reap [OE] Reap is something of a mystery. We do not know its origin, and it has no matching words in related languages. A person who seems unwilling to face up to the consequences of their actions may be told that you reap what you sow. This proverbial saying goes back to a verse in the biblical Epistle to the Galatians: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ See also grim.