Original Word: גִּנָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: ginnah
Pronunciation: gin-naw'
Phonetic Spelling: (ghin-naw')
Word Origin: [another form for H1593 (גַּנָּה - gardens)]

1. garden

garden

Another form for gannah -- garden.

see HEBREW gannah

Word Origin
the same as gannah, q.v.

Overview

The word denotes a cultivated, enclosed garden or orchard used for pleasure, refreshment, and royal display. In Scripture it occurs in settings of festivity, judgment, and intimate communion, offering a multi-layered picture of sanctuary and accountability before God.

Occurrences and Narrative Settings

• Esther 1:5 records the seven-day feast “in the garden courtyard of the royal palace,” a scene of imperial splendor that immediately precedes the fall of Queen Vashti.
• Esther 7:7–8 twice mentions “the palace garden,” the king’s private retreat where Ahasuerus processes the shocking plea of Esther and returns to sentence Haman. The garden thus becomes the backdrop for divine reversal.
• Song of Songs 6:11 places the beloved in a “walnut grove” (literally, garden), highlighting a setting of fertility, beauty, and anticipated fruitfulness within covenant love.

Cultural and Historical Background

Persian monarchs engineered extensive palace gardens irrigated by qanats and populated with exotic trees, flowers, and watercourses. These spaces functioned as political theaters, places of counsel, and symbols of the king’s cosmic order. The Song of Songs reflects a broader Near Eastern appreciation for orchards as idyllic meeting places, yet the Hebrew poetry elevates the botanical imagery into an allegory of covenant intimacy.

Theological Themes

1. Sanctuary and Revelation: Gardens repeatedly serve as liminal spaces where decisive matters unfold—from Eden to Gethsemane. In Esther, the private garden frames a hidden providence that soon becomes public deliverance.
2. Reversal and Justice: Haman enters the garden confident, but leaves condemned. The location underscores Psalm 37:35–36; worldly prosperity can wither in a moment before the righteous Judge.
3. Fruitfulness and Covenant Love: Song of Songs 6:11 links the garden to budding vines and pomegranates, echoing Israel’s agricultural blessings and prefiguring spiritual fruit (John 15:1–8).
4. Kingship and Stewardship: The Persian king uses the garden for self-glory, whereas the true King commissions His people to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). The contrast invites reflection on humble stewardship over God-given resources.

Ministry Applications

• Hospitality: Just as Ahasuerus welcomed “from the greatest to the least,” believers can use home and land to extend grace (Romans 12:13).
• Quiet Prayer Retreats: The palace garden becomes a picture of stepping aside to deliberate. Churches can promote spiritual gardens—literal or figurative—for contemplation and intercession.
• Teaching on Moral Urgency: The swift transition from feast to judgment in Esther 7 urges timely repentance (Hebrews 3:15).
• Marriage Enrichment: Song of Songs situates marital affection within a protected, cultivated environment. Couples are encouraged to guard and tend their relationship as one would a cherished garden.

Christological Foreshadowing

The palace garden, scene of condemnation for the enemy of God’s people, anticipates the Garden of Gethsemane where the greater King shoulders their deliverance. Both gardens witness decisive verdicts, but in the latter the Messiah Himself bears the curse, securing eternal joy in the “paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).

Related Imagery

Eden (Genesis 2–3), Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21), the restored garden of Isaiah 51:3, and the New Jerusalem’s tree-lined river (Revelation 22:1–2) collectively portray the divine intention to dwell with humanity in a cultivated, life-giving environment.

גִּנַּ֖ת גִּנַּ֤ת גִּנַּ֥ת גנת מִגִּנַּ֨ת מגנת gin·naṯ ginNat ginnaṯ mig·gin·naṯ migginNat migginnaṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts