Strong’s Greek 4810 designates the edible fruit of the fig tree. In the New Testament it appears four times and is always literal, yet each context carries a moral or theological lesson that depends on the everyday familiarity of first-century readers with the sweetness, nourishment, and ready availability of figs.

Agricultural and Cultural Setting

Figs were one of the earliest domesticated crops in the Levant. They ripened twice a year, provided concentrated sweetness, and were easily dried for winter use. In biblical Palestine a healthy fig harvest meant dependable sustenance; failure signaled hardship. Because the fruit generally appears after leaves, people expected a leafy tree to offer figs, making the fig a natural symbol for integrity between outward appearance and inward reality.

Occurrences in the New Testament

• Matthew 7:16 – “Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
• Mark 11:13 – “He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs.”
• Luke 6:44 – “Indeed, men do not gather figs from thornbushes, or grapes from a bramble bush.”
• James 3:12 – “Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?”

Key Themes

1. Authenticity of Fruit

Jesus uses figs to illustrate that genuine discipleship inevitably produces visible, fitting fruit (Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:44). Just as no one expects figs on a thistle, no one should expect righteousness to spring from an unchanged heart.

2. Warning against Empty Profession

The barren tree episode (Mark 11:13–14) pivots on the absence of figs where leaves promised them. The object lesson exposes hollow religiosity: lush foliage without fruit invites judgment.

3. Moral Consistency

James invokes the impossibility of figs growing on a grapevine to press the need for coherence between speech and spiritual condition (James 3:12). The nature of the plant dictates the kind of fruit; likewise the regenerated heart should yield godly words.

Old Testament Connections

Figs signal prosperity and covenant blessing (“each under his vine and fig tree,” Micah 4:4; 1 Kings 4:25). Conversely, withered figs portend national calamity (Jeremiah 8:13; Nahum 3:12). These twin motifs—blessing for fruitfulness, judgment for barrenness—lie behind Christ’s use of the image.

Theological and Ministry Significance

Fruit as Evidence of Life Biblical faith is not mere assent but living trust that produces tangible obedience. Preachers may appeal to the fig passages to encourage self-examination: Do my actions verify my profession?

Holiness and Hypocrisy Mark 11 underscores that abundant religious activity can mask fruitlessness. Churches are warned that impressive outward growth must be matched by spiritual vitality.

Creation Order and New Creation James’ analogy shows that God’s design in nature supports the moral order. Regeneration implants a new nature capable of bearing new fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Pastoral Application Because figs mature quickly, they illustrate the expected progression from conversion to visible service. Teachers may urge believers to cultivate habits—prayer, Scripture intake, good works—that will ripen into Christlike character.

Summary

Wherever Strong’s 4810 occurs, the Holy Spirit employs the commonplace fig to press home vital truths: the necessity of authentic fruit, the danger of empty show, and the certainty that inner nature determines outward result. In preaching, counseling, and personal devotion, the fig stands as a sweet yet sobering reminder that the Lord seeks real, nourishing evidence of life in His people.