His apostles ask if someone else has brought him something to eat and he talks about his future work and the place being ripe for harvest.
John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
John 4:36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
By this time, the one harvesting a reward gets and gathers together fruits in a living perpetual in order that the one seeding also might rejoice the same as the one harvesting.
To understand this verse, we have to understand that the time for harvesting fruit on the Judean calendar was the same as the time for sowing seeds for the winter crop. This fruit harvest and seed planting was four months before the flax harvest reverenced in John 4:35 and the flax fields are golden when ripe. So those gathering fruit and sowing seeds are the same person or exist at the same time. However, the person "reaping" is different, a future person existing four months later. The one bringing in the harvest four months later is rejoicing at Passover." The one gathering the fruit rejoices at the festival of the Sukkot, which led to plowing and sowing.
This verse is actually says something a little different than the biblical translations and has hidden connections among the words. However, all verbs are, as translated, in the present tense. The idea is to connect the sowers to the reapers in the circle of life (the life perpetual). This precedes Jesus telling his students that they are harvesting where they did not sow.
The Greek word translated as "wages" means wages, but it also means "a reward" and it is translated that way in Mark 9:41. This is interesting because the word translated as "fruit" can also mean "rewards." The word translated as "gathereth" and "harvest" literally means "bring together" with a prefix that means "together." This connects with the Greek word, a word Jesus only used here, that is translated as "together" that means "one and the same" a root meaning similar.
The verb translated as "rejoice" and "be glad" is singular. The subject is just " the one seeding." The sentence actually says "the one seeding might rejoice the same as the one harvesting." The word translated as "together" has the sense of "the same" and the "and" becomes "as" when used with the comparative. The order of the words is a little confusing because "the same" comes before the verb and the "as" comes after, but this is a closer rendering than making a plural subject for a singular verb.
We have to involve ourselves in the circle of life to be happy.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "reap" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "wages" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "both" existed as "and" in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sow" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "reap" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "rejoice" doesn't appear here but after "the one sowing."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "together" doesn't appear here but after "the one sowing."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "reap" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "harvest" does not capture the more general meaning of the word.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "crop" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sow" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "reap" is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "rejoice" doesn't appear here but after "the one sowing."
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "together" doesn't appear here but after "the one sowing."
And -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "and" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used. The current Greek verse starts with "yet," which appeared at the end of the previous KJV verse.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
reapeth -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "reapeth" means "to do summer work" and "to reap." It is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
receiveth -- The word translated as "receive" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing."
wages, -- (WN) The Greek word translated as "wages" means "hire," "compensation," "pay," and "recompense," what you receive for doing work. It is often translated as "reward" to equate it with a heavenly reward, which can be misleading. In Jesus's era, compensation was not just money but it took many forms: food, housing, salt, and so on. Jesus saw that there is both spiritual compensation and worldly compensation. It is a reward that is earned. It is not a gift. The verb form of the same root means "hired." The word is singular not plural.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
gathereth --The Greek word translated as "gather" means "to bring together." It has many different uses, but it does not specifically mean gathering in the crops. That is why that idea is provided specifically by the phrase that follows. Jesus most often uses this word to mean bringing people together. He only uses it to mean "gather" crops a handful of times.
fruit -- The word translated as "fruit" primary meaning is "fruit," "seed," or "offspring," but its secondary meaning is "returns," specifically, "profit," as we would say "fruit of our labors." It can also mean "rewards."
unto - The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. It also means "for a purpose," which may be the sense here.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean "existence" beyond physical life. For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirits, etc.), read this article. This word also has the sense of making a living as did the "meat" in John 4:34 and John 4:32.
eternal: -- "Eternal" is an adjective based on the word that means "age" or "eon." However, that root word also means a "lifetime." It has the sense of "perpetual" or "ageless" but in the sense of From "aion" which is used in the bible to mean an "age" but also means a "lifetime."
that -- The word translated as "that" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
both -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "both" in the source we use today but and "and" does exist here in the source that the KJV translators used. The current Greek verse starts with "yet," which appeared at the end of the previous KJV verse.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
soweth -- The Greek word translated as "sow" means specifically to "sow seeds" and "to scatter" as in sowing seeds. It is, however, from the same root word as the Greek word for "seeds" so "seeding" is closer to its meaning.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Here the word implying sameness is "together with."
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
reapeth -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "reapeth" means "to do summer work" and "to reap." It is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
may -- This helping verb "may" indicates that the verb indicates a possibility. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
rejoice -- (WP) The Greek verb translated as "rejoice" means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome."
together. - (WP) "Together" is from either the adverb or adjective which means "one and the same," ""at the same place," "together," "at once," "together with," "along with," "close at hand," and [of numbers] "in all," and "in round numbers." This word is only used by Jesus here, but it is from the same root as "is like" and "like."
Even now -- "Even now" is a Greek adverb meaning "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.
the one -- The word translated as "the one" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
who -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
reaps -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "reaps" means "to do summer work" and "to reap." It is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
draws -- The word translated as "draws" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing."
a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
wage -- The Greek word translated as "wages" means "hire," "compensation," "pay," and "recompense," what you receive for doing work. It is often translated as "reward" to equate it with a heavenly reward, which can be misleading. In Jesus's era, compensation was not just money but it took many forms: food, housing, salt, and so on. Jesus saw that there is both spiritual compensation and worldly compensation. It is a reward that is earned. It is not a gift. The verb form of the same root means "hired."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
harvests --(CW) The Greek word translated as "gather" means "to bring together." It has many different uses, but it does not specifically mean gathering in the crops. That is why that idea is provided specifically by the phrase that follows. Jesus most often uses this word to mean bringing people together. He only uses it to mean "gather" crops a handful of times.
a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.
for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
crop -- (CW) The word translated as "fruit" primary meaning is "fruit," "seed," or "offspring," but its secondary meaning is "returns," specifically, "profit," as we would say "fruit of our labors." It can also mean "rewards." This is not the word for "crop."
for - The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. It also means "for a purpose," which may be the sense here.
eternal: -- "Eternal" is an adjective based on the word that means "age" or "eon." It has the sense of "perpetual" or "ageless."
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean "existence" beyond physical life. For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirits, etc.), read this article. This word also has the sense of making a living as did the "meat" in John 4:34 and John 4:32.
that -- The word translated as "that" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because."
both -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "both" in the source we use today but and "and" does exist here in the source that the KJV translators used. The current Greek verse starts with "yet," which appeared at the end of the previous KJV verse.
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
soweth -- The Greek word translated as "sow" means specifically to "sow seeds" and "to scatter" as in sowing seeds. It is, however, from the same root word as the Greek word for "seeds" so "seeding" is closer to its meaning.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Here the word implying sameness is "together with."
he -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. This is not the common pronoun "he."
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than a participle.
reapeth -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "reapeth" means "to do summer work" and "to reap." It is not an active verb but a participle, "reaping."
may -- This helping verb "may" indicates that the verb indicates a possibility. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
rejoice -- (WP) The Greek verb translated as "rejoice" means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome."
together. - (WP) "Together" is from either the adverb or adjective which means "one and the same," ""at the same place," "together," "at once," "together with," "along with," "close at hand," and [of numbers] "in all," and "in round numbers." This word is only used by Jesus here, but it is from the same root as "is like" and "like."
ἤδη [13 verses](adv) "Even now" is ede, which means "already," "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
θερίζων [10 verses](part sg pres act masc nom) "Reaps" is therizo, which means "to do summer work," "to reap," "to mow," "to cut off," and, in some areas, "to plunder."
μισθὸν [14 times](noun sg masc acc) "Reward" is misthos, which means "hire," "hired service," "for hire," and "wages" in the sense of compensation for work done, therefore "pay," "fee," "recompense," and "reward."
λαμβάνει [54 verse](3rd sg pres ind act) "Receiveth" is lambano means to "take," "take hold of," "grasp," "seize," "catch," "overtake," "find out," "detect," "take as," "take [food or drugs]," "understand," "take in hand," "undertake," "take in," "hold," "get," "receive [things]," "receive hospitably," "receive in marriage," "receive as produce," "profit," "admit," "initiate," "take hold of," "lay hold on," "seize and keep hold of," "obtain possession of," "lay hands upon," "find fault with," "censure," "to apprehend with the senses," "to take hold of," and "to seize." It is also specifically used to mean "seized with emotion."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
συνάγει [20 verses](3rd sg pres ind act) "Gathereth" is synago, which means "bring together," "gather together," "pit [two warriors against each other]," "join in one," "unite," "make friends of," "lead with one," "receive," "reconcile," "draw together," "narrow," "contract," "conclude [from premises]," " infer," and "prove."
καρπῶν [32 verses](noun pl masc gen) "Fruit" is karpos, which means "fruit," "the fruits of the earth," "seed," "offspring," "returns for profit," and "reward."
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."
ζωήν,[42 verses] (noun sg fem acc) "Life" is zoe, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.
αἰώνιον. [23 verses](adj sg neut acc) "Eternal" is aionios, which means "lasting for an age," "perpetual," and "eternal." From "aion" which is used in the bible to mean an "age" but also means a "lifetime."
ἵνα [134 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hina, which means "in that place," "there," "where," "when," but when beginning a phrase "that," "in order that," "when," and "because."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
σπείρων[31 verses] (part sg pres act masc nom) "He that has sown" is speiro, which means "to sow a seed," "to beget offspring," "to scatter like a seed," and "to sow a field."
ὁμοῦ [1 verse](adv or adj sg masc gen) "Together" is from homou, which means "one and the same," "at the same place," "together," "at once," "together with," "along with," "close at hand," and [of numbers] "in all," and "in round numbers."
χαίρῃ [14 verses](3rd sg pres subj act) "May rejoice" is chairo which means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome."
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "He that " is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). -
θερίζων 10 verses](part sg pres act masc nom) "Reapeth" is therizo, which means "to do summer work," "to reap," "to mow," "to cut off," and, in some areas, "to plunder."