In biblical times, agriculture was a central aspect of daily life and survival, and the process of tilling the land was a fundamental activity for the people of Israel and surrounding nations. Tilling refers to the preparation of soil for planting crops, involving the breaking up and turning over of the soil to make it suitable for sowing seeds. This practice is mentioned in various contexts throughout the Bible, highlighting its importance in both a literal and metaphorical sense.

Biblical References

The act of tilling is first introduced in the early chapters of Genesis. After the fall of man, God pronounces a curse upon the ground, making the task of tilling more laborious for Adam: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). This passage underscores the toil and effort required in agriculture as a result of sin entering the world.

In Genesis 4:2, we see a distinction between the occupations of Cain and Abel, where Cain is described as "a tiller of the ground" . This highlights the role of tilling in the early agrarian society and sets the stage for the subsequent narrative involving Cain and Abel's offerings to God.

The importance of tilling is further emphasized in the laws given to the Israelites. In Exodus 23:10-11, God commands the Israelites to work the land for six years and let it rest during the seventh year: "For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat; and the wild animals may consume what they leave." This sabbatical year, known as the Shemitah, reflects God's provision and care for both the land and the community.

Metaphorical Use

Tilling is also used metaphorically in the Bible to describe spiritual preparation and readiness. In the prophetic literature, the prophets often use agricultural imagery to convey messages of repentance and renewal. For instance, in Hosea 10:12, the prophet calls the people to spiritual renewal: "Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain" . Here, the act of breaking up unplowed ground symbolizes the need for repentance and a receptive heart towards God's word.

Similarly, in Jeremiah 4:3, the prophet urges the people of Judah and Jerusalem to prepare their hearts for repentance: "Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among thorns" . This metaphorical use of tilling serves as a call to remove obstacles and cultivate a heart ready to receive God's guidance and blessings.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near East, tilling was typically done using simple tools such as the plow, which was often drawn by oxen or other animals. The process involved turning over the soil to aerate it and prepare it for planting. The success of crops depended heavily on the quality of the soil and the timing of the rains, making tilling a crucial step in the agricultural cycle.

The biblical emphasis on tilling reflects the agrarian society in which the Israelites lived, where the land was not only a source of sustenance but also a divine gift and inheritance. The land's fertility and productivity were seen as blessings from God, contingent upon the people's obedience to His commandments.

In summary, tilling in the Bible is both a practical agricultural activity and a rich metaphor for spiritual readiness and renewal. It underscores the relationship between humanity, the land, and God, highlighting themes of labor, stewardship, and divine provision.5647. abad -- to work, serve
... 1), rendered (1), serve (141), served (52), serves (2), serving (5), slave (1),
slaves (1), subject (1), till (1), tiller (1), tiller* (1), tills (2), use as ...
/hebrew/5647.htm - 6k

Providence
... Heavenly Father has given to man the power of providing clothes for himself, and
not for himself only, but for others; so that while the man who tills the soil ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xiii providence.htm

Thankfulness to God.
... I. The mastery of man is even more extensive than this; he controls the elements.
The earth he tills and makes it bring forth fruit and corn, as he wills. ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lxiii thankfulness to god.htm

The True Excellence of Man.
... Well, the body tills the ground, and hastes to it; but the soul is raised to God:
trained in the true philosophy, it speeds to its kindred above, turning away ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter iii the true excellence of.htm

How Josiah Fought with Neco [King of Egypt. ] and was Wounded and ...
... for him, lamenting and grieving on his account many days; and Jeremiah the prophet
composed an elegy to lament him, [10] which is extant till tills time also. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 5 how josiah fought.htm

Reigning Grace.
... Secured by grace's conqu'ring reign,. They all shall conquer too. Grace tills
the soil, and sows the seeds,. Provides the sun and rain; ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/olney hymns/hymn 86 reigning grace.htm

Since, Then, as Reason Teaches, we must Repose Faith in Some one ...
... enterprise, why shall not this faith rather be rationally accepted by him who believes
on better grounds than he who sails the sea, or tills the ground, or ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xi since then as.htm

"Weep for Yourselves, and for Your Children. "
... 1 We mourn for those who toil, The slave who ploughs the main, Or him who hopeless
tills the soil Beneath the stripe and chain: For those who, in the race, O ...
/.../adams/hymns for christian devotion/570 weep for yourselves.htm

Internal Affective Prayer of Contemplation Hath Always Been ...
... 6. Now, in his said Apology, he freely and humbly declares That near sixteen years
he had laboured like one that tills the ground without reaping any fruit ...
/.../chapter vii internal affective prayer.htm

Faustus Denies that the Prophets Predicted Christ. Augustin Proves ...
... at his hand. From this earth he is cursed, and so he tills an earth which
shall no longer yield to him its strength. That is, the ...
/.../faustus denies that the prophets.htm

Whether the Particular Punishments of Our First Parents are ...
... Likewise whoever tills the soil must needs eat his bread in the sweat of his brow:
while those who do not themselves work on the land, are busied with other ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the particular punishments of.htm

Tills (2 Occurrences)
...Tills (2 Occurrences). Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land shall have plenty of
bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. (WEB NAS RSV). ...
/t/tills.htm - 6k

Fantasies (4 Occurrences)
... (WEB NIV). Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but
he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. (WEB NIV). ...
/f/fantasies.htm - 7k

Tilling (4 Occurrences)

/t/tilling.htm - 7k

Tiller (3 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) One who tills; a husbandman; a cultivator;
a plowman. 2. (n.) A shoot of a plant, springing from ...
/t/tiller.htm - 8k

Tilon (1 Occurrence)

/t/tilon.htm - 6k

Chases (5 Occurrences)
... Chases (5 Occurrences). Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land shall have plenty of
bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. (WEB NIV). ...
/c/chases.htm - 7k

Plenty (43 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV). Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land shall
have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. ...
/p/plenty.htm - 18k

Void (64 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS). Proverbs 12:11 He who tills his land shall have plenty
of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding. ...
/v/void.htm - 26k

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