Farming in the Bible

• The man is placed in Eden to cultivate and keep itGen 2:15
  The verses

  Gen 2:15Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
• Cain is a tiller of the soil; Abel keeps sheepGen 4:2
  The verses

  Gen 4:2Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.
• Noah, a man of the soil, plants a vineyardGen 9:20
  The verses

  Gen 9:20Now Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
• Isaac sows and reaps a hundredfold that yearGen 26:12
  The verses

  Gen 26:12Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,
• Ruth gleans after the harvesters: about an ephah of barleyRuth 2:2–3, Ruth 2:17
  The verses

  Ruth 2:2–3And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.

  Ruth 2:17So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. And when she beat out what she had gleaned, it was about an ephah of barley.
• Boaz winnows barley at night on the threshing floorRuth 3:2
  The verses

  Ruth 3:2Now is not Boaz, with whose servant girls you have been working, a relative of ours? In fact, tonight he is winnowing barley on the threshing floor.
• Gideon threshes wheat in a winepress to hide it from MidianJudg 6:11
  The verses

  Judg 6:11Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
• Beth-shemesh is harvesting wheat in the valley1 Sam 6:13
  The verses

  1 Sam 6:13Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
• Israelites go to the Philistines to sharpen plowshares and sickles1 Sam 13:19–21
  The verses

  1 Sam 13:19–21And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.” Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles. The charge was a pim for sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for repointing an oxgoad.
• Elisha is plowing with twelve teams of oxen1 Kgs 19:19
  The verses

  1 Kgs 19:19So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.
• David’s officials over fields, vineyards, olive trees and herds1 Chr 27:26–31
  The verses

  1 Chr 27:26–31Ezri son of Chelub was in charge of the workers in the fields who tilled the soil. Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats. Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the foothills. Joash was in charge of the stores of olive oil. Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon. Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys. Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys. Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks. All these officials were in charge of King David’s property.
• Uzziah, a lover of the soil, has farmers and vinedressers2 Chr 26:10
  The verses

  2 Chr 26:10Since he had much livestock in the foothills and in the plain, he built towers in the desert and dug many cisterns. And since he was a lover of the soil, he had farmers and vinedressers in the hill country and in the fertile fields.
• Solomon plants vineyards and orchards and builds reservoirsEccl 2:4–6
  The verses

  Eccl 2:4–6I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
• Plowing, sowing in rows, and threshing each crop its own wayIsa 28:24–28
  The verses

  Isa 28:24–28Does the plowman plow for planting every day? Does he continuously loosen and harrow the soil? 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. For his God instructs and teaches him properly. Surely caraway is not threshed with a sledge, and the wheel of a cart is not rolled over the cumin. But caraway is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Grain for bread must be ground, but it is not endlessly threshed. Though the wheels of the cart roll over it, the horses do not crush it.
• A farmer waits for the autumn and spring rainsJas 5:7
  The verses

  Jas 5:7Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
• The disciples pick heads of grain walking through the fieldsMatt 12:1
  The verses

  Matt 12:1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
• Seed on the path, on rock, among thorns, on good soil (a parable)Matt 13:3–8
  The verses

  Matt 13:3–8And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
• Workers hired for a vineyard at a denarius a day (a parable)Matt 20:1–2
  The verses

  Matt 20:1–2“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

In the Law

• Sow six years; in the seventh the land restsExod 23:10–11, Lev 25:3–5
  The verses

  Exod 23:10–11For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

  Lev 25:3–5For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD. You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest.
• Rest on the seventh day, even at plowing and harvestExod 34:21
  The verses

  Exod 34:21Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and harvesting, you must rest.
• Leave the edges of the field and the fallen grapes for the poorLev 19:9–10
  The verses

  Lev 19:9–10When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
• A forgotten sheaf is left for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widowDeut 24:19–21
  The verses

  Deut 24:19–21If you are harvesting in your field and forget a sheaf there, do not go back to get it. It is to be left for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, you must not go over the branches again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you must not go over the vines again. What remains will be for the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow.
• No two kinds of seed; no ox and donkey yoked togetherLev 19:19, Deut 22:9–10
  The verses

  Lev 19:19You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.

  Deut 22:9–10Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; if you do, the entire harvest will be defiled—both the crop you plant and the fruit of your vineyard. Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.
• The fruit of a newly planted tree is not eaten for three yearsLev 19:23–25
  The verses

  Lev 19:23–25When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
• Making good for straying livestock or a field fireExod 22:5–6
  The verses

  Exod 22:5–6If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and allows them to stray so that they graze in someone else’s field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard. If a fire breaks out and spreads to thornbushes so that it consumes stacked or standing grain, or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make full restitution.
• Eat your fill in a neighbor’s vineyard, but fill no basketDeut 23:24–25
  The verses

  Deut 23:24–25When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket. When you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck the heads of grain with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
• Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grainDeut 25:4
  The verses

  Deut 25:4Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
• A man who has not yet enjoyed his new vineyard goes home from warDeut 20:6
  The verses

  Deut 20:6Has any man planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy its fruit? Let him return home, or he may die in battle and another man enjoy its fruit.

Sayings

• Whoever works his land will have plenty of foodProv 12:11
  The verses

  Prov 12:11The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.
• A slacker’s field overgrown with thorns, its stone wall brokenProv 24:30–31
  The verses

  Prov 24:30–31I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
• Sow your seed in the morning; do not rest your hands in the eveningEccl 11:6
  The verses

  Eccl 11:6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
• Know the state of your flocks and herdsProv 27:23–27
  The verses

  Prov 27:23–27Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation. When hay is removed and new growth appears and the grain from the hills is gathered, the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field. You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you— food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants.
• Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly2 Cor 9:6
  The verses

  2 Cor 9:6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
• The hardworking farmer should be first to share in the crops2 Tim 2:6
  The verses

  2 Tim 2:6The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops.