Leviticus 25:12

Study note

Setting — The Lord addresses Israel through Moses, defining the fiftieth year immediately after commanding the cessation of sowing and harvesting in Leviticus 25:11.

The words — The text identifies the year as יוֹבֵל (yobel), "jubilee," and declares it קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh), "a holy thing." The prepositional phrase מִן־הַשָּׂדֶה (min-hassadeh), "from the field," modifies the verb תֹּאכְלוּ (to'kheilu), "you will eat," specifying the permissible source of food.

The thread — This instruction aligns with Leviticus 25:6, which designates the Sabbath year's uncultivated yield as food for all people. It directly precedes Leviticus 25:13, which commands each person to return to their ancestral property during this same year.

Why it lands — The verse states that the Jubilee year halts agricultural labor and restricts sustenance to naturally growing field produce. It requires the reader to recognize the year's sacred status and to rely on the land's unworked yield rather than active cultivation.

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.