New International Version
Leviticus 19:23
23“ ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten.
Leviticus 19:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, then you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it must not be eaten.
- New King James Version (NKJV)‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“When you enter the land and plant fruit trees, leave the fruit unharvested for the first three years and consider it forbidden. Do not eat it.
Context of Leviticus 19:23
21The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord. 22With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven. “ ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. 24In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. 25But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.
Read all of Leviticus 19Leviticus 19:23 word by word
וְכִי־תָבֹ֣אוּ אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ וּנְטַעְתֶּם֙ כָּל־עֵ֣ץ מַאֲכָ֔ל וַעֲרַלְתֶּ֥ם עָרְלָת֖וֹ אֶת־פִּרְי֑וֹ שָׁלֹ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֗ים יִהְיֶ֥ה לָכֶ֛ם עֲרֵלִ֖ים לֹ֥א יֵאָכֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And when ye shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- into the landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- and shall have plantedנָטַעnâţa‛ · to plantH5193
- all manner of treesעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
- for foodמַאֲכָלma'ăkâl · foodH3978
- then ye shall countעָרַל‛ârêl · be uncircumcisedH6188
- the fruitפְּרִיperîy · fruitH6529
- thereof as uncircumcisedעׇרְלָה‛orlâh · foreskinH6190
- threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
- yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
- shall it be as uncircumcisedעָרֵל‛ârêl · uncircumcisedH6189
- unto you: it shall not be eatenאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
Cross-references for Leviticus 19:23
- Leviticus 14:34“When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mold in a house in that land,
- Leviticus 12:3On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.
- Leviticus 22:27“When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the Lord.
- Exodus 6:12But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”
- Exodus 22:29“Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. “You must give me the firstborn of your sons.
- Jeremiah 6:10To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
- Jeremiah 9:25“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh—
- Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Commentaries on Leviticus 19:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Three years shall it be as uncircumcised - I see no great reason to seek for mystical meanings in this prohibition. The fruit of a young tree cannot be good; for not having arrived at a state of maturity, the juices cannot be sufficiently elaborated to produce fruit excellent in its kind. The Israelites are commanded not to eat of the fruit of a tree till the fifth year after its planting: in the three first years the fruit is unwholesome; in the fourth…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Fruit uncircumcised - i. e. unfit for presentation to Yahweh. In regard to its spiritual lesson, this law may be compared with the dedication of the first-born of beasts to Yahweh Exodus 13:12; Exodus 34:19. Its meaning in a moral point of view was plain, and tended to illustrate the spirit of the whole Law.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23-25For the first three years, they should only prune and cultivate a newly planted fruit tree. This helps the tree grow strong. In the fourth year, people considered all of the fruit the "fitrstfruits" and gave the fruit to God (see Exodus 23:16). People could only eat the fruit in the fifth year.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 23-2523-25. ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised; three years ... it shall not be eaten of--"The wisdom of this law is very striking. Every gardener will teach us not to let fruit trees bear in their earliest years, but to pluck off the blossoms: and for this reason, that they will thus thrive the better, and bear more abundantly afterwards. The very expression, 'to regard them as uncircumcised,' suggests the propriety of pinching them off; I do…Read the comment
Topics related to Leviticus 19:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Leviticus 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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