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G1008 · Greek · New Testament
βοτάνη
botanē
Noun, feminine
Herb / Plant / Grass

Definition

The Greek noun botanē (βοτάνη) refers to herbs, plants, or grass — specifically vegetation that is grazed by cattle or used for food. It is the root of the English word "botany." In the New Testament, it appears only in Hebrews 6:7, where it describes the herbs produced by land that drinks rain — used as a metaphor for the fruit produced by those who receive God's blessing and teaching.

Usage & Theological Significance

Hebrews 6:7 uses agricultural imagery drawn from the Genesis creation mandate to illustrate two responses to God's grace: land that produces useful botanē receives blessing from God; land that produces thorns and briers is in danger of being cursed. This is not teaching loss of salvation but rather the seriousness of spiritual fruitfulness versus spiritual stagnation. The passage echoes the Parable of the Soils (Matthew 13) and the Vine and Branches (John 15). Christians are called to bear the fruit of the Spirit — to be land that produces botanē of righteousness for God's glory.

Key Bible Verses

Hebrews 6:7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.
Hebrews 6:8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.
Genesis 1:11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds."
Matthew 13:23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

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