Bible Dictionaries

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Sabbatical Year

Was to be celebrated among the Jews once every seven years; the land was to rest, and be left without culture, Exodus 23:10,11 Leviticus 25:17 . God appointed the observance of the Sabbatical year, to preserve the remembrance of the creation of the world; to enforce the acknowledgment of his sovereign authority over all things, particularly over the land of Canaan, which he had given to the Hebrews; and to inculcate humanity on his people, by commanding that they should resign to servants, to the poor, to strangers and to brutes, the produce of the fields, of their vineyards, and of their gardens. Josephus and Tacitus both mention the Sabbatical year as existing in their day. See JUBILEE .