קָצִיר

“Harvest” in Hebrew is Katzir (קָצִיר), pronounced “ka-TSIR.” Katzir comes from the root ק-צ-ר (qof-tsade-resh), meaning 'to cut, to reap, to harvest.' It literally describes the act of cutting grain at the moment of ripeness — the decisive action that turns labor into provision.

Katzir (קָצִיר) means “Harvest, reaping” in Biblical Hebrew. Katzir appears 54 times in the Hebrew Bible. It describes the grain harvest (Genesis 8:22, Ruth 2:23), the firstfruits offering (Exodus 23:16), the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot (Exodus 34:22), spiritual harvest (Hosea 6:11), and divine judgment (Joel 3:13).

Katzir is pronounced “ka-TSIR.” The word comes from the Hebrew root ק-צ-ר.

Israel celebrated three harvest-connected feasts: (1) Passover/Unleavened Bread — the barley harvest in spring; (2) Shavuot/Pentecost — the wheat harvest, 50 days later; (3) Sukkot/Tabernacles — the final fruit and grape harvest in autumn. Each festival combines agricultural thanksgiving with spiritual commemoration of God's saving acts.

Psalm 126:5 promises that painful, faith-filled investment (sowing in tears) will ultimately produce abundant results (reaping with joy). The agricultural metaphor is precise: a farmer who weeps while scattering precious seed into uncertain soil will celebrate when the katzir comes. God's economy rewards faithful endurance, even when the sowing season is painful.

In Matthew 9:37, Jesus uses katzir imagery to describe the abundance of people ready to receive the gospel. Just as ripe fields need workers to gather the grain before it spoils, the spiritual harvest requires laborers — believers willing to go and gather. It's both an observation and a call to action.