Leviticus 25:4

But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
seventh	הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת ha.she.vi.'It	H7637	seventh · definite article + ordinal number, feminine singular absolute
year	וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה u.va.sha.Nah	H8141	a year (as a revolution of time) · conjunction + preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sabbath	שַׁבַּ֤ת sha.Bat	H7676	intermission · noun, common feminine singular construct
rest	שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ sha.ba.tOn	H7677	a sabbatism or special holiday · noun, common masculine singular absolute
land	לָאָ֔רֶץ la.'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
sabbath	שַׁבָּ֖ת sha.Bat	H7676	intermission · noun, common feminine singular absolute
LORD	לַיהוָ֑ה la.Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
sow	תִזְרָ֔ע tiz.Ra'	H2232	to sow · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
field	שָֽׂדְךָ֙ sa.de.Kha	H7704	a field (as flat) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
prune	תִזְמֹֽר tiz.Mor	H2168	to trim (a vine) · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
vineyard	וְכַרְמְךָ֖ ve.khar.me.Kha	H3754	a garden or vineyard · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Leviticus 25:20-23 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept s…
Exodus 23:10-11 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
Leviticus 26:34-35 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies’ land; even then shall the land rest, and en…
Leviticus 26:43 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punis…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 25:1-7

The law of Moses laid a great deal of stress upon the sabbath, the sanctification of which was the earliest and most ancient of all divine institutions, designed for the keeping up of the knowledge and worship of the Creator among men; that law not only revived the observance of the weekly sabbath, but, for the further advancement of the honour of them, added the institution of a sabbatical year: In the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, Lev 25:4. And hence the Jews collect that vulgar tradition that after the world has stood six thousand years (a thousand years being to God as one day) it shall cease, and the eternal sabbath shall succeed - a weak foundation on which to…

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Adam Clarke on Leviticus 25:2

The land keep a Sabbath - See this ordinance explained, Exo 23:11 (note). It may be asked here: if it required all the annual produce of the field to support the inhabitants, how could the people be nourished the seventh year, when no produce was received from the fields? To this it may be answered, that God sent his blessing in an especial manner on the sixth year, (see Lev 25:21, Lev 25:22), and it brought forth fruit for three years. How astonishing and convincing was this miracle! Could there possibly be any deception here? No! The miracle speaks for itself, proves the Divine authenticity of the law, and takes every prop and stay from the system that wishes to convict the Mosaic ordinanc…

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John Gill on Leviticus 25:4

But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land,.... From all tillage of it, from planting and cultivating any sort of trees in it; and even from digging pits, ditches; and caves, as say the Jewish writers (m): and this was typical of that rest which believers enter into under the Gospel dispensation, and of the rest in the new Jerusalem state, and especially in the ultimate glory; not only from the labours of the body, but of the mind, through sin, Satan, doubts and fears, and through conflicts with various enemies, and when even all spiritual labours and services will be at an end but that of praise: a sabbath for the Lord; for his honour and glory, to ascertain his prope…

The Church Fathers

So do we now understand how the law educates us in piety, sharing, justice and humanity? Well? Does it not enjoin that the land lie fallow through the seventh year and invites the poor not to be afraid to use any crops that grow by God's grace, nature acting as farmer for any who will?
— Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 2

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Agriculture — Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession…
Festivals, Religious — There were daily (Lev. 23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular (Num. 28:1-8; Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:8-23; Ex. 30:7-9;…
Law of Moses — Is the whole body of the Mosaic legislation (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 23:25; Ezra 3:2). It is called by way of eminence simply “the Law” (Heb. Torah, Deut. 1:5; 4:8, 44; 17:18, 19; 27:3, 8). As a written…
Sabbatical year — Every seventh year, during which the land, according to the law of Moses, had to remain uncultivated (Lev. 25:2-7; comp. Ex. 23:10, 11, 12; Lev. 26:34, 35). Whatever grew of itself during that year…
Seven — This number occurs frequently in Scripture, and in such connections as lead to the supposition that it has some typical meaning. On the seventh day God rested, and hallowed it (Gen. 2:2, 3). The…
Agriculture · LAWS CONCERNING — LAWS CONCERNING
Feast Of Sabbatical Year, The · Kept every seventh year — Kept every seventh year
Holiday · One year in seven — One year in seven
Holy Land · A sabbath of rest appointed for — A sabbath of rest appointed for
Pruning · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Sanitation · REST COMMAN — REST COMMAN

Leviticus 25:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 25:1-7

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 25:2

John Gill on Leviticus 25:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Leviticus 25:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Leviticus 25:1-7

Adam Clarke on Leviticus 25:2

John Gill on Leviticus 25:4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on Leviticus 25:1-7

Keil & Delitzsch on Leviticus 25:2-4

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Leviticus 25:4

Rashi on Leviticus 25:4