Bible Strands
Isaiah 28:25
When he has leveled its surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? He plants wheat in rows and barley in plots, and rye within its border.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Isaiah addresses Judah's rulers during a crisis of broken alliances, using a farming sequence to illustrate how divine instruction governs practical work.
The words — The Hebrew שׁוּיָה (shuYah) literally means "he has leveled," describing the flattening of soil. The verb הֵפִיץ (heFitz) translates as "he scatters," specifying the distribution of cumin seed.
The thread — The listed grains parallel the mixed harvest commanded in Ezekiel 4:9 and reappear as the cumin tithed in Matthew 23:23. The agricultural method mirrors the barley destruction noted in Exodus 9:31.
Why it lands — The text records that a farmer levels ground before sowing distinct crops in designated areas. It requires the reader to acknowledge that orderly production follows deliberate preparation rather than random action.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 4:9 But take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them in a single container and make them into bread for yourself. This is what you are to eat during the 390 days you lie on your side.
- Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
- Exodus 9:31 (Now the flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley was ripe and the flax was in bloom;