Deuteronomy 23:24 kjv
When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
Deuteronomy 23:24 nkjv
"When you come into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container.
Deuteronomy 23:24 niv
If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket.
Deuteronomy 23:24 esv
"If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag.
Deuteronomy 23:24 nlt
"When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not carry any away in a basket.
Deuteronomy 23 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 23:25 | When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck heads… | Parallel law for grain fields, reinforcing the principle. |
| Lev 19:9-10 | When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right to its edges, nor shall you gather the gleanings... Leave them for the poor and for the sojourner... | God's broader provision for the poor through gleaning. |
| Lev 23:22 | When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right to its edges, nor gather the gleanings of your harvest... for the poor and for the sojourner. | Reiterates the gleaning laws. |
| Exod 22:5 | If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, or lets his livestock loose... he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and of his own vineyard. | Context of property damage and restitution, underscoring ownership. |
| Job 24:6 | They reap in a field not their own, and they gather the vintage of the wicked. | Illustrates unlawful taking, contrasting with the permitted eating. |
| Prov 6:30-31 | People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger when he is starving… but if found, he must restore sevenfold… | Thief to satisfy hunger is viewed differently than calculated theft, connecting to need. |
| Matt 12:1-2 | At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath… His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath." | Direct application/defense of Deut 23:25 by Jesus regarding immediate need. |
| Mark 2:23-24 | One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" | Parallel account to Matthew, highlighting the Sabbath controversy. |
| Luke 6:1-2 | On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate heads of grain… But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" | Further parallel account reinforcing the principle. |
| Ruth 2:2-3 | Ruth said to Naomi, "Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor…" So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz… | Example of permitted gleaning for the poor. |
| Deut 24:19-22 | When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf… not return for it. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it bare after you; it shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. | Further detailed laws concerning gleaning/leaving produce for the needy. |
| 1 Tim 5:18 | For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages." | Principle that those who labor should benefit, extends metaphorically. |
| 1 Cor 9:9-10 | For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? | Paul uses the ox principle to argue for support of gospel workers, reflecting the spirit of provision for need. |
| Luke 12:15 | And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." | Warns against greed, which taking more than needed would embody. |
| Eph 4:28 | Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor… so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. | Contrast between stealing and honest labor that provides for self and others. |
| Prov 10:2-4 | Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. | Emphasizes diligence and integrity in acquiring wealth, opposite of illicit taking. |
| Heb 13:5 | Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." | Principle of contentment versus seeking excess beyond need. |
| Deut 15:7-8 | If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns… you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need. | General principle of generosity towards the poor. |
| Lev 25:6-7 | You shall have the Sabbath of the land for food, for you yourselves, for your male and female slaves, for your hired worker… And for your livestock and for the wild animals that are in your land, all its yield shall be for food. | Provision during the sabbatical year, reinforcing shared access to natural yield. |
| Rom 13:8 | Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. | Foundation of ethical conduct: love fulfills the law, including respecting property and providing for need. |
| 1 Thess 4:11-12 | Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands… so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. | Encourages self-reliance and proper conduct rather than presumption. |
| Matt 25:35-40 | For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink… as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. | Highlights compassion for the hungry as a core Christian act. |
Deuteronomy 23 verses
Deuteronomy 23 24 Meaning
Deuteronomy 23:24 grants permission for an individual entering a neighbor’s vineyard to eat grapes directly from the vine to satisfy immediate hunger, emphasizing that such consumption is for personal, momentary sustenance. The verse simultaneously establishes a clear boundary: the individual is strictly prohibited from gathering or taking any grapes away in a bag or container. This balances a compassionate provision for human need with the respect for private property and the prevention of theft or exploitation.
Deuteronomy 23 24 Context
Deuteronomy 23 is part of Moses' farewell addresses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land, recounting and reiterating divine laws. The chapter deals with regulations for community life, including membership in the assembly of the Lord (vv. 1-8), purity in the camp (vv. 9-14), treatment of escaped slaves (vv. 15-16), and ethical behavior regarding prostitution (vv. 17-18), usury (vv. 19-20), and vows (vv. 21-23). Verses 24-25, which include the analyzed verse, conclude this section by addressing matters of personal property and the rights of those who pass through it, specifically concerning food consumption. Historically, these laws shaped Israel's societal distinctiveness, promoting compassion for the needy and a just, communal approach to resource management, in contrast to surrounding cultures which often lacked such humanitarian provisions or held absolute property rights without societal obligations.
Deuteronomy 23 24 Word analysis
- When you come (כִּי-תָבֹא, ki-tā·ḇōʾ): Implies an entry into the field, suggesting a passerby or traveler, rather than a resident landowner. It denotes a casual, not planned, encounter with the produce.
- into your neighbor's vineyard (בְּכֶרֶם רֵעֶךָ, bə·ḵe·rem rê·‘e·ḵā):
- vineyard (כֶּרֶם, kerem): Specific type of cultivated land, where grapes grow.
- your neighbor's (רֵעֶךָ, rê·‘e·ḵā): Emphasizes it is not one's own property, thus invoking a temporary, limited right derived from a shared social code and divine instruction. The term "neighbor" highlights a community relationship.
- you may eat (וְאָכַלְתָּ, wə·’ā·ḵal·tā): A clear permission is granted, signifying a legal and ethically permissible action sanctioned by God's law.
- your fill (עֲנָבִים כְּנַפְשֶׁךָ, ‘ă·nā·ḇîm kə·nap̄·še·ḵā):
- grapes (עֲנָבִים, ‘ănāḇîm): The specific fruit being referred to.
- your fill (כְּנַפְשֶׁךָ, kə·nap̄·še·ḵā, lit. "according to your soul/desire"): This is crucial. It means to satisfy one's appetite or hunger completely, but implicitly within reasonable limits—not to gorge to excess or to waste. It refers to satiation of a present need, not unlimited indulgence.
- but you shall not put (וְלֹא-תִתֵּן, wə·lō’·ṯit·tên): A strong prohibition using the negative particle "lo" with an imperative, forbidding the act of placing or storing.
- any in your bag (בִּכְלֶיךָ, biḵ·ley·ḵā):
- in your bag (בִּכְלֶיךָ, biḵ·ley·ḵā): Literally "in your vessel" or "in your implements." This general term refers to any container (bag, basket, pocket, etc.) used for carrying, gathering, or transporting goods. Its inclusion explicitly forbids the act of taking for storage, future consumption, or commercial purposes.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes": This phrase sets the scene and grants the allowance. It establishes the conditions (entering another's property), the nature of the resource (grapes in a vineyard), and the extent of consumption (to one's satisfaction, driven by hunger). It underlines compassion for the immediate need of passersby.
- "but you shall not put any in your bag": This is the prohibitive clause, setting the boundaries. It prevents abuse of the privilege, ensuring the allowance is for direct, on-the-spot relief of hunger, not for gleaning, hoarding, or engaging in unauthorized harvesting that would infringe on the landowner's rights or commercial interests. It highlights the distinction between a traveler's temporary need and an act of taking for future gain or convenience. This command also serves as a strong polemic against the mindset of excessive gain or disrespect for another's property beyond immediate, permitted consumption.
Deuteronomy 23 24 Bonus section
This law reflects a cultural understanding of hospitality and compassion embedded within the Israelite legal system. While distinct from the explicit "gleaning" laws for the poor (Lev 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut 24:19-22), which mandate landowners leave a portion of their harvest specifically for the needy to collect, Deuteronomy 23:24 applies to anyone (implied: a traveler or passerby, not necessarily destitute) experiencing immediate hunger. This highlights God's comprehensive care that extends beyond just the officially designated poor, encompassing incidental needs. The principle is not about charity after harvest, but about ethical access to food from living plants, preventing what might be perceived as a minor form of theft if no such provision existed, while simultaneously upholding property rights by setting a clear limit on appropriation. It teaches restraint and gratitude: enough for immediate needs, but no more.
Deuteronomy 23 24 Commentary
Deuteronomy 23:24, read alongside verse 25, is a testament to the compassionate and equitable nature of God's law for Israel, balancing individual needs with the rights of private property. It addresses the common scenario of a traveler or anyone passing through cultivated land, experiencing hunger. Rather than having to purchase food or resort to theft, God permits immediate relief. The "fill" implies satiating one's present hunger, aligning with God's provision of sustenance, not abundance or gluttony.
The crucial caveat, "but you shall not put any in your bag," defines the boundary of this benevolent provision. It ensures the landowner's crop is not unduly diminished and distinguishes between permitted sustenance and outright theft or unauthorized harvest. This law implicitly trusts individuals to regulate their consumption by need and reinforces integrity by forbidding misuse of a generous allowance. It reflects an underlying ethos in Israelite society that prioritizes mutual care and justice, distinguishing it from surrounding cultures that may have less regard for the basic needs of the common person or absolute private ownership without a sense of communal responsibility. It exemplifies how divine law could create a fair society, promoting generosity while upholding order.