The Hebrew noun alummah refers to a bound sheaf of harvested grain — stalks of wheat or barley gathered and tied together. It appears most prominently in Joseph's prophetic dream (Genesis 37) where sheaves bowed down, a symbol that set his entire story in motion.
Joseph's dream of the sheaves (Genesis 37:7) was prophetic revelation about his future role as God's instrument of provision during famine. The sheaf that stands upright while others bow foreshadows the one who, through suffering, becomes the source of salvation for many. This imagery anticipates Christ: the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies bears much fruit (John 12:24). The harvest of Psalm 126 — those who go out weeping to sow, returning with sheaves of joy — is the pattern of resurrection hope.