And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

LEVITICUS 19:10KJV
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Leviticus 19:10 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 19:10 mean?

Leviticus 19:10 commands vineyard owners not to pick every last grape or go back over their vines to collect what was missed; instead, they are to leave some for the poor and for foreigners living among them. This law is presented as a direct instruction from God, emphasizing care for vulnerable people in the community.

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses, giving them practical rules for how to harvest their crops. The focus is on generosity and justice, making sure that those who have little or no land—like the poor (those without resources) and the stranger (foreigners or outsiders)—can find food and dignity. This instruction is part of a larger section where God outlines how Israel should live as a holy people.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 19:10

  • glean (עָלַל, ‘ālal): This word means to go over a field or vineyard a second time to pick up what was missed. The command not to glean shows that people were expected to leave behind some of the harvest on purpose.
  • poor (עָנִי, ‘ānî): This word refers to those who are needy or oppressed. The verse singles out the poor as a group to be protected and provided for.
  • stranger (גֵּר, gēr): This term means a foreigner or someone living in the land who is not an Israelite. Including the gēr highlights that God’s concern extends beyond just the native-born community.

Why Leviticus 19:10 matters

  • Leviticus 19:10 clarifies that God’s laws were not only about ritual or worship, but also about everyday fairness and compassion in economic life.
  • The verse reveals that God’s care for the vulnerable is woven into the fabric of Israel’s society, not just left to private charity.
  • By connecting this instruction to God’s own authority (“I am the LORD your God”), the verse shows that social justice is not just a suggestion, but a command rooted in God’s character.

Where else these words appear

“glean” Hebrew H5953 · used in 18 verses

  • Exodus 10:2 And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.
  • 1 Samuel 6:6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
  • Jeremiah 6:9 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.

“gather” Hebrew H3950 · used in 34 verses

  • Genesis 31:46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
  • Leviticus 19:9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
  • Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.

“poor” Hebrew H6041 · used in 78 verses

  • Exodus 22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
  • Psalms 35:10 All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
  • Ecclesiastes 6:8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?

“vineyard” Hebrew H3754 · used in 82 verses

  • Genesis 9:20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
  • 1 Kings 21:2 And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.
  • Isaiah 1:8 And the daughter of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.