And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.

EXODUS 23:16KJV
Know the Bible

Exodus 23:16 (KJV)

What does Exodus 23:16 mean?

Exodus 23:16 commands the Israelites to celebrate two specific festivals: the "feast of harvest," marking the firstfruits of their work in the fields, and the "feast of ingathering," held at the end of the year when all their crops are gathered. These festivals are ways for the people to recognize and give thanks for the produce of their land.

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses, giving instructions about their religious calendar as part of the covenant laws. The verse highlights the agricultural cycle of ancient Israel, tying their worship directly to the rhythms of planting and harvesting. These festivals were not just religious events but also community gatherings that marked important moments in the year.

The Hebrew behind Exodus 23:16

  • "Feast" (חַג, ḥag): This word means a festival or pilgrimage feast, emphasizing that these were special, communal celebrations set apart from ordinary days.
  • "Harvest" (קָצִיר, qatsir): Refers specifically to the time of reaping crops, showing that the "feast of harvest" is about giving thanks for the first part of the harvest season.
  • "Firstfruits" (בִּכּוּרִים, bikkurim): This term means the earliest produce gathered, which was offered to God as a sign of gratitude and trust for the rest of the harvest.
  • "Ingathering" (אָסִף, asif): This word points to the final collection of crops, marking the completion of the agricultural year and the "feast of ingathering" as a celebration of abundance.

Why Exodus 23:16 matters

  • Exodus 23:16 clarifies that Israel's worship was closely connected to their everyday work and the land's produce, not just to abstract religious rituals.
  • The verse shows that gratitude and celebration were built into the structure of Israelite society, reminding the people to pause and acknowledge God's provision at both the beginning and end of the harvest.
  • By naming both the "feast of harvest" and the "feast of ingathering," Exodus 23:16 helps readers see the rhythm of the biblical calendar and how it shaped the community's life and faith.

Where else these words appear

“ingathering” Hebrew H614 · used in 2 verses

  • Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

“firstfruits” Hebrew H1061 · used in 16 verses

  • Exodus 23:19 The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
  • Leviticus 23:20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
  • Nehemiah 10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:

“harvest” Hebrew H7105 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
  • 1 Samuel 8:12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
  • Isaiah 16:9 Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.

“sown” 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 21:4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
  • Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.