Deuteronomy 23:25
in Deuteronomy 23When 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When thou comest into thy neighbor’s standing grain, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor’s standing grain.
KJV
When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.
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This verse in Deuteronomy 23
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand - It was on the permission granted by this law that the disciples plucked the ears of corn, as related Mat 12:1. This was both a considerate and humane law, and is no dishonor to the Jewish code.
This site's exposition
When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard
on Deuteronomy 23:24-25
A man passing through a neighbour's vineyard or grainfield may eat his fill and carry nothing away. Clarke points out that the disciples were keeping this law when they plucked grain at Matthew 12:1, so the complaint was about the day.
This site's exposition
you must not put a sickle
The grainfield and the vineyard stood unfenced, so a neighbor on the road could pluck grain or eat grapes by hand. Henry draws from the law a warning against pressing a claim to property over small things. The owner lost little and the poor ate.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Jews say, "This law was chiefly intended in favour of labourers, who were employed in gathering in their harvest and vintage; their mouths must not be muzzled any more than that of the ox when he treads out the corn." 3. It teaches us not to insist upon property in a small matter, of which it is easy to say, What is that between me and thee?
When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour,....
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תָבֹא֙ | tavo' | you will go | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בְּקָמַ֣ת | bekamat | in [the] standing grain of | H7054 → | 10 times |
| רֵעֶ֔ךָ | reekha | neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
| וְקָטַפְתָּ֥ | vekatafta | and you will pluck off | H6998 → | |
| מְלִילֹ֖ת | melilot | ears of corn | H4425 → | |
| בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ | beyadekha | with hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְחֶרְמֵשׁ֙ | vechermesh | and a sickle | H2770 → | |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תָנִ֔יף | tanif | you will wield | H5130 → | |
| עַ֖ל | ʾal | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| קָמַ֥ת | kamat | [the] standing grain of | H7054 → | 10 times |
| רֵעֶֽךָ׃ ס | reekha | neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
כִּ֤יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
תָבֹא֙you will go
tavo'H935 →2568 times
בְּקָמַ֣תin [the] standing grain of
bekamatH7054 →10 times
רֵעֶ֔ךָneighbor your
reekhaH7453 →188 times
וְקָטַפְתָּ֥and you will pluck off
vekataftaH6998 →
מְלִילֹ֖תears of corn
melilotH4425 →
בְּיָדֶ֑ךָwith hand your
beyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
וְחֶרְמֵשׁ֙and a sickle
vechermeshH2770 →
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תָנִ֔יףyou will wield
tanifH5130 →
עַ֖לon
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
קָמַ֥ת[the] standing grain of
kamatH7054 →10 times
רֵעֶֽךָ׃ סneighbor your
reekhaH7453 →188 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
3 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Mark 2:23One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 23:24–25
When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not put any in your basket.
- Matthew 12:1–8
At 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.
- Luke 6:1–5
One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them.
- Deuteronomy 23:24–25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies13
On this verse
About Deuteronomy
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.