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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
The Biblical Sabbatical Year and Its Implications for Ecology: An Exegesis of Exodus 23:10-11
Author(s)
Daniel Kwame Bediako
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DOI:10.17265/2162-5298/2013.06.006
Affiliation(s)
ABSTRACT
Exod 23:10-12 enjoins
Israel to keep both a seventh-year Sabbath and a seventh-day Sabbath. The
juxtaposition of these two Sabbaths in the text suggests a connection between
the Sabbath and ecology, since rest and nourishment are required both the land
and its inhabitants (i.e., humans and beasts). This article exegetically
analyzes Exod 23:10-12 and suggests some possible ecological implications.
Accordingly, it is argued that while the biblical sabbatical year seems to have
required a rest for the whole land—a practice which may seem impossible
today—in modern times heavily cultivated portions of land could be allowed to
lie fallow. Instead of overusing particular portions of land with the aid of
agro-chemicals, farming systems such as land rotation could fruitfully be
practiced. Such a practice may not only allow cultivable lands regain
fertility, it may also contribute towards the sustenance of the wild including
endangered species. This study may be particularly useful in the African context.
KEYWORDS
Sabbatical, ecology, land, cultivation, trees.
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