A trellis is a framework, typically made of wood or metal, used to support climbing plants and vines. While the term "trellis" itself does not appear in the Bible, the concept of supporting structures for plants is consistent with the agricultural practices of ancient Israel and the surrounding regions. The use of trellises would have been familiar to the people of biblical times, particularly in the cultivation of vineyards.

Biblical Context

The Bible frequently uses agricultural imagery to convey spiritual truths, and vineyards are a prominent symbol throughout Scripture. In ancient Israel, vineyards were a significant part of the agrarian economy and daily life. The cultivation of grapevines required careful attention, including the use of supports to ensure healthy growth and abundant fruit production.

Vineyards and Symbolism

Vineyards are often used in the Bible to symbolize God's relationship with His people. In Isaiah 5:1-7, the prophet Isaiah presents the "Song of the Vineyard," where God is depicted as the owner of a vineyard, representing Israel. The vineyard is carefully tended, yet it produces wild grapes, symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness despite God's care.

In the New Testament, Jesus uses the imagery of a vineyard in several parables. In John 15:1-8, Jesus declares, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." Here, the vine represents Jesus, and the branches represent His followers. The passage emphasizes the importance of remaining connected to Christ to bear fruit, much like a vine supported by a trellis.

Agricultural Practices

The use of trellises in vineyards would have been a practical necessity in biblical times. By providing support, trellises help vines grow upward, allowing for better air circulation and sunlight exposure, which are essential for healthy fruit production. This practice aligns with the biblical principle of stewardship, where humans are called to care for and manage God's creation responsibly.

Spiritual Application

The concept of a trellis can also be applied metaphorically to the spiritual life. Just as a trellis supports a vine, spiritual disciplines and practices can support a believer's growth in faith. Regular prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and worship act as a spiritual trellis, providing structure and support for a fruitful Christian life.

Conclusion

While the Bible does not explicitly mention trellises, the principles of support and growth they represent are deeply embedded in the biblical narrative. The imagery of vineyards and the care required for their cultivation serve as powerful metaphors for God's relationship with His people and the spiritual growth of believers.(n.) A structure or frame of crossbarred work, or latticework, used for various purposes, as for screens or for supporting plants.

The Missing Factor in Current Theories
... the moral order is a continuous line from the beginning, that it has had throughout,
so to speak, a basis in the cosmos, that upon this, as a trellis-work, it ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/ii the missing factor in.htm

Conversations.
... The incident in such cases was, of course, a fiction, contrived to furnish points
of attachment for the dialogue"a sort of trellis, constructed artificially ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/cyrus the great/chapter xi conversations.htm

The Cleansing
... You may have a trellis vine rooting so deep in good soil that it needs neither digging,
nor manuring, nor watering: pruning it cannot dispense with, if it is ...
/.../murray/the true vine meditations for a month on john 151-16/the cleansing.htm

How Love Effects the Union of the Soul with God in Prayer.
... only required an application of one thing to the other, so that they may touch,
and be together, as we join vines to elms, and jessamine to the trellis-work of ...
/.../francis/treatise on the love of god/chapter i how love effects.htm

Intrepid Bearing of St. Ambrose in the Presence of the Emperor ...
... considering that this custom had originated either from subserviency or from want
of discipline, caused the emperor to be seated without the trellis work of ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter xxv intrepid bearing of st.htm

June the Eighth the New Birth
... the spontaneous, there is need of the "well of living water, springing up unto eternal
life." When we are born again, ritual becomes helpful trellis for the ...
/.../jowett/my daily meditation for the circling year/june the eighth the new.htm

The Hidden Treasure.
... Such is the material framework which sustains the spiritual truth,"such the trellis
which bears up the fruitful vine: having first gone round it to survey ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/v the hidden treasure.htm

"Let not Your Heart be Troubled"
... They require no support. But the vine entwines about the trellis, and thus climbs
heavenward. So Christ in His humanity was dependent upon divine power. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 73 let not your.htm

Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
... it. These rooms were partitioned off by light wickerwork screens of a man's
height and ending at the top in open trellis-work. From ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm

The Dawn of Mind
... Language formed the trellis on which Mind climbed upward, which continuously sustained
the ripening fruits of knowledge for later minds to pluck. ...
/.../drummond/the lowell lectures on the ascent of man/chapter iv the dawn of.htm

Trellis (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Trellis (1 Occurrence). Psalms 74:5 It seemed as
when men wield upwards axes in a thicket of trees. (See RSV). ...
/t/trellis.htm - 6k

Overrun (4 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To grow or spread over in excess; to invade and occupy; to take possession
of; as, the vine overran its trellis; the farm is overrun with witch grass. ...
/o/overrun.htm - 8k

Tree-top (1 Occurrence)
Tree-top. Trees, Tree-top. Trellis . Multi-Version Concordance Tree-top (1
Occurrence). ... (DBY). Trees, Tree-top. Trellis . Reference Bible.
/t/tree-top.htm - 6k

Trail (5 Occurrences)
... 11. (n.) Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. 12. (n.) Anything drawn
along, as a vehicle. 13. (n.) A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. 14. ...
/t/trail.htm - 9k

Bank (28 Occurrences)
... Songs 5:13); "the marginal rendering is the right one, `towers of perfumes,' ie
plants with fragrant leaves and flowers trained on trellis-work" (Speaker's ...
/b/bank.htm - 26k

Standard (42 Occurrences)
... 5. (n.) A tree of natural size supported by its own stem, and not dwarfed by grafting
on the stock of a smaller species nor trained upon a wall or trellis. ...
/s/standard.htm - 21k

Tremble (92 Occurrences)

/t/tremble.htm - 34k

Trellis: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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