Leviticus 25:4
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse reveals that the land's rest isn't just about allowing it to recover; it's a "sabbath to the LORD." This emphasizes that the land, and indeed all of creation, ultimately belongs to God, and we are merely stewards entrusted with its care. It calls us to recognize God's ownership over our resources, not just setting aside a day of rest, but a whole year to acknowledge His supreme authority.
but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage marks a significant shift in the instructions given to Israel, moving from weekly Sabbaths to a periodic, land-focused rest. It introduces the concept of a "Sabbath year" where the land itself is to cease production, mirroring the rest commanded for the seventh day of each week. This divine decree demands a radical trust in God’s provision, as fields are not to be sown and vineyards left unpruned, ensuring the land, and by extension the people, finds rest as a sacred observance to the Lord.
The weekly Sabbath was a day of rest for people and animals. Leviticus extends this concept, but to whom or what?
Leviticus 25:4 establishes a 'sabbath of solemn rest for the land.' This wasn't just about letting the soil recover; it was a profound statement about ownership and dependence.
God's True Ownership
This law declared that the land itself belonged to God. The Israelites were merely stewards, entrusted with its care. By enforcing a year of rest, God reminded them that their prosperity wasn't solely due to their hard work, but to His provision and blessing.
Economic and Spiritual Wisdom
While the immediate benefit was soil rejuvenation—especially important before modern fertilization techniques—the deeper lesson was spiritual. It cultivated a habit of economy and dependence, forcing people to trust God for their provision, just as they did on the weekly Sabbath. It also revealed that absolute ownership of the land wasn't vested in any individual.
The command is clear: 'You shall not sow... or prune.' But what about basic survival? Did God leave them to starve?
The prohibition against sowing and pruning in the seventh year was absolute for typical agricultural cycles, but not for survival.
The Spirit of the Law
Ask a follow-up
The goal was a complete cessation of the normal, profit-driven labor that exhausted the land. This included planting, cultivating, and any activities designed to secure a harvest for the upcoming year. The emphasis was on not working the land as one normally would.
Provision for All
Crucially, this rest did not mean starvation. The understanding was that what grew naturally from the soil's residual fertility, or what was left from previous harvests, was available for everyone. The poor, the foreigner, the servant, and even animals had access to sustenance. This ensured that the land's rest was a blessing for all creatures, not a hardship that led to destitution. It required faith and communal sharing.
Understand the original words
shabbathon · Hebrew Noun
A state of total cessation from agricultural labor, intended to honor God as the owner of the land and to demonstrate trust in His provision.
This passage introduces the concept of the land having a Sabbath rest, mirroring Leviticus 25:4 by requiring the land to lie fallow for one year to restore its fertility.
Deuteronomy 15:1This verse establishes the release of debts in the seventh year, a concept that parallels the Sabbatical year's theme of rest and release from regular obligations.
2 Chronicles 36:21This passage reflects on Israel's exile, stating that the land finally enjoyed its Sabbaths because the people failed to honor the Sabbatical and Jubilee years.
Matthew 11:28Jesus' invitation to find rest in Him offers a spiritual parallel to the physical rest commanded for the land in Leviticus 25:4, pointing to a deeper, soul-satisfying rest.
pooleLeviticus 25:4: "But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard."
No text from Poole on this verse.
ellicottLeviticus 25:4: "But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard."
(4) The seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest. —Literally, the seventh year shall be a rest of solemn resting, or a sabbath of sabbaths. For the import of this phrase see Note on Leviticus 16:31 . Like the weekly sabbath, the seventh year is to be the Lord’s sabbath. The soil is therefore to have a perfect rest. Thou shalt neithe…
This verse reveals that the land's rest isn't just about allowing it to recover; it's a "sabbath to the LORD." This emphasizes that the land, and indeed all of creation, ultimately belongs to God, and we are merely stewards entrusted with its care. It calls us to recognize God's ownership over our resources, not just setting aside a day of rest, but a whole year to acknowledge His supreme authority.
This passage marks a significant shift in the instructions given to Israel, moving from weekly Sabbaths to a periodic, land-focused rest. It introduces the concept of a "Sabbath year" where the land itself is to cease production, mirroring the rest commanded for the seventh day of each week. This divine decree demands a radical trust in God’s provision, as fields are not to be sown and vineyards left unpruned, ensuring the land, and by extension the people, finds rest as a sacred observance to the Lord.
This passage marks a significant shift in the instructions given to Israel, moving from weekly Sabbaths to a periodic, land-focused rest. It introduces the concept of a "Sabbath year" where the land itself is to cease production, mirroring the rest commanded for the seventh day of each week. This divine decree demands a radical trust in God’s provision, as fields are not to be sown and vineyards left unpruned, ensuring the land, and by extension the people, finds rest as a sacred observance to the Lord.
"but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard." — This verse reveals that the land's rest isn't just about allowing it to recover; it's a "sabbath to the LORD." This emphasizes that the land, and indeed all of creation, ultimately belongs to God, an…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
