STRONGS NT 2874: κόπριονκόπριον, κόπριον, τό, equivalent to ἡ κόπρος, dung, manure: plural, Luke 13:8 (Rec.st κοπρίαν). (Heraclitus in Plutarch, mor., p. 669 (quaest. conviv. book iv. quaest. iv. § 3, 6); Strabo 16, § 26, p. 784; Epictetus diss. 2, 4, 5; Plutarch, Pomp c. 48; (Isaiah 5:25; Jeremiah 32:19 (); Sir. 22:2), and other later writings.)

The noun κόπρια/κοπρίαν (Strong’s 2874) denotes the manure-heap or animal dung used as fertilizer. In the agrarian world of first-century Judea, every village kept such piles near fields, olive groves, and vineyards. Dung was mixed with straw and soil, then spread by hand or fork to enrich ground that was otherwise too thin to bear sustained crops. Because most homes relied on their own small plots for food, the manure pile symbolized both patient cultivation and homely necessity.

Agricultural Imagery in Luke 13:8

The vineyard keeper in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree offers to “dig around it and fertilize it” (Luke 13:8). By invoking κόπρια, Jesus highlights three ideas:

1. Patient mercy. The owner’s judgment is delayed while ordinary, messy means of renewal are applied.
2. Personal labor. The keeper himself will dig and spread manure, illustrating the costly, hands-on nature of intercession.
3. Hope of fruitfulness. Manure was not waste to be discarded but a resource deliberately invested, teaching that repentance can still yield fruit before final judgment.

Instructional Warning in Luke 14:35

Speaking of salt that has lost its savor, Jesus concludes, “It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out” (Luke 14:35). The contrast of useless salt with useful dung is striking. Even refuse can nurture life, but a disciple who abandons true allegiance becomes less serviceable than manure. The warning moves from agriculture to discipleship: a life devoid of transformative influence forfeits its place in God’s economy.

Theological Themes

Fruitfulness versus barrenness: Manure imagery underlines God’s expectation that grace received must yield visible fruit (Galatians 5:22-23; James 2:17).

Grace before judgment: The interval granted to the fig tree exemplifies divine longsuffering (2 Peter 3:9).

Servant participation: The vineyard keeper models pastoral ministry that labors for growth in others (Colossians 1:28-29).

Historical Reception

Early Christian writers saw κόπρια as a token of humility. Chrysostom noted that the lowliness of manure in Luke 13:8 mirrors Christ’s own condescension for our renewal. Medieval commentators applied the figure to preaching and sacramental life, the “fertilizer” by which God works repentance in the church.

Practical Ministry Implications

Pastors and believers are called to:

• Invest patient, sometimes unglamorous work in struggling souls.
• Recognize that God often employs humble means—teaching, rebuke, daily obedience—to enrich lives.
• Warn that persistent barrenness invites removal, just as salt without savor is discarded.

Intertextual Echoes

Old Testament passages speak of dung in judgment (Jeremiah 8:2) and agricultural blessing (Ezekiel 36:9-11). These backgrounds enrich Jesus’ teaching: dung can signify both defilement and the very agent by which barren soil becomes fruitful, mirroring the dual themes of judgment and restoration.

Summary

Strong’s 2874 portrays manure not merely as refuse but as a vital instrument of growth and a vivid moral metaphor. In two Lukan sayings, Jesus leverages the everyday dung-heap to proclaim divine patience, the urgency of repentance, and the necessity that disciples remain useful for God’s redemptive purposes.