Deuteronomy 22:9

Translation
King James Version
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Thou shalt not sow H2232 thy vineyard H3754 with divers seeds H3610: lest the fruit H4395 of thy seed H2233 which thou hast sown H2232, and the fruit H8393 of thy vineyard H3754, be defiled H6942.
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Complete Jewish Bible
"You are not to sow two kinds of seed between your rows of vines; if you do, both the two harvested crops and the yield from the vines must be forfeited.
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Berean Standard Bible
Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; if you do, the entire harvest will be defiled—both the crop you plant and the fruit of your vineyard.
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American Standard Version
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest the whole fruit be forfeited, the seed which thou hast sown, and the increase of the vineyard.
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World English Bible Messianic
You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, lest all of the fruit be defiled, the seed which you have sown, and the increase of the vineyard.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with diuers kinds of seedes, lest thou defile the increase of the seede which thou hast sowen, and the fruite of the vineyarde.
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Young's Literal Translation
`Thou dost not sow thy vineyard with divers things, lest the fulness of the seed which thou dost sow, and the increase of the vineyard, be separated.
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See also
Leviticus 19:192 Corinthians 11:3Matthew 9:16James 1:6James 1:8Matthew 6:24James 3:10
In the KJVVerse 5,480 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Deuteronomy 22:9 issues a specific agricultural prohibition against sowing a vineyard with "divers seeds," or mixed kinds, warning that such a practice would render both the sown produce and the vineyard's fruit "defiled." This seemingly simple regulation is a microcosm of a broader divine principle woven throughout the Mosaic Law, emphasizing God's character as one of order, purity, and distinction. It underscores His desire for Israel to maintain holiness and integrity in all aspects of their national and individual life, from their agricultural practices to their spiritual walk, reflecting their unique identity as His covenant people.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Deuteronomy 22 is situated within the expansive Deuteronomic Code (chapters 12-26), a comprehensive collection of covenant stipulations that expound upon the Ten Commandments and apply them to the practicalities of Israelite life in the Promised Land. This chapter, specifically, presents a diverse array of civil, social, and ceremonial laws, often in a casuistic (case-by-case) format, addressing matters from lost property and sexual offenses to various agricultural and sartorial regulations. The prohibition against mixed seeds in the vineyard is immediately contextualized by other laws concerning heterogeneous mixtures, such as the command not to plow with an ox and a donkey together (Deuteronomy 22:10) and the prohibition against wearing garments woven from mixed wool and linen (Deuteronomy 22:11). This deliberate clustering of laws highlights a consistent underlying theological principle: the divine mandate for maintaining distinct categories and avoiding forbidden mixtures, thereby underscoring God's profound desire for order, separation, and integrity within His covenant people.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Ancient Israel was fundamentally an agrarian society, where vineyards served as crucial economic assets and potent symbols of prosperity, blessing, and covenant faithfulness. The agricultural practices regulated by these laws were deeply ingrained in the daily lives of the Israelites as they prepared to inhabit Canaan. The surrounding Canaanite cultures frequently engaged in syncretistic religious practices, including fertility rites that deliberately blurred distinctions between deities, species, and the sacred and profane. While Deuteronomy 22:9 does not explicitly state its purpose as a direct prohibition against pagan practices, these laws on purity and distinction inherently served to set Israel apart from the nations. The concept of "defilement" or "holiness" (depending on the specific nuance of the Hebrew term) was paramount in a society where ritual purity was indispensable for worship and for maintaining a right covenant relationship with Yahweh. These regulations ensured that Israel's agricultural endeavors, like their social and religious spheres, unmistakably reflected their unique identity as God's chosen people, distinct from the chaotic and often morally compromised practices of their neighbors.
  • Key Themes: This verse significantly contributes to several overarching theological themes prevalent throughout Deuteronomy and the broader Pentateuch. Foremost, it powerfully reinforces the theme of Purity and Holiness, emphasizing that God's people, their land, and their practices must reflect His holy character. The prohibition against mixing diverse seeds serves as a tangible expression of the divine call for Israel to be a "holy nation" (Exodus/19-6). Secondly, it underscores Divine Order and Creation, echoing the foundational principle established in Genesis 1, where God created distinct categories "according to their kinds." These laws reflect a profound respect for that divinely established created order, actively discouraging practices that would intentionally blur, corrupt, or violate natural distinctions. Thirdly, it speaks directly to Separation and Distinction, a foundational principle for Israel's covenant identity. Such laws functioned as visible markers, setting Israel apart from the surrounding nations and actively preventing assimilation into pagan practices and ideologies that often celebrated the mixing of categories. Finally, it touches upon the theme of Integrity, promoting the unadulterated nature of agricultural produce and, by extension, the integrity of Israel's covenant relationship with God, free from spiritual compromise or dilution.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Divers seeds (Hebrew, kilʼayim', H3610): This term (H3610) literally translates to "two kinds" or "heterogeneous mixtures." It is a dual noun derived from a root (kala') implying separation or restraint. In this agricultural context, kilʼayim specifically refers to the prohibition of mixing different species or categories of seeds, particularly in a vineyard. It conveys the idea of an unnatural or forbidden combination, emphasizing the divine mandate for distinctness and the preservation of natural boundaries established by God in creation. The consistent use of this term throughout the Pentateuch (e.g., Leviticus 19:19) highlights a pervasive theological principle against the blurring of divinely ordained categories.
  • Be defiled (Hebrew, qâdash', H6942): This term (H6942) is derived from the primitive root qâdash, which fundamentally means "to be holy," "to be set apart," or "to be consecrated." However, in certain contexts, particularly when referring to something that becomes "holy" as a result of being forbidden or dedicated to God in a way that renders it unusable for common purposes, it carries a sense of being "forbidden" or "profaned" for the ordinary Israelite. Here, the mixed produce does not become "holy" in a positive, consumable sense, but rather "holy" in a prohibitory sense—it is consecrated to God and thus removed from common use, effectively "defiled" or rendered unusable for the Israelite. It implies that the mixture itself makes the produce unacceptable or unholy according to God's standards, making it unfit for consumption or benefit. The defilement is not necessarily moral impurity but a ritual unfitness due to the violation of divine order.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds": This is a direct, negative command, a clear prohibition against the specific agricultural practice of interplanting different types of seeds within a vineyard. A vineyard, typically cultivated exclusively for grapevines, was not to be used as a general field for other crops, and certainly not for a mixture of different grains, vegetables, or other species. This clause emphasizes the principle of maintaining the integrity and specific, intended purpose of the land's yield.
  • "lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown": This clause specifies the immediate consequence of disobedience. The "fruit" (produce) of the "seed" (referring to the other, non-vineyard seeds) that the farmer has improperly sown will be affected. This refers specifically to the yield of the mixed crops themselves, indicating that the forbidden act will directly impact the very produce that resulted from the transgression.
  • "and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled": This completes the consequence, indicating that not only the mixed seeds' produce but also the primary yield of the vineyard (the grapes) would be impacted. The term "be defiled" (as elaborated in "Key Word Analysis") signifies that all the produce from this mixed planting would become forbidden or consecrated to God in a way that renders it unusable or unacceptable for the Israelite. The entire yield, both the illicitly sown crops and the legitimate vineyard fruit, becomes ritually impure or profaned for their consumption, effectively lost to the farmer due to the violation of God's established order.

Literary Devices

Deuteronomy 22:9 primarily employs Legal Statute and Prohibition, characteristic of the Deuteronomic Code, to convey a direct and unambiguous divine command. Beyond its literal agricultural application, the verse functions powerfully as Symbolism for a broader theological principle. The act of mixing "divers seeds" in a vineyard symbolizes spiritual impurity, compromise, and a disregard for divine order. Just as the physical mixture corrupts the harvest, so too can spiritual mixtures—such as blending true worship with idolatry, or divine truth with human philosophies—corrupt one's faith and relationship with God. The consequence of the fruit being "defiled" serves as Metonymy or Synecdoche, where the physical state of the produce represents the spiritual state of the one who disobeys, indicating a loss of blessing, acceptance, or purity. Furthermore, the law explicitly uses Consequence as a rhetorical device, clearly stating the negative outcome of disobedience, thereby reinforcing the gravity and importance of adherence to God's commandments.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Deuteronomy 22:9, while appearing to be a simple agricultural regulation, profoundly communicates God's deep concern for order, purity, and distinction within His creation and among His people. It reflects the divine principle that God is a God of order, not chaos, and that His design for creation involves distinct categories, each possessing its own integrity. For Israel, this law served as a tangible, daily reminder that their entire life, including their agricultural practices, was to be set apart and consecrated to Yahweh, free from the syncretism and blurring of boundaries characteristic of pagan cultures. The prohibition against mixing seeds extends beyond the literal, serving as a powerful metaphor for the spiritual imperative to avoid mixing true worship with idolatry, divine truth with human philosophies, or holy living with worldly compromise. It underscores that spiritual integrity requires maintaining clear distinctions and honoring God's established boundaries, ensuring that nothing impure contaminates the sacred relationship with Him.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Deuteronomy 22:9 challenges believers today to engage in a profound self-examination, identifying areas in their lives where they might be "sowing divers seeds"—perhaps unknowingly compromising spiritual purity by blending incompatible elements. This principle can manifest in various ways: attempting to serve both God and material wealth, seeking validation from both Christ and cultural norms, or adopting worldly philosophies that fundamentally contradict biblical truth. The law calls us to a radical, undivided commitment to Christ, ensuring that our faith is unadulterated and our lives unequivocally reflect the distinct holiness of God. It encourages us to cultivate a spiritual "vineyard"—our personal lives, our ministries, our families, and our communities—that yields pure fruit, unblemished by compromise, syncretism, or spiritual dilution. Just as the ancient Israelite farmer was called to respect the integrity of God's created order, so too are we called to respect the integrity of God's truth and His call to separation, allowing His Spirit to produce genuine, pure, and undefiled fruit in us, for His glory.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what specific areas of my life might I be "sowing divers seeds" by attempting to blend incompatible spiritual and worldly principles or values?
  • How does the call for purity and distinction in this agricultural law translate into my daily choices, relationships, and the influences I allow into my life?
  • What "fruit" am I producing in my life, and does it reflect an unadulterated commitment to Christ, or is it "defiled" by compromise or spiritual impurity?

FAQ

Does this law mean I can't plant different vegetables in my garden?

Answer: No, the literal interpretation of Deuteronomy 22:9, particularly as understood by ancient Jewish tradition (e.g., the Mishnah, Kil'ayim 4:1-9), specifically prohibits mixing "divers seeds" in a vineyard. This was understood to refer to interplanting other crops, especially grains or vegetables, among grapevines, or sowing different species of grain together in a field. It was not a blanket prohibition against having a diverse garden with different types of plants, but rather against certain specific, forbidden mixtures that violated the integrity of the primary crop or the land's intended use. The underlying principle was about maintaining distinct categories and avoiding specific types of forbidden mixtures, not about preventing all agricultural diversity. The focus was on the integrity of the vineyard itself and the specific prohibition of kil'ayim (heterogeneous mixtures) within it.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

While Deuteronomy 22:9 is an agricultural law rooted in the Old Covenant, its deeper principle of purity, distinction, and avoiding defilement finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in Christ. The law, with its emphasis on separation from impurity and the maintenance of distinct categories, powerfully foreshadows the radical holiness and spiritual separation accomplished by Jesus. He is the ultimate pure "seed" (Galatians 3:16) sown by God, whose life and atoning sacrifice were entirely unmixed with sin or worldly compromise (Hebrews 7:26). Through His perfect life and sacrificial death, Christ purifies His people, making them a "holy nation" and a "people for His own possession" (1 Peter 2:9)—a people set apart from the world's defilement and sin. He calls His followers not to be "unequally yoked" with unbelievers or worldly systems (2 Corinthians 6:14), but to live lives of integrity and purity, bearing "fruit in keeping with repentance" (Matthew 3:8). The "defilement" of the mixed fruit under the Old Covenant points to the spiritual defilement of sin, from which Christ alone can cleanse us, enabling us to bear pure, spiritual fruit that glorifies God and reflects His unmixed holiness (John 15:5).

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Commentary on Deuteronomy 22 verses 5–12

Here are several laws in these verses which seem to stoop very low, and to take cognizance of things mean and minute. Men's laws commonly do not so: De minimis non curat lex - The law takes no cognizance of little things; but because God's providence extends itself to the smallest affairs, his precepts do so, that even in them we may be in the fear of the Lord, as we are under his eye and care. And yet the significancy and tendency of these statutes, which seem little, are such that, notwithstanding their minuteness, being fond among the things of God's law, which he has written to us, they are to be accounted great things.

I. The distinction of sexes by the apparel is to be kept up, for the preservation of our own and our neighbour's chastity, Deu 22:5. Nature itself teaches that a difference be made between them in their hair (Co1 11:14), and by the same rule in their clothes, which therefore ought not to be confounded, either in ordinary wear or occasionally. To befriend a lawful escape or concealment it may be done, but whether for sport or in the acting of plays is justly questionable. 1. Some think it refers to the idolatrous custom of the Gentiles: in the worship of Venus, women appeared in armour, and men in women's clothes; this, as other such superstitious usages, is here said to be an abomination to the Lord. 2. It forbids the confounding of the dispositions and affairs of the sexes: men must not be effeminate, nor do the women's work in the house, nor must women be viragos, pretend to teach, or usurp authority, Ti1 2:11, Ti1 2:12. Probably this confounding of garments had been used to gain opportunity of committing uncleanness, and is therefore forbidden; for those that would be kept from sin must keep themselves from all occasions of it and approaches to it.

II. In taking a bird's-nest, the dam must be let go, Deu 22:6, Deu 22:7. The Jews say, "This is the least of all the commandments of the law of Moses," and yet the same promise is here made to the observance of it that is made to the keeping of the fifth commandment, which is one of the greatest, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days; for, as disobedience in a small matter shows a very great contempt of the law, so obedience in a small matter shows a very great regard to it. He that let go a bird out of his hand (which was worth two in the bush) purely because God bade him, in that made it to appear that he esteemed all God's precepts concerning all things to be right, and that he could deny himself rather than sin against God. But doth God take care for birds? Co1 9:9. Yes, certainly; and perhaps to this law our Saviour alludes. Luk 12:6, Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? This law, 1. Forbids us to be cruel to the brute-creatures, or to take a pleasure in destroying them. Though God has made us wiser than the fowls of heaven, and given us dominion over them, yet we must not abuse them nor rule them with rigour. Let go the dam to breed again; destroy it not, for a blessing is in it, Isa 65:8. 2. It teaches us compassion to those of our own kind, and to abhor the thought of every thing that looks barbarous, and cruel, and ill-natured, especially towards those of the weaker and tender sex, which always ought to be treated with the utmost respect, in consideration of the sorrows wherein they bring forth children. It is spoken of as an instance of the most inhuman cruelty that the mother was dashed to pieces upon her children (Hos 10:14), and that the women with child were ripped open, Amo 1:13. 3. It further intimates that we must not take advantage against any, from their natural affection and the tenderness of their disposition, to do them an injury. The dam could not have been taken if her concern for her eggs or young (unlike to the ostrich) had not detained her upon the next when otherwise she could easily have secured herself by flight. Now, since it is a thousand pities that she should fare the worse for that which is her praise, the law takes care that she shall be let go. The remembrance of this may perhaps, some time or other, keep us from doing a hard or unkind thing to those whom we have at our mercy.

III. In building a house, care must be taken to make it safe, that none might receive mischief by falling from it, Deu 22:8. The roofs of their houses were flat for people to walk on, as appears by many scriptures; now lest any, through carelessness, should fall off them, they must compass them with battlements, which (the Jews say) must be three feet and a half high; if this were not done, and mischief followed, the owner, by his neglect, brought the guilt of blood upon his house. See here, 1. How precious men's lives are to God, who protects them, not only by his providence, but by his law. 2. How precious, therefore, they ought to be to us, and what care we should take to prevent hurt from coming to any person. The Jews say that by the equity of this law they were obliged (and so are we too) to fence, or remove, every thing by which life may be endangered, as to cover draw-wells, keep bridges in repair, and the like, lest, if any perish through our omission, their blood be required at our hand.

IV. Odd mixtures are here forbidden, Deu 22:9, Deu 22:10. Much of this we met with before, Lev 19:19. There appears not any thing at all of moral evil in these things, and therefore we now make no conscience of sowing wheat and rye together, ploughing with horses and oxen together, and of wearing linsey-woolsey garments; but hereby is forbidden either, 1. A conformity to some idolatrous customs of the heathen. Or, 2. That which is contrary to the plainness and purity of an Israelite. They must not gratify their own vanity and curiosity by putting those things together which the Creator in infinite wisdom had made asunder: they must not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, nor mingle themselves with the unclean, as an ox with an ass. Nor must their profession and appearance in the world be motley, or party-coloured, but all of a piece, all of a kind.

V. The law concerning fringes upon their garments, and memorandums of the commandments, which we had before (Num 15:38, Num 15:39), is here repeated, Deu 22:12. By these they were distinguished from other people, so that it might be said, upon the first sight There goes an Israelite, which taught them not to be ashamed of their country, nor the peculiarities of their religion, how much soever their neighbours looked upon them and it with contempt: and they were also put in mind of the precepts upon the particular occasions to which they had reference; and perhaps this law is repeated here because the precepts immediately foregoing seemed so minute that they were in danger of being overlooked and forgotten. The fringes will remind you not to make your garments of linen and woollen, Deu 22:11.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 5–12. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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