And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:

LEVITICUS 25:20KJV
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Leviticus 25:20 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 25:20 mean?

Leviticus 25:20 shows the Israelites’ concern about what they would eat during the seventh year, when God commanded them not to plant or gather crops. The verse records their question about survival when they are not allowed to farm or harvest as usual.

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites through Moses, explaining the rules for the sabbatical year—a year of rest for the land every seventh year. The people are worried about food because the command is to neither sow (plant) nor gather (harvest) during that year. This question sets up God’s promise in the following verses that He will provide for them if they trust and obey.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 25:20

  • "Say" (אָמַר, ’amar): This word means to speak or ask. Here, it shows the Israelites voicing a real, practical concern to God about their needs.
  • "Eat" (אָכַל, ’akal): This word means to consume food. The focus is on daily survival, not luxury.
  • "Seventh" (שְּׁבִיעִי, shevi‘i): This word marks the specific year of rest, highlighting the cycle God set for the land.
  • "Sow" (זָרַע, zara‘): This means to plant seeds. The command not to sow emphasizes complete rest for the land.
  • "Gather" (אָסַף, ’asaf): This means to collect or bring in crops. The Israelites are not to gather any harvest, even what grows on its own.
  • "Increase" (תְּבוּאָה, tevu’ah): This word refers to the produce or yield of the land. The concern is about the usual harvest that sustains them.

Why Leviticus 25:20 matters

  • Leviticus 25:20 highlights the Israelites’ natural anxiety about obeying a command that seems risky, showing that God anticipates their fears and addresses them directly.
  • The verse connects to the larger context of trusting God’s provision, especially when obedience means giving up control over basic needs like food.
  • This question sets up the reassurance in the following verses, where God promises a special blessing to cover their needs during the sabbatical year, making the command not just a rule but a test of faith and dependence.

Where else these words appear

“increase” 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 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
  • 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 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.

“seventh” Hebrew H7637 · used in 94 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • Leviticus 23:16 Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
  • 1 Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.