Original Word: אֹסֶף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: oceph
Pronunciation: oh-SEF
Phonetic Spelling: (o'-sef)
KJV: gathering
NASB: gathering, gathers, pickers
Word Origin: [from H622 (אָסַף - gathered)]

1. a collection (of fruits)

gathering

From 'acaph; a collection (of fruits) -- gathering.

see HEBREW 'acaph

Word Origin
from asaph
Definition
a gathering
NASB Translation
gathering (1), gathers (1), pickers (1).

אֹ֫סֶף noun masculine^{Isaiah 32:10} gathering (on formation compare Ba^{NB 109}) of summer fruit אָסְמֵּיקַֿיִץ Micah 7:1; compare absolute אֹסֶף Isaiah 32:10; הֶחָסִיל ׳א gathering of the locust, i.e. as the locust devours, destroys Isaiah 33:4.

Semantic Scope and Imagery

אֹסֶף conveys the notion of a late-season “ingathering”—the final sweep of produce that follows the main harvest. The term evokes pictures of olives beaten from upper branches, grapes retrieved from remote corners of the vineyard, or grain collected after reaping. In prophetic literature this image becomes a metaphor for what remains when normal supplies have been exhausted or judgment has stripped the land bare.

Occurrences in Prophetic Texts

1. Isaiah 32:10 places the ingathering in jeopardy: “In a little more than a year you will tremble, you complacent women; for the vintage will fail, the harvest will not come.” The impending loss of אֹסֶף dramatizes divine chastening upon Judah’s ease and moral lethargy.
2. Isaiah 33:4 turns the picture ironically against Israel’s oppressors: “Your spoil will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers; like a swarm of locusts men will pounce on it.” Here the enemy’s wealth becomes the “ingathering,” swept up as easily as the final pickings of a field.
3. Micah 7:1 adopts the imagery to lament spiritual barrenness: “Woe is me, for I am like one who, after the summer fruit has been gathered, after gleanings of the grape harvest, finds no cluster to eat.” The prophet feels as empty as a vineyard after its אֹסֶף—an indictment of a society drained of righteousness.

Covenantal Significance

Under the Mosaic covenant, the success of harvests, including the late gleaning, signaled divine favor (Leviticus 26:3-5); failure announced judgment (Deuteronomy 28:38-40). Therefore, the threatened loss in Isaiah 32:10 is more than an agricultural shortfall—it is a covenant warning. Conversely, the seizure of spoil in Isaiah 33:4 depicts the Lord reversing fortunes in favor of Zion after her repentance (Isaiah 33:2, 5-6).

Social and Ethical Dimensions

The ingathering season highlighted God’s compassion for the marginalized. Landowners were instructed not to strip the field bare but to leave remnants for the poor, the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow (Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 24:19-22). אֹסֶף, therefore, reminds readers that divine provision extends through human generosity, and that economic justice is woven into Israel’s agrarian rhythms.

Prophetic and Eschatological Resonance

Scripture frequently casts the last-day judgment in harvest terms (Joel 3:13; Revelation 14:15-16). The prophetic use of אֹסֶף anticipates an ultimate “gathering” when the Lord separates wheat from chaff. Micah’s lament foreshadows the moral vacuum preceding that day, while Isaiah’s oracles hint at a final reversal in which enemies are plundered and Zion is restored.

Christological Perspective

In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of sending laborers into “His harvest” (Matthew 9:37-38). The imagery bridges the physical ingathering of the Old Testament with the spiritual ingathering of believers in the New Covenant. The threatened lack of אֹסֶף in Isaiah 32 underscores humanity’s need for the true Vine (John 15:1-5), whose fruit never fails.

Ministry Application

• Urgency: Isaiah 32:10 reminds modern believers that complacency erodes spiritual fruitfulness.
• Justice: The covenant practice of leaving gleanings challenges the church to prioritize mercy ministries and social equity.
• Hope: Isaiah 33:4 encourages perseverance; the Lord can transform loss into unexpected provision.
• Self-examination: Micah 7:1 calls for honest assessment of sin and confession when spiritual vineyards appear empty.

Conclusion

אֹסֶף is a small yet potent term. It anchors prophetic warnings, underlines covenant ethics, and gestures toward the consummate harvest at the end of the age. For the faithful it is both a call to readiness and a pledge that, in the Lord’s timing, nothing He has purposed to gather will be lost.

אֹ֖סֶף אסף כְּאָסְפֵּי־ כאספי־ ’ō·sep̄ ’ōsep̄ kə’āsəpê- kə·’ā·sə·pê- keasepei OsefInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts