A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
That fiftieth year will be a jubilee year for you: you must not plant crops, harvest what grows on its own, or gather grapes from your unpruned vines.
God is establishing the jubilee year as a special time of complete rest from farming and agricultural work every fifty years.
📚 Historical Context
In the Old Testament, God established the Year of Jubilee as part of the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites, which occurred every 50 years and was designed to promote social justice, rest for the land, and reliance on divine provision. This law required the Israelites to let the land lie fallow, canceling debts and freeing slaves, as a reminder that the earth belonged to God and needed periodic recovery. The verse specifically instructs against any agricultural work, like sowing or harvesting, to enforce this sacred rest and prevent exploitation of resources.
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