Charles Ellicott Commentary


Charles Ellicott Commentary
"That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather: it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land." — Leviticus 25:5 (ASV)
That which groweth of its own accord. —Not only is every owner of land to desist from cultivating it, but the spontaneous growth of the fields—from seeds that accidentally fell during the harvest, as well as from old roots—is not to be gathered, and no harvest is to be made of it.
Neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed. —Literally, your Nazarite vine, the vine that bears the character of a Nazarite, or of being separated or consecrated to God. As the seventh year is the Sabbath of the Lord, being consecrated to Him, the vine of this year is consecrated to Him. Therefore, the Greek version (Septuagint) translates it “the grapes of thy consecration,” and so too, the marginal rendering “of thy separations.” The passage is also interpreted as “thou shalt not gather the grapes from which thou hast separated and debarred other people, and which thou hast not declared common property.”