Leviticus 19:25 kjv
And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:25 nkjv
And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:25 niv
But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:25 esv
But in the fifth year you may eat of its fruit, to increase its yield for you: I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:25 nlt
Finally, in the fifth year you may eat the fruit. If you follow this pattern, your harvest will increase. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19 25 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:3-5 | If you walk in my statutes... then I will give you your rains in their season... and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. | Blessings for obedience; land yields fruit |
| Deut 28:1-2 | If you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God... all these blessings shall come upon you... | General principle of blessings for obedience |
| Prov 3:9-10 | Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty... | Honoring God with firstfruits brings abundance |
| Mal 3:10-12 | Bring the full tithe into the storehouse... see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. | Obedience in giving leads to overflowing blessing |
| 2 Cor 9:6 | The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. | Sowing generously (giving to God) brings greater yield |
| Luke 6:38 | Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. | Principle of generous giving and return |
| James 5:7-8 | Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. | Patience and waiting for the Lord's timing and fruit |
| Matt 6:33 | But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. | Prioritizing God leads to provision |
| Exod 23:19 | The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the LORD your God. | Firstfruits belonging to God |
| Num 18:12-13 | All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the LORD, I give to you. Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. | Firstfruits as God's portion and priests' provision |
| Deut 14:22-23 | You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year... you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose... that you may learn to fear the LORD. | Tithing of produce, for worship and learning |
| Lev 19:23-24 | When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree... its fruit will be forbidden to you for three years... In the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. | Immediate context: pre-requisite years for fruit |
| Lev 25:3-4 | For six years you may sow your field and for six years prune your vineyard... but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land... | Sabbatical cycles for the land, rest and reliance on God |
| Phil 4:19 | And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. | God's abundant supply |
| Ps 24:1 | The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. | God's ownership of all creation, including the land and its yield |
| Col 3:23-24 | Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. | Serving God in work brings reward and blessing |
| Heb 10:35-36 | Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. | Endurance and obedience lead to promised rewards |
| Rom 11:16 | If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. | Principle of consecration, initial purity makes all pure |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. | God's working all things for good in obedience |
| Gen 8:22 | While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. | God's promise of the natural cycle of agriculture |
| Isa 55:10-11 | For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout... so shall my word be... it shall accomplish that which I purpose. | God's word (and commands) leading to fruitfulness |
Leviticus 19 verses
Leviticus 19 25 Meaning
Leviticus 19:25 dictates the law concerning the fruit of newly planted trees. After three years where the fruit is considered unfit to eat ("uncircumcised"), and a fourth year where all its fruit is consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD, the fifth year marks the time when the fruit becomes fully permissible for the planter to eat. This eating is permitted "that its yield may increase for you" (ESV/NIV), meaning that through obedience to God's command to delay consumption and dedicate the initial yield, God would bless the Israelites with increased future abundance from the tree. It highlights God's provision and the principle of delayed gratification leading to greater blessings.
Leviticus 19 25 Context
Leviticus 19 is often called the "Holiness Code" (chapters 17-26) and is foundational to understanding God's expectations for Israel. This chapter contains a broad array of laws concerning ethical, social, and religious conduct, all prefaced by the repeated divine injunction: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy" (Lev 19:2). These laws taught Israel how to live distinctively as God's covenant people.
Verse 25 is part of a specific instruction regarding agriculture, specifically new fruit trees (Lev 19:23-25). It immediately follows the prohibition on eating fruit for the first three years after planting (v. 23) and the command to dedicate the entire fruit of the fourth year as a "holy, a praise offering to the LORD" (v. 24). This specific law ensured patient stewardship of the land, recognized God's ownership of the earth and its produce, and prevented immediate gratification. It instilled a sense of trust in God's provision and consecrated the beginning of the land's fruitfulness to Him. Culturally, it also promoted healthy, mature fruit, as young trees often produce inferior or fewer fruits. Spiritually, it challenged the immediate gratification prevalent in ancient Near Eastern fertility cults by affirming that true blessing and abundance came solely from the LORD.
Leviticus 19 25 Word analysis
- And in the fifth year (וּבַשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית – u-va-shana ha-chamishit):
- and (u-): Connects this instruction to the preceding ones concerning the first four years.
- the fifth year: Marks the culmination of a prescribed cycle. This period of waiting (3 forbidden, 1 dedicated) teaches patience and trust. It signifies God's appointed time for abundance after obedience.
- the fruit thereof (אֶת־פִּרְיוֹ – et-piryo):
- fruit: Refers specifically to the produce of the tree mentioned in verse 23. This is the mature, abundant yield after proper care and waiting.
- shall be holy to praise the Lord withal (KJV translation) / you may eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you (ESV translation - based on Hebrew: לְהוֹסִיף לָכֶם תְּבוּאָתוֹ – lehosif lakhem tevu'ato):
- This is a critical point of difference between translations. The Hebrew lehosif (לְהוֹסִיף) is from the root יָסַף (y-s-f), meaning "to add, increase, do again." Tevu'ato (תְּבוּאָתוֹ) means "its produce/yield."
- that its yield may increase for you: This reflects the direct meaning of the Hebrew. It emphasizes the practical, divinely promised benefit and consequence of obedience to the previous regulations (3 years forbidden, 1 year holy). God rewards faithful patience with abundance.
- holy to praise the Lord withal (KJV): This is an interpretive translation, possibly drawing from the explicit mention of the fourth year's fruit being "holy, a praise offering to the LORD" (Lev 19:24). While the fifth year's abundance is indeed a cause for praise and a sign of God's blessing, the direct Hebrew in verse 25 speaks to the increase of yield for the individual as the outcome. The holiness aspect and praise belong more strictly to the fourth year's fruit. The blessing of increase in the fifth year is a result of observing the holy command.
- I am the LORD your God (אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם – Ani YHVH Eloheikhem):
- I am the LORD: The covenant name of God (Yahweh), emphasizing His personal, relational presence and His authoritative nature as the giver of these laws.
- your God: Highlights the unique covenant relationship with Israel. This formula often appears to underline the divine authority behind a command, a promise, or to reinforce trust and obedience. It assures them that these laws are from their faithful Provider.
Words-group analysis
- And in the fifth year... may eat... that its yield may increase for you: This phrase establishes a divinely ordained progression. Obedience through waiting and dedicating the first yields to God is directly linked to an promised increase and benefit for the planter. It illustrates God's economy of generosity, where deferring immediate gratification and honoring God results in greater long-term blessing. It contrasts sharply with seeking immediate profit, highlighting faith over expediency.
- I am the LORD your God: This divine self-declaration functions as both an assertion of authority for the command and a powerful assurance of divine reliability and benevolent intent. It grounds the seemingly economic law in the theological reality of God's nature as their sovereign and faithful Provider.
Leviticus 19 25 Bonus section
- Ecological Benefit: The practice of allowing trees to grow for three years without harvesting significantly contributes to the tree's long-term health, root development, and fruit-bearing capacity. This law intertwined practical agricultural wisdom with divine command.
- Polemics against Fertility Cults: In the ancient Near East, immediate yield and fertility were often sought through idolatrous practices associated with pagan gods like Baal. This law directly counteracted such impulses, teaching that true increase and blessing came only from Yahweh, by patiently obeying His statutes.
- Application to Modern Life: The principle extends beyond agriculture. It applies to finances (investing vs. immediate spending, tithing), career (building skills vs. seeking immediate promotion), or even spiritual growth (disciplined study vs. superficial knowledge). God often calls for initial sacrifice or patient development, which then yields greater, lasting fruit.
Leviticus 19 25 Commentary
Leviticus 19:25 concludes a three-part instruction for fruit trees, moving from prohibition (years 1-3, v. 23) to consecration (year 4, v. 24), and finally to consumption for benefit (year 5, v. 25). The waiting period for the first three years allowed the tree to mature, yielding better quality and quantity of fruit in subsequent years, reflecting agricultural wisdom. The dedication of the fourth year's fruit to God ("holy, a praise offering") affirmed His sovereignty and served as a spiritual act of firstfruits. This act transformed mundane produce into a sacred offering and deepened the people's trust. The explicit promise that the fifth year's harvest would "increase for you" is the divine guarantee of blessing for their patience and faithfulness. This isn't just about fruit; it's a profound lesson in patient trust in God's provision. It teaches that delayed gratification and prioritizing God's claim lead to tangible prosperity and reminds Israel that ultimate yield comes from God's blessing, not solely human effort. It counters greed and impulsive desire, fostering discipline and spiritual maturity.