Agricultural labour among the Jews ceased
every seventh year. Nothing was sown and nothing reaped; the vines and
the olives were not pruned; there was no vintage and no gathering of
fruits, even of what grew wild; but whatever spontaneous productions
there were, were left to the poor, the traveller, and the wild beast,
Lev. xxv, 1–7; Deut. xv, 1–10. The object of this regulation seems to
have been, among others, to let the ground recover its strength, and to
teach the Hebrews to be provident of their income and to look out for
the future. It is true, that extraordinary fruitfulness was promised on
the sixth year, but in such a way as not to exclude care and foresight,
Lev. xxv, 20–24. We are not to suppose, however, that the Hebrews spent
the seventh year in absolute idleness: they could fish, hunt, take care
of their bees and flocks, repair their buildings and furniture,
manufacture cloths of wool, linen, and of the hair of goats and camels,
and carry on commerce. Finally, they were obliged to remain longer in
the tabernacle or temple this year, during which the whole Mosaic law
was read, in order to be instructed in religious and moral duties, and
the history of their nation, and the wonderful works and blessings of
God, Deut. xxxi, 10–13. This seventh year’s rest, as Moses predicted,
Lev. xxvi, 34, 35, was for a long time neglected, 2 Chron. xxxvi, 21;
after the captivity it was more scrupulously observed.
As a period of seven days was every week completed by the Sabbath, so
was a period of seven years completed by the sabbatic year. It seems to
have been the design of this institution, to afford a longer opportunity
than would otherwise have been enjoyed for impressing on the memory the
great truth, that God the Creator is alone to be worshipped. The
commencement of this year was on the first day of the seventh month
Tishri, or October. During the continuance of the feast of tabernacles
this year, the law was to be publicly read for eight days together,
either in the tabernacle or temple, Deut. xxxi, 10–13. Debts, on account
of there being no income from the soil, were not collected, Deut. xv, 1,
2; they were not, however, cancelled, as was imagined by the Talmudists,
for we find in Deut. xv, 9, that the Hebrews are admonished not to deny
money to the poor on account of the approach of the sabbatical year,
during which it could not be exacted; but nothing farther than this can
be educed from that passage. Nor were servants manumitted on this year,
but on the seventh year of their service, Exodus xxi, 2; Deut. xv, 12;
Jer. xxxiv, 14.
THE YEAR OF JUBILEE followed seven sabbatic years; it was on the
fiftieth year, Lev. xxv, 8–11. To this statement agree the Jews
generally, their rabbins, and the Caraites; and say farther, that the
argument of those who maintain that it was on the forty-ninth, for the
reason that the omission to till the ground for two years in succession,
namely, the forty-ninth and fiftieth, would produce a famine, is not to
be attended to. It is not to be attended to, simply because these years
of rest being known long beforehand, the people would of course lay up
provision for them. It may be remarked farther in reference to this
point, that certain trees produced their fruits spontaneously,
particularly the fig and sycamore, which yield half the year round, and
that those fruits could be preserved for some months; which explains at
once how a considerable number of the people might have obtained no
inconsiderable portion of their support. The return of the year of
jubilee was announced on the tenth day of the seventh month, or Tishri,
October, being the day of propitiation or atonement, by the sound of
trumpet, Lev. xxv, 8–13; xxvii, 24; Num. xxxvi, 4; Isa. lxi, 1, 2.
Beside the regulations which obtained on the sabbatic year, there were
others which concerned the year of jubilee exclusively: 1. All the
servants of Hebrew origin on the year of jubilee obtained their freedom,
Lev. xxv, 39–46; Jer. xxxiv, 7, &c. 2. All the fields throughout the
country, and the houses in the cities and villages of the Levites and
priests which had been sold on the preceding years, were returned on the
year of jubilee to the sellers, with the exception of those which had
been consecrated to God, and had not been redeemed before the return of
the said year, Lev. xxv, 10, 13–17, 24–28; xxvii, 16–21. 3. Debtors, for
the most part, pledged or mortgaged their lands to the creditor, and
left it to his use till the time of payment, so that it was in effect
sold to the creditor, and was, accordingly, restored to the debtor on
the year of jubilee. In other words, the debts for which land was
pledged were cancelled; the same as those of persons who had recovered
their freedom after having been sold into slavery, on account of not
being able to pay. Hence it usually happened in the later periods of
Jewish history, as we learn from Josephus, that, at the return of
jubilee, there was a general cancelling of debts.
every seventh year. Nothing was sown and nothing reaped; the vines and
the olives were not pruned; there was no vintage and no gathering of
fruits, even of what grew wild; but whatever spontaneous productions
there were, were left to the poor, the traveller, and the wild beast,
Lev. xxv, 1–7; Deut. xv, 1–10. The object of this regulation seems to
have been, among others, to let the ground recover its strength, and to
teach the Hebrews to be provident of their income and to look out for
the future. It is true, that extraordinary fruitfulness was promised on
the sixth year, but in such a way as not to exclude care and foresight,
Lev. xxv, 20–24. We are not to suppose, however, that the Hebrews spent
the seventh year in absolute idleness: they could fish, hunt, take care
of their bees and flocks, repair their buildings and furniture,
manufacture cloths of wool, linen, and of the hair of goats and camels,
and carry on commerce. Finally, they were obliged to remain longer in
the tabernacle or temple this year, during which the whole Mosaic law
was read, in order to be instructed in religious and moral duties, and
the history of their nation, and the wonderful works and blessings of
God, Deut. xxxi, 10–13. This seventh year’s rest, as Moses predicted,
Lev. xxvi, 34, 35, was for a long time neglected, 2 Chron. xxxvi, 21;
after the captivity it was more scrupulously observed.
As a period of seven days was every week completed by the Sabbath, so
was a period of seven years completed by the sabbatic year. It seems to
have been the design of this institution, to afford a longer opportunity
than would otherwise have been enjoyed for impressing on the memory the
great truth, that God the Creator is alone to be worshipped. The
commencement of this year was on the first day of the seventh month
Tishri, or October. During the continuance of the feast of tabernacles
this year, the law was to be publicly read for eight days together,
either in the tabernacle or temple, Deut. xxxi, 10–13. Debts, on account
of there being no income from the soil, were not collected, Deut. xv, 1,
2; they were not, however, cancelled, as was imagined by the Talmudists,
for we find in Deut. xv, 9, that the Hebrews are admonished not to deny
money to the poor on account of the approach of the sabbatical year,
during which it could not be exacted; but nothing farther than this can
be educed from that passage. Nor were servants manumitted on this year,
but on the seventh year of their service, Exodus xxi, 2; Deut. xv, 12;
Jer. xxxiv, 14.
THE YEAR OF JUBILEE followed seven sabbatic years; it was on the
fiftieth year, Lev. xxv, 8–11. To this statement agree the Jews
generally, their rabbins, and the Caraites; and say farther, that the
argument of those who maintain that it was on the forty-ninth, for the
reason that the omission to till the ground for two years in succession,
namely, the forty-ninth and fiftieth, would produce a famine, is not to
be attended to. It is not to be attended to, simply because these years
of rest being known long beforehand, the people would of course lay up
provision for them. It may be remarked farther in reference to this
point, that certain trees produced their fruits spontaneously,
particularly the fig and sycamore, which yield half the year round, and
that those fruits could be preserved for some months; which explains at
once how a considerable number of the people might have obtained no
inconsiderable portion of their support. The return of the year of
jubilee was announced on the tenth day of the seventh month, or Tishri,
October, being the day of propitiation or atonement, by the sound of
trumpet, Lev. xxv, 8–13; xxvii, 24; Num. xxxvi, 4; Isa. lxi, 1, 2.
Beside the regulations which obtained on the sabbatic year, there were
others which concerned the year of jubilee exclusively: 1. All the
servants of Hebrew origin on the year of jubilee obtained their freedom,
Lev. xxv, 39–46; Jer. xxxiv, 7, &c. 2. All the fields throughout the
country, and the houses in the cities and villages of the Levites and
priests which had been sold on the preceding years, were returned on the
year of jubilee to the sellers, with the exception of those which had
been consecrated to God, and had not been redeemed before the return of
the said year, Lev. xxv, 10, 13–17, 24–28; xxvii, 16–21. 3. Debtors, for
the most part, pledged or mortgaged their lands to the creditor, and
left it to his use till the time of payment, so that it was in effect
sold to the creditor, and was, accordingly, restored to the debtor on
the year of jubilee. In other words, the debts for which land was
pledged were cancelled; the same as those of persons who had recovered
their freedom after having been sold into slavery, on account of not
being able to pay. Hence it usually happened in the later periods of
Jewish history, as we learn from Josephus, that, at the return of
jubilee, there was a general cancelling of debts.