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Summary
- Grapefruit is not in the Bible and could not be. It is an eighteenth-century hybrid of the sweet orange and the pomelo, which arose in the Caribbean.
- No biblical writer ever saw a grapefruit, an orange or a lemon. Citrus reached the Mediterranean late.
- Deuteronomy 8:8 lists the seven species that describe the land: wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olive oil and honey.
- The tappuach translated “apple” is probably an apricot or quince, and the fruit in Eden is never named — the apple arrived later, helped by the Latin pun on malum.
- Fruit in Scripture is evidence of what a tree is (Matthew 7:16), and Galatians 5:22-23 gives one fruit in nine parts rather than nine separate ones.
Bibliography (Click to show)
Sources: Scripture quotations from the NIV via BibleGateway (Deuteronomy 8:8; Micah 4:4; 1 Kings 4:25; 7:20; Exodus 28:33; Matthew 7:16; Galatians 5:22-23; Mark 11:12-21; Genesis 3:6). The Caribbean origin of grapefruit as a sweet orange and pomelo hybrid, and the late arrival of citrus in the Mediterranean, follow standard horticultural histories. The identification of tappuach as apricot or quince, and the Latin malum pun behind the apple of Eden, are common in commentary.
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