Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.

DEUTERONOMY 22:9KJV
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Deuteronomy 22:9 (KJV)

What does Deuteronomy 22:9 mean?

Deuteronomy 22:9 tells the Israelites not to plant different kinds of seeds together in their vineyards, warning that doing so would cause both the crop and the vineyard’s produce to become “defiled” or unacceptable. The verse sets a boundary for agricultural practices, linking the purity of the harvest to the way it is planted.

Moses is speaking to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land, giving them laws meant to set them apart from other nations. This command is part of a larger section on everyday life and purity, emphasizing distinctness and order in how the Israelites live and work. The idea is not just about farming, but about keeping things unmixed, reflecting a broader theme of holiness in their community.

The Hebrew behind Deuteronomy 22:9

  • "sow" (זָרַע, zara‘): This word means to scatter seed for planting. The command is not just about what grows, but about the act of intentionally mixing seeds at the start.
  • "seeds" (כִּלְאַיִם, kil'ayim): This word refers to mixtures, especially of different kinds. The focus is on combining things that are meant to stay separate, which is a recurring idea in the law.
  • "defiled" (קָדַשׁ, qadash): While often translated as “defiled” here, this word usually means “to make holy” or “set apart.” In this context, it carries the sense of something being made unfit for ordinary use, possibly because it has become mixed or confused.

Why Deuteronomy 22:9 matters

  • This verse helps clear up that the concern is not just about farming efficiency, but about keeping boundaries and distinctions, which was a key part of Israel’s identity.
  • The use of the word often translated as “defiled” actually points to something being set apart or made unsuitable, showing that the law is about more than ritual purity—it’s about preserving order and meaning.
  • Deuteronomy 22:9 fits into a larger pattern of laws in this chapter that deal with mixing things (like fabrics or animals), highlighting a theme of separation and holiness in daily life.

Where else these words appear

“seeds” Hebrew H3610 · used in 2 verses

  • Leviticus 19:19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

“fruit” Hebrew H4395 · used in 3 verses

  • Exodus 22:29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
  • Numbers 18:27 And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.

“fruit” Hebrew H8393 · used in 40 verses

  • Genesis 47:24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
  • Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
  • Proverbs 3:14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.

“sow” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 11:10 For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs:
  • Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.