I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Leviticus 25:21
What does Leviticus 25:21 mean?
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Leviticus 25:21
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God's promise of a miraculous harvest isn't just about abundance, but a direct demonstration of His faithful provision. It shows He's actively "commanding" blessing, not just waiting for it to happen, ensuring there's enough to cover the entire seventh year of rest and beyond.
I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
God is outlining the laws for the Sabbatical Year, where the land is to lie fallow. To address their inevitable concern about survival, He promises a special, abundant harvest in the sixth year that will sustain them through the seventh year and into the eighth. This miraculous provision is God's way of demonstrating His faithfulness and ensuring they can obey His command to rest the land without fear.
Ever felt like there just isn't enough to go around, especially when you're trying to honor God's commands? This verse offers a radical perspective on provision.
God doesn't just passively allow His people to survive; He actively intervenes to ensure they thrive, especially when they are following His instructions.
The Power of God's Word
When the Bible says God will 'command' a blessing, it means He issues a decree. His word is powerful and effective. It's not a suggestion; it's a divine order that brings about the desired result. This 'command' isn't just about making things grow; it's about ensuring the sufficiency of what grows.
Provision for the Sabbatical Year
This promise is directly linked to the Sabbatical Year, a year of mandated rest for the land (Leviticus 25:4-5). It would seem counterintuitive for God to command a year of no planting or harvesting, yet simultaneously promise provision. But God's provision is supernatural. He blesses the sixth year's harvest to sustain them not only through that year's remainder but through the entire seventh year and even into the eighth, until the next harvest.
Imagine the sheer faith required to not plant in the sixth year, knowing you needed food for three years. This wasn't just about a good harvest; it was a spiritual exercise.
The commandment to cease from labor in the Sabbatical Year and the promise of provision for three years served as a profound test of faith for the Israelites.
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Trusting God's Providence
By commanding a year of rest, God was testing whether His people would trust His promise of provision or rely on their own efforts and anxieties. The abundance from the sixth year was a tangible demonstration that obedience to God, even when it seems economically risky, leads to true security.
A Pattern for Obedience
This supernatural provision wasn't a one-off miracle; it was established as a principle. When God asks us to step out in faith, to prioritize His commands over our usual routines or perceived needs, He doesn't leave us stranded. He equips us, often in ways that defy our natural understanding, to demonstrate His faithfulness and power.
Understand the original words
berakah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to God's active, favorable intervention and bestowment of material or spiritual prosperity upon His people. It signifies the source of all provision and the assurance of His covenant care.
This passage parallels the provision for the Sabbatical year by describing a double portion of manna given on the sixth day to cover the seventh day's rest, showing God's consistent care for His people during times of commanded cessation from labor.
Deuteronomy 28:8This verse speaks of God commanding His blessing upon the Israelites' work and storehouses, directly echoing the promise in Leviticus 25:21 that God will 'command His blessing' to ensure provision.
2 Kings 19:29This prophetic utterance uses imagery of eating produce that grew of itself for three years, alluding to the miraculous provision promised in Leviticus 25:21 for times when the land was to lie fallow.
Psalm 37:3This psalm encourages trust in the Lord and doing good, promising that one will 'dwell in the land and be nourished,' reflecting the divine provision promised for obedience to commands like the Sabbatical year in Leviticus 25.
Matthew 6:33Jesus' teaching to 'seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness' promises that all necessary things will be provided, mirroring the principle in Leviticus 25:21 that obedience to God's commands brings about His proactive provision.
pooleLeviticus 25:21: "Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years."
i.e. Give my blessing. Commanding is oft used in Scripture either for the performance of promised blessings, as Deu 28:8 Psalm 111:9 133:3 , or for the execution of threatened judgments, as Isaiah 5:6 Amos 9:4 ; both being acts of God’s providential will, as the command is of his legislative will. For three years; not completely, but in great part, to wit, for that part…
gillLeviticus 25:21: "Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years."
Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year,.... Upon their fields, vineyards, and oliveyards, and make them exceeding fruitful, more than in other years; all fruitfulness at any time depends upon the blessing of God, and follows upon it, but is more visible and observable when there is an exceeding great plenty: and it shall bring forth fruit for three y…
God's promise of a miraculous harvest isn't just about abundance, but a direct demonstration of His faithful provision. It shows He's actively "commanding" blessing, not just waiting for it to happen, ensuring there's enough to cover the entire seventh year of rest and beyond.
God is outlining the laws for the Sabbatical Year, where the land is to lie fallow. To address their inevitable concern about survival, He promises a special, abundant harvest in the sixth year that will sustain them through the seventh year and into the eighth. This miraculous provision is God's way of demonstrating His faithfulness and ensuring they can obey His command to rest the land without fear.
God is outlining the laws for the Sabbatical Year, where the land is to lie fallow. To address their inevitable concern about survival, He promises a special, abundant harvest in the sixth year that will sustain them through the seventh year and into the eighth. This miraculous provision is God's way of demonstrating His faithfulness and ensuring they can obey His command to rest the land without fear.
"I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years." — God's promise of a miraculous harvest isn't just about abundance, but a direct demonstration of His faithful provision. It shows He's actively "commanding" blessing, not just waiting for it to happen…
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Last reviewed October 2026