parallel with גַּת (e.g., Isaiah 5:2). פּוּרָה (purah, H6333) — Specifically the winepress itself or the trough, sometimes used synonymously with גַּת (e.g., Haggai 2:16).
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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