What does καρπός (karpós) mean in the Bible?
G2590 is the ordinary noun for fruit or produce and can extend to what a person, action, ministry, or way of life yields. Its sixty-six forms appear in fifty-six verses across fourteen books.
Fruit (as plucked), literally or figuratively
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
G2590 is the ordinary noun for fruit or produce and can extend to what a person, action, ministry, or way of life yields. Its sixty-six forms appear in fifty-six verses across fourteen books.
Reader summary
Full entry for καρπός (G2590) · Open the biblical lexicon
G2590 is the ordinary noun for fruit or produce and can extend to what a person, action, ministry, or way of life yields. Its sixty-six forms appear in fifty-six verses across fourteen books.
The BSB source-word alignment has 66 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include fruit (41), a crop (4), crops (3), . . . (2), [the] fruit (2).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 3:8. Its strongest book concentrations include Matthew (19), Luke (12), John (10), Mark (5).
This entry includes 2 verse guides that explain exact original-language forms in context.
G2590 is the ordinary noun for fruit or produce and can extend to what a person, action, ministry, or way of life yields. Its sixty-six forms appear in fifty-six verses across fourteen books. Literal settings include trees, vines, fields, crops, the fruit of the womb, David's descendant, and the tree of life. Figurative settings speak of deeds, repentance, righteousness, praise, benefit, ministry harvest, and the fruit of the Spirit.
The agricultural image often helps a passage connect a source or course of life with a visible outcome, but the noun does not impose one formula on every context. Galatians 5 contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit, yet the grammar alone does not prove that growth is effortless or that the listed qualities can never be discussed individually. John 15 grounds fruit-bearing in remaining in Christ, while Matthew 7 uses fruit to test teachers by the pattern their lives and teaching produce. Other passages use fruit for material crops, descendants, praise, or benefit and must retain those distinct senses.
G2590 ranges from literal produce and descendants to deeds, character, benefit, praise, and final harvest. The passage identifies what bears fruit, what the fruit is, and who receives it.
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Jesus directs discernment toward what false prophets actually produce rather than their outward appearance.
I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.
Fruit-bearing depends on continuing in Jesus; the verse does not reduce abiding to a technique for measurable success.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
The singular fruit introduces a coordinated list within Paul's contrast between flesh and Spirit.
Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Righteous fruit comes through Jesus Christ and reaches its stated goal in God's glory and praise.
Down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
The closing vision returns the noun to abundant tree produce within the renewed city's life and healing.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Greek word. Concrete harvest-results, whether literal produce or spiritual works flowing from character and obedience.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 66 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
fruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read versefruit, result, gain
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 6 selected witnesses from 66 lexical occurrence verses.
καρπός is built from this root:
Represents visible evidence of repentance and life. Luke 13:6–9
Represents outward evidence of inward repentance. Luke 3:7–14
Represents observable moral evidence. Luke 6:43–45
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
G2590 asks a contextual question: what is being produced, by whom, from what source, and toward what end? Matthew 7 uses fruit for discernment, John 15 roots fruit-bearing in union with Christ, and Galatians 5 names the fruit of the Spirit. Yet the same noun can describe crops, a child or descendant, praise, financial benefit, ministry result, righteousness, and the tree of life.
A faithful sermon should not make every occurrence say "character" or turn fruit into a simple metric for attendance, income, influence, or conversions. Where Scripture does use the image morally, it calls for sustained outcomes consistent with repentance, life in Christ, wisdom, and the Spirit rather than religious appearance alone.
Gal.5.22
Sixty-six noun forms occupy five morphology patterns: accusative singular is most common, followed by accusative plural, nominative singular, genitive plural, and genitive singular. Singular grammar in Galatians 5 is worth observing, but it should not carry conclusions that exceed Paul's syntax and argument. Genitive constructions such as fruit of the Spirit, light, righteousness, or lips must be interpreted in their own clauses.
Genesis joins fruitfulness to created blessing, while Israel's vineyard imagery can expose failed justice and righteousness. Those themes illuminate New Testament fruit language, especially in Jesus' vineyard teachings, but each New Testament passage must identify its own fruit rather than inherit every feature of an Old Testament image.
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain