Exodus 23:10
And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
Original Language Analysis
וְשֵׁ֥שׁ
And six
H8337
וְשֵׁ֥שׁ
And six
Strong's:
H8337
Word #:
1 of 8
six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand); as ordinal, sixth
תִּזְרַ֣ע
thou shalt sow
H2232
תִּזְרַ֣ע
thou shalt sow
Strong's:
H2232
Word #:
3 of 8
to sow; figuratively, to disseminate, plant, fructify
אֶת
H853
אֶת
Strong's:
H853
Word #:
4 of 8
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
וְאָֽסַפְתָּ֖
and shalt gather
H622
וְאָֽסַפְתָּ֖
and shalt gather
Strong's:
H622
Word #:
6 of 8
to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e., remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.)
Historical Context
The Sabbath Year (every seventh year) let land lie fallow—agriculturally sound practice preventing soil depletion. Leviticus 25 describes the year of release in detail, including debt forgiveness and property rights reversion.
Questions for Reflection
- What does extending Sabbath principles to land teach about creation care and environmental stewardship?
- How does the Sabbath Year requirement test faith in God's provision?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof:
The Sabbath principle extends to land—work six, rest one. 'Sow thy land' (תִּזְרַע אֶת־אַרְצֶךָ, tizra et-artzekha) and 'gather fruits' (וְאָסַפְתָּ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָהּ, ve'asafta et-tevu'atah)—normal agricultural cycle. But verse 11 commands seventh-year rest. This is the Sabbath Year (שְׁמִטָּה, shemittah), detailed in Leviticus 25. The land itself needs rest—God's creation care predates modern environmentalism. The seventh-year rest also provided for the poor (v. 11)—what grew wild was public domain. This challenged economic greed: will you trust God for the seventh year without planting? Observing shemittah demonstrated faith.