Leviticus 19:9

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, etc.] Of the land of Canaan, when come into it, which having sown, and it was harvest, either barley harvest or wheat harvest, or both, and especially the latter, to which reaping seems best to agree: thou shall not wholly reap the corner of the field; but a part was to be left for the poor. This follows upon the peace offerings: and, as Aben Ezra observes, as the fat of them was to be given to God, so somewhat of the harvest was to be given for the glory of God to the poor and stranger. In the Misnah is a whole treatise, called “Peah”, which signifies “the corner”, in which there are many decisions concerning this affair; and among the rest,…”

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field--The right of the poor in Israel to glean after reapers, as well as to the unreaped corners of the field, was secured by a positive statute; and this, in addition to other enactments connected with the ceremonial law, formed a beneficial provision for their support. At the same time, proprietors were not obliged to admit them into the field until the grain had been carried off the field; and they seem also to have been left at liberty to choose the poor whom they deemed the most deserving or needful (Rut 2:2, Rut 2:8). This was the earliest law for the benefit of the poor that we read of in the…”

“See Deuteronomy 24:19-21. “Grape” signifies fallen fruit of any kind; and “vineyard” a fruit garden of any kind. Compare Deuteronomy 23:24. The poor - is the poor Israelite - “the stranger” is properly the foreigner, who could possess no land of his own in the land of Israel. return to 'Top of Page'”

“19:9-10 do not harvest. . . . Leave them for the poor: Israel’s covenant with God included a social structure that created a leveling effect and resisted social divisions. Families were required to provide for family members who faced difficulties. Widows and orphans (Exod 22:22), the poor, and foreigners (Lev 19:10) were considered members of Israel’s extended family. The poor were not only given special consideration in the offering system (5:7-13), but positive steps were taken to make sure they had food to eat.”

“ye reap the harvest: In what code of laws merely human, is a requisition to be found so counteracting to selfishness, so encouraging to liberality, and so beneficently considering to the poor and needy? But the Mosaic dispensation, like the Christian, breathed with love to God, and benevolence to man. To the honour of the public and charitable spirit of the English, this merciful law is, in general, as much attended to as if it had been incorporated with the gospel. Lev 23:29; Deu 24:19-21; Rut 2:2, Rut 2:15 Leviticus 19:10”

“Laws concerning the conduct towards one's neighbour, which should flow from unselfish love, especially with regard to the poor and distressed. Lev 19:9-10 In reaping the field, "thou shalt not finish to reap the edge of thy field," i.e., not reap the field to the extreme edge; "neither shalt thou hold a gathering up (gleaning) of thy harvest," i.e., not gather together the ears left upon the field in the reaping. In the vineyard and olive-plantation, also, they were not to have any gleaning, or gather up what was strewn about (peret signifies the grapes and olives that had fallen off), but to leave them for the distressed and the foreigner, that he might also share in the harvest and…”