The Fruit of the Land – Part 2

[Study Aired October 11, 2026]

In our first study we saw that there are twelve fruits of the land plus water, which must be present for any fruit to be brought forth. We covered the first two fruits, and today we will continue with the third fruit of the land which is:

Gen 43:11  And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

The Spiritual Significance of ‘Spices’

In our first study we saw that these ‘fruits in the land’ are sent by Israel, who signifies the church, to Joseph who signifies Christ, to seek His favor. We saw how “a little balm” signifies our desire for reconciliation and “a little honey” signifies how we hope to please our Lord with the sweetness of our offering, and we saw how our offering of ‘honey’ does indeed please our Husband, Christ:

Son 4:11  Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.

Son 5:1  I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.

We will begin this study with the next ‘fruit of the land’ which is sent to seek the favor of our Lord, our Husband, Christ. That fruit is ‘spices’, and this how the word Hebrew word translated ‘spices’ is defined:

– Original: נכא נכא
– Transliteration: Nake’
– Phonetic: naw-kay’
– Definition: stricken
– Origin: from H5217
– TWOT entry: 1362a,1362b
– Part(s) of speech: Adjective

The word for ‘spices’ is ‘nake’ and it means ‘stricken.’ Our gift of ‘spices’ causes our Lord to be ‘stricken’ or “smitten” by our spiritually beautiful, submissive spirit. Here is how Strong defines ‘nake’:

– Strong’s: From H5217; smitten that is (figuratively) afflicted: – broken stricken wounded.
Total KJV Occurrences: 4
broken, 2
Pro_15:13; Pro_17:22
stricken, 1
Isa_16:7
wounded, 1
Pro_18:14

“Smitten, afflicted, broken stricken and wounded” all sound so negative. However, these are the very ‘spices’ which we present to Him and which are so very pleasing to Him:

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Our ‘spices’ are the awe, the reverence and the broken and contrite spirit with which we express our gratitude for His love and His favor toward us as His beloved bride.

This is what the Lord loves, values and appreciates in His wife:

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Our gift of spices signifies the many ways we seek to please our spiritual husband. Nothing is more pleasing to the Lord than a wife who acknowledges Him as her Savior from her hopeless and helpless condition in which He first comes to her.

Eze 16:4  And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
Eze 16:5  None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.
Eze 16:6  And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

Just as spices excite our tastebuds and add special flavor to our food, our gift to our Lord of ‘the spices…of the land’ consists of acknowledging all His work in our lives including the fact that we have been an unfaithful yet now repentant wife, and that our position with our Lord is all by and of Him. It pleases Him, as the affect of spices pleases us all, when we bring to Him the sacrifice of our gratitude for His completely undeserved favor and love toward us.

As His wife, we are also smitten with our gift of spices to our husband to this extent:

Son 2:4  He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Son 2:5  Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

Son 5:8  I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
Son 5:9  What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what isthy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

It is our gift of ‘spices’ which provokes “[our] Beloved”, our Lord, to call us “thou fairest among women.”

The negative application of being “sick of love” is the story of King David’s son Amnon being ‘smitten, and afflicted’ with the beauty of his half-sister,  Tamar:

2Sa 13:1  And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2Sa 13:2  And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.

Amnon’s being “sick for his sister” signifies our lust for the beauties of a harlot. Tamar certainly was not a harlot, but Amnon’s ‘love’ for her proved to be nothing more that carnal lust of the flesh. The positive application of being “sick of love” is the love we have for our Husband, our Lord, and His love for us. It is signified by our gift to Him of the ‘spices’ of the land. Our relationship with our Husband, our Lord, is an exciting, ‘spicey’ relationship which is intended to give us a sense of purpose, hope, and excitement every morning of every day.

The Spiritual Significance of Myrrh

The next fruit of the land is ‘myrrh’. Here is the Hebrew word translated as ‘myrrh’ and its definition:

– Original: לט
– Transliteration: Lot
– Phonetic: lote
– Definition: myrrh, an aromatic gum exuded by the leaves of the rock rose
– Origin: probably from H3874
– TWOT entry: 1108
– Part(s) of speech: Noun Masculine
– Strong’s: Probably from H3874; a gum (from its sticky nature) probably ladanum: – myrrh.

Total KJV Occurrences: 2

myrrh, 2
Gen_37:25; Gen_43:11

Here is what Smith’s Bible Dictionary has to say about this ‘myrrh’, from the Hebrew word ‘lot’ pronounced ‘lote’:

The myrrh of Genesis 37:25 was probably ladalzum, a highly-fragrant resin and volatile oil used as a cosmetic, and stimulative as a medicine. It is yielded by the cistus, known in Europe as the rock rose, a shrub with rose-colored flowers, growing in Palestine and along the shores of the Mediterranean. –ED.)

This ‘myrrh’, has fragrant, cosmetic and medicinal properties. It therefore signifies the values our Lord places on this fruit of the land. Both spices and myrrh are “highly-fragrant”, and the scriptures tell us what affect this has on our husband, Christ:

Son 5:5  I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

Son 5:13  His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

Taking notice of the pronouns, ‘my’ and ‘His’, it is clear that the balm, the honey, the spices, and now this myrrh, are all very much appreciated and are very beneficial to both us as the giver of the fruits of the land and our Lord who graciously receives our gifts of ‘the fruit of the land.’

The ‘myrrh’ of Genesis 37 which the Ishmaelites took down into Egypt, along with Joseph, and the ‘myrrh’ of Genesiss 43:11 which Israel offered to “the man” who turned out to be his own son, Joseph, is a different ‘myrrh’ than the ‘myrrh’ of Song of Solomon 5 and the ‘myrrh’ found throughout the rest of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, they both possess the same precious, fragrant and medicinal qualities, signifying the “sweet savor” experienced by our Lord through all our offerings made by fire unto the Lord. What makes our sacrifice of myrrh so fragrant to our Lord is the knowledge that we are being sacrificed with Him to become “saviors” of all men:

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
Isa 53:11  He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

That is our gift of ‘spices… of the land.’ That is what gives our sacrifice “a sweet savor unto the Lord.”

Lev 4:31  And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour unto the LORD; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall  be forgiven him.

Lev 6:15  And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the LORD.

Lev 6:21  In a pan it shall be made with oil; and when it is baken, thou shalt bring it in: and the baken pieces of the meat offering shalt thou offer for a sweet savour unto the LORD.

The “fragrance” of our spices and our myrrh signifies the Lord’s approval of our desire to seek His favor. The medicinal qualities of our myrrh signify the “atonement” (Lev 4:31) we are granted, through our Lord’s death and resurrection, to cover and hide our nakedness and our sins.

Both ‘spices’ and ‘myrrh’ are a major part of the anointing oil which was used in anointing the Lord’s priests.

Exo 25:6  Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense,

Exo 30:22  Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 30:23  Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
Exo 30:24  And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
Exo 30:25  And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

Myrrh, is the primary and most abundant ingredient of the sacred anointing oil in Exodus 30:22-25:

Exo 30:22  Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Exo 30:23  Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,
Exo 30:24  And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:
Exo 30:25  And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.

“Five hundred shekels of myrrh”, signify the gift of the “grace… through faith” by which we are saved:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The holy anointing oil, containing five hundred shekels of myrrh, signifies the holy spirit with which we are anointed as the Lord’s priests, and as His bride and His wife. This ‘oil’ was used to anoint and sanctify the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, and the priests. Christ and we in Him are His tabernacle and His priests.

1Co 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Rev 1:6  And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The next ‘fruit of the land’ which we offer to our Lord is ‘nuts’:

Gen 43:11  And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

The Hebrew word for ‘nuts’ is H992, ‘boten’. Here is Strong’s definition of this word:

H992
בֹּטֶן
bôṭen
bo’-ten
From H990; (only in plural) a pistachio nut (from its form): – nut.

Total KJV occurrences: 1

H992,  ‘boten’ comes from H990, ‘beten’. Here is Strong’s definition of ‘beten’:

H990
בֶּטֶן
beṭen
beh’-ten

From an unused root probably meaning to be hollow; the belly, especially the womb; also the bosom or body of anything: – belly, body, + as they be born, + within, womb.

Total KJV occurrences: 72

Here is the breakdown of how these 72 entries are translated in the KJV:

belly, 30
Num_5:21; Num_5:22; Num_5:27; Jdg_3:21; Jdg_3:22; 1Ki_7:20; Job_3:11; Job_15:2; Job_15:35; Job_20:15; Job_20:20; Job_20:23; Job_32:19; Job_40:16; Psa_17:14; Psa_22:10; Psa_31:9; Psa_44:25; Pro_13:25; Pro_18:8; Pro_18:20; Pro_20:27; Pro_20:30; Pro_26:22; Son_7:2; Isa_46:3; Jer_1:5; Eze_3:3; Jon_2:2; Hab_3:16

body, 8
Deu_28:4; Deu_28:11; Deu_28:18; Deu_28:53; Deu_30:9; Job_19:17; Psa_132:11; Mic_6:7

born, 1
Psa_58:3

within, 2
Job_32:18; Pro_22:18

womb, 31
Gen_25:23; Gen_25:24; Gen_30:2; Gen_38:27; Deu_7:13; Jdg_13:5; Jdg_13:7; Jdg_16:17; Job_1:21; Job_3:10; Job_10:19; Job_31:15; Job_31:18; Job_38:29; Psa_22:9; Psa_71:6; Psa_127:3; Psa_139:13; Pro_31:2; Ecc_5:15; Ecc_11:5; Isa_13:18; Isa_44:2; Isa_44:24; Isa_48:8; Isa_49:1; Isa_49:5; Isa_49:15; Hos_9:11; Hos_9:16; Hos_12:3

The most common translation, by one entry, is ‘womb’ and the second most common is ‘belly.’ Job uses these two words interchangeably:

Job 3:11  Why died I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly?

A pistachio nut is so called because it is shaped like a womb or a belly. One thing the womb and belly have in common is their shape, which is spherical. What spiritual message are we to draw from what a sphere-shaped nut as a gift is to our Lord of “the best fruits in the land?”

One lesson a spherical nut as “the best fruits in the land” demonstrates is that it appears the same from any angle of view. Even if that ‘view’ was a severe famine. Sending such a precious fruit of the land to an Egyptian ruler seeking the release of his son Simeon and the safety of his youngest son, Benjamin, who had to go with them if they wanted more grain from Egypt, demonstrated Jacob’s unfailing faith in the promises the Lord had made concerning the land which at this moment was enduring a severe seven year famine. A spherical nut signifies that regardless of the circumstances, regardless from which angle you view temporal circumstances, God’s word is sure and trustworthy. That is the spiritual significance of a fruit whose name is derived from its spherical shape.

Many years after these gifts were presented to ‘the man’, an Egyptian ruler who Jacob, did not realize was his own son, his descendant, Moses would demonstrate this same unfailing faith in the promises of God in spite of circumstances which appeared to defy the promises of God:

Heb 11:24  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
Heb 11:25  Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Heb 11:26  Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

Almonds

The next “of the best fruits in the land” sent by Israel to an Egyptian ruler he did not realize was his own son is almonds:

Gen 43:11  And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:

Jacob had no idea how applicable the spiritual significance of this ‘fruit of the land’ would be in bringing his son Simeon, back to him and at the same time secure the safety of his youngest son, Benjamin, and all the rest of His entire family.

The very meaning of this fruit is to be ‘very soon’, or ‘early.’ Just as the shape of the pistachio nut gives it its name, so does the nature of the almond tree give it its name. The almond tree is the first of all fruit trees to bloom.

Look at this exchange between Christ and Jeremiah:

Jer 1:11  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Jer 1:12  Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.

The impact of what the Lord is saying is much more powerful in Hebrew because in Hebrew the word ‘almond’ is the same word as ‘hasten’. ‘Almond’ is a noun, and ‘hasten’ is a verb, but in Hebrew ‘hasten’ is simply the verb form of the exact same word.

Here is the Hebrew word for ‘almond’:

H8247
שָׁקֵד
shâqêd
shaw-kade’

From H8245; the almond (tree or nut; as being the earliest in bloom): – almond (tree).

Total KJV occurrences: 4

H8247, ’shaqed’ is “from H8245”, and this is the definition of H8245:
H8245
שָׁקַד
shâqad
shaw-kad’

A primitive root; to be alert, that is, sleepless; hence to be on the lookout (whether for good or ill): – hasten, remain, wake, watch (for).

Total KJV occurrences: 12

Aaron’s rod was an almond rod:

Num 17:8  And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.

Aaron’s almond rod signifies that the Lord’s priests will be the first to believe and to be rewarded for their faith:

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in [the] Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first [the earliest] trusted in Christ.

Jacob had no idea that the gift of almonds was about to hasten the Lord’s gift of the salvation of his youngest son and consequently his entire family. It all signifies the incredible blessing of being the earliest to trust in the Lord:  the first to partake of His power, His glory, and His dominion:

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first [the earliest] resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

In our next study we will begin examining what the fruits of the land brought back by the twelve spies spiritually signify.