Original Word: טָרָף
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: taraph
Pronunciation: tah-raf'
Phonetic Spelling: (taw-rawf')
KJV: pluckt off
NASB: freshly picked
Word Origin: [from H2963 (טָּרַף - tear)]

1. recently torn off, i.e. fresh

pluckt off

From taraph; recently torn off, i.e. Fresh -- pluckt off.

see HEBREW taraph

Word Origin
from taraph
Definition
fresh-plucked
NASB Translation
freshly picked (1).

טָרָף adjective fresh-plucked (Aramaic , טַרְמָּא fresh leaf) — עֲלֵה זַיִת טָרָף Genesis 8:11 (J) a fresh-plucked olive leaf.

Occurrence and Translation

The word appears a single time, in Genesis 8:11, where the Berean Standard Bible renders it “a freshly picked olive leaf.” It describes the condition of the leaf brought by the dove to Noah after the Flood.

Historical Setting

After one hundred fifty days of judgment and a season of gradual recession, Noah released birds to test whether the earth was habitable. The dove’s return with the leaf gave empirical proof that vegetation had re-emerged and that God’s wrath had subsided. In the Ancient Near Eastern world, olives were among the earliest cultivated trees; their reappearance signaled agricultural normalcy and economic recovery for Noah’s family, the sole survivors of a global catastrophe.

Symbolism within the Flood Narrative

1. Reversal of Curse: The leaf announces that the waters of judgment have retreated, prefiguring the wider covenant of Genesis 9.
2. Promise of Peace: A dove carrying an olive leaf has become an enduring emblem of peace. The biblical origin roots that symbolism in divine initiative rather than human diplomacy.
3. New Creation: Just as the Spirit hovered over the primordial waters in Genesis 1:2, the dove hovers over post-Flood waters bearing evidence of new life, hinting at a recreated world under God’s blessing.

Olive Imagery across Scripture

• Psalm 52:8 – “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God.”
• Jeremiah 11:16 – Israel likened to “a thriving olive tree with beautiful fruit.”
• Zechariah 4:11-14 – Two olive trees supply oil, symbolizing Spirit-empowered witness.
• Romans 11:17-24 – Natural and wild branches grafted into the same olive root, illustrating the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ.

The single “freshly picked” leaf stands at the headwaters of this rich theme, introducing the olive as a marker of covenant life, Spirit supply, and enduring fruitfulness.

Dove Imagery and the Spirit

The dove reappears when the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus at His baptism (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32). The Flood narrative therefore establishes an early linkage: dove + water + new era. In each case the dove signals the close of judgment and the dawn of redemptive blessing.

Ministry Applications

• Assurance after Crisis: Just as Noah awaited tangible evidence of God’s mercy, believers today can look for “fresh leaves” in seasons of trial—small but unmistakable tokens of divine faithfulness.
• Messengers of Hope: The dove’s mission models evangelism. The Church is sent out to carry news that “the waters have receded,” proclaiming reconciliation through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
• Cultivating the Olive: Discipleship parallels olive husbandry—long cultivation, steady pruning, and eventual abundant oil that fuels lamps (Exodus 27:20) and anoints priests and kings.

Typological and Christological Insights

The curved beak of the dove grasping the olive leaf foreshadows Christ, who “bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24) and, through resurrection, brought life out of death. Gethsemane, “olive press,” underscores that salvation’s peace flowed from the crushing of the true Olive Branch (Isaiah 11:1).

Eschatological Resonance

Revelation 22:2 speaks of leaves that bring “healing of the nations.” The single leaf in Genesis anticipates the full harvest of the new Jerusalem, where no flood of judgment will ever threaten again (Revelation 22:3).

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Faithfulness — God remembers and restores.
2. Creation Renewal — Judgment is not His final word.
3. Spirit-Empowered Witness — Carriers of life to a world under water.
4. Universal Peace — From one family saved through water to all nations healed by the Lamb.

Homiletical Suggestions

• “A Leaf of Proof” – God gives concrete signs of invisible grace.
• “From Flood to Flourish” – Transitioning from survival to revival.
• “Carrying the Olive Leaf” – The believer’s role as herald of reconciliation.

Conclusion

Though occurring only once, טָרָף serves as a hinge between judgment and restoration, inaugurating a thread of olive and dove imagery that weaves through Scripture and culminates in the everlasting peace of the new creation.

טָרָ֣ף טרף ṭā·rāp̄ taRaf ṭārāp̄Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts