In general, the term "fruit" refers to the part of a plant that people eat. In the Bible, "fruit" is often used figuratively to refer to the outward actions of a person that reveal his inner character.
* The term "fruitful" describes a person or thing that has a lot of fruit.
* Often in the Bible, the term "fruitful" is used figuratively to refer to having a lot of children or descendants.
* The term "fruitful" can also mean "prosperous" or "effective" or "resulting in many good things."
* Physical, edible fruit usually has seeds inside it that will produce more fruit.
* In a phrase such as "fruit from the trees" or "fruit of the vine," the word "fruit" refers to foods such as apples, grapes, dates, or bananas.
* Often this term is used more generally, as in the phrase "fruit of the land" which refers to everything that the land produces for people to eat, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains.
* In a figurative sense, the fruit or works of a person reflect his inward spiritual condition. Just as a good plant produces good fruit, a person who loves and obeys God will produce good works.
* The Bible lists the fruit that God's Spirit produces in the lives of those who obey him: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.
* It is best to use the general word for "fruit" that is commonly used in the local language area to refer to the edible fruit of a fruit tree.
* Depending on the context, the term "fruitful" could be translated as "producing much spiritual fruit" or "having many children" or "prosperous." In most contexts it is best to keep the term "fruit" in the translation of this term.
* The phrase, "fruit of the land" could also be translated as, "food that the land produces" or "food crops that are growing in that region."
* The expression, "be fruitful and multiply" is a command to have children and many descendants. If a literal translation would not give the correct meaning, this could also be translated as, "have many children and descendants" or "have many children so that you will have many descendants coming from you."
* The idiom "fruit of the womb" literally means, "what the womb produces" or "what comes from a woman's womb" and could be translated as "children."
* Another idiom, "fruit of the vine" could be translated as "vine fruit" or "grapes."
* The phrase "will be more fruitful" could also be translated as, "will produce more fruit" or "will have many more children."
* "Fruitful labor" could be translated as, "work that brings very good results" or "work that results in many people believing in Jesus."
* In some contexts, the term "fruitful" could also be translated as "prosperous."
* The "fruit of the Spirit" could also be translated as "works that the Holy Spirit produces" or "words and actions that show the Holy Spirit working in you."
* Note: The singular word "fruit" in English is often plural in meaning, referring to more than one fruit. Many languages would translate this as "fruits" as in, "fruits of the Spirit" or "fruits of the land."
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