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Genesis 26:12
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.

Genesis 41:47
And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.

Exodus 16:29
See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

three years

Leviticus 25:4,8-11
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard…

in the sixth year
The sixth year is significant because it precedes the sabbatical year when the Israelites were commanded not to sow or reap. This timing underscores the miraculous nature of God's provision. Historically, agricultural societies depended heavily on consistent crop yields, and the idea of not planting for a year would naturally cause concern. The sixth year, therefore, becomes a test of faith and trust in God's provision. This concept of divine timing is seen throughout Scripture, where God provides at the exact moment of need, such as the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16).

so that the land will yield a crop
The promise of a bountiful crop is a tangible sign of God's blessing. In an agrarian society, the land's productivity was directly linked to survival and prosperity. The land yielding a crop is a fulfillment of God's covenant promises, where the land of Canaan is described as a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). This phrase also highlights the principle of stewardship, where the land is seen as a gift from God, and the Israelites are its caretakers, responsible for following God's commands regarding its use.

sufficient for three years
This phrase underscores the abundance of God's provision, ensuring that the Israelites would have enough food not only for the sabbatical year but also for the year following it, when they would plant but not yet harvest. This three-year provision is a testament to God's ability to provide beyond immediate needs, ensuring security and stability. It reflects the principle of God's provision seen in the New Testament, where Jesus teaches about God's care for His people, encouraging them not to worry about their needs (Matthew 6:25-34). This abundance can also be seen as a type of Christ, who provides spiritual sustenance and rest for His people, fulfilling their deepest needs.

It shall bring forth fruit for three years.--Better,it shall bring forth produce.This special blessing will be manifested in the abundant crop of the harvest preceding the sabbatical year. Just as at the institution of the weekly Sabbath, when God enjoined abstention from labour, He sent down a double portion of manna every sixth day to make up for the day of rest (Exodus 16:22-27), so He will exercise a special providence every sixth year by blessing the soil with a treble crop to compensate for giving the land a septennial sabbath. As the sabbatical year began the civil year, viz., 1 Tishri, which was in the autumn or in September, the three years here spoken of are to be distributed as follows: (1) the remainder of the sixth year after the harvest; (2) the whole of the seventh year; and (3) the period of the eighth year till the harvest is gathered in from the seeds sown in the eighth year. It will thus be seen that the question anticipated inLeviticus 25:29, viz., "What shall we eat the seventh year?" properly applies to the eighth year, since the requirements for the seventh year are supplied by the regular harvest of the sixth year, and it is the eighth year for which the harvest of the seventh is wanted. To meet this difficulty, one of the most distinguished Jewish expositors of the Middle Ages translatesLeviticus 25:20 : "And if ye shall say in the seventh year 'What shall we eat'" i.e., in the eighth year. It may, however, be that the question expresses the anxiety which the people might feel in eating their ordinary share in the seventh year, lest there should be nothing left for the eighth year, since in all other years the harvest is ripening for the next year whilst the fruits of the past year are being consumed. . . .

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