But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.
But in the seventh year, you must let your land rest and remain unplanted, so that the poor among your people can gather and eat whatever grows naturally. Whatever the poor don't take, the wild animals can eat. You should do the same thing with your vineyards and olive groves.
God is commanding His people to let their farmland rest every seventh year, creating a natural harvest that belongs to the poor and hungry.
📚 Historical Context
In the Book of Exodus, God was giving the Israelites a set of laws through Moses as they journeyed from Egypt toward the Promised Land, establishing guidelines for their society and worship. This verse is part of the instructions for the Sabbatical year, a seventh-year rest for the land that mirrored the weekly Sabbath, ensuring the soil could recover and providing natural provisions for the poor and wild animals. It reflected God's concern for justice, stewardship, and the rhythm of creation in an agrarian culture dependent on the land.
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