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G1407 · Greek · New Testament
δρέπανον
Drepanon
Noun, neuter
Sickle; pruning hook; reaping hook

Definition

The Greek noun drepanon refers to a sickle or curved cutting blade used for harvesting grain or grapes. It carries profound eschatological significance in Revelation's harvest imagery.

Usage & Theological Significance

Drepanon appears in the great harvest vision of Revelation 14:14-20, where the Son of Man wields a sharp sickle to reap the earth's harvest. Two harvests are described: one of grain (the ingathering of the righteous) and one of grapes (the winepress of God's wrath). This imagery draws directly on Joel 3:13 and Isaiah 63. The drepanon of judgment is both terrifying and necessary — it signals the end of the age when God's patience reaches its appointed limit and the harvest of history is gathered.

Key Bible Verses

Revelation 14:14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Revelation 14:15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, 'Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come.'
Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow — so great is their wickedness!
Mark 4:29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.
Matthew 13:39 The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

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External Resources

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