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:

NEHEMIAH 10:35KJV
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Nehemiah 10:35 (KJV)

What does Nehemiah 10:35 mean?

Nehemiah 10:35 describes a commitment by the people of Israel to bring the first and best produce from their land and fruit trees each year to the house of the LORD. This act was part of their renewed promise to honor God by supporting the temple and its worship.

This verse comes from a moment when the returned exiles, led by Nehemiah, are making a public agreement to follow God's law more faithfully. The leaders and people are pledging specific actions, including bringing the "firstfruits" as an offering, which was an ancient practice showing gratitude and dependence on God for their harvests.

The Hebrew behind Nehemiah 10:35

  • "Firstfruits" (בִּכּוּרִים, bikkurim): This word refers to the first and best part of the harvest. Bringing these to the temple was a way of recognizing that everything ultimately comes from God.
  • "Ground" (אֲדָמָה, adamah): This term means the soil or land, emphasizing that the offerings were not just from fruit trees but from all cultivated land.
  • "House" (בַּיִת, bayit): In this context, this word refers specifically to the temple, the central place of worship for Israel.
  • "LORD" (יְהוָה, YHWH): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, highlighting that these offerings were directed to the God of Israel, not just any deity.

Why Nehemiah 10:35 matters

  • Nehemiah 10:35 clarifies that the people's commitment was not just general devotion but included practical, ongoing support for temple worship through their agricultural produce.
  • The verse shows the importance of community responsibility in Israel’s faith, as everyone was expected to participate in these offerings year after year.
  • This promise connects to the larger covenant renewal in Nehemiah, where the people are taking concrete steps to restore their relationship with God after returning from exile.

Where else these words appear

“firstfruits” Hebrew H1061 · used in 16 verses

  • Exodus 23:16 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.
  • Leviticus 23:17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.
  • 2 Kings 4:42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

“fruit” Hebrew H6529 · used in 107 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.
  • Nehemiah 10:37 And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
  • Isaiah 37:31 And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward: