And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
When you harvest the crops from your land, don't harvest all the way to the very edges of your fields, and don't go back to pick up the grain you missed. Leave those leftovers for the poor and for foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.
God is commanding His people to intentionally leave part of their harvest unharvested so that poor and needy people can gather food for themselves.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Israelite society, agriculture was the backbone of the economy, and God provided these laws through Moses as part of the Mosaic covenant to promote justice and care for the marginalized. This specific instruction was given during the context of harvest festivals, like the Feast of Weeks, to ensure that farmers left portions of their fields unharvested for the poor and foreigners. It reflected God's concern for social equity in a community that was still establishing itself in the Promised Land after the Exodus.
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