57 Bible Verses about Land, As A Divine Responsibility

Answer before Jehovah your God: 'My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt and traveled there. They were few in number but he became a great, mighty and populous nation. The Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us. They imposed hard labor on us. We cried out to Jehovah, the God of our fathers, and Jehovah heard our voice. He saw our affliction and our toil and our oppression.read more.
Jehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

When you enter the land Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance you will possess it and live in it.

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You took an oath, swearing on yourself. You told them: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. I will give to your descendants all the land I spoke of. It will be their long lasting possession.'

Furthermore, Jehovah was angry with me because of you. So Jehovah your God took an oath that I would not cross the Jordan River and enter the good land he is giving you as your property (inheritance) (possession).

There should not be any poor people among you. Jehovah your God will certainly bless you in the land he is giving you as your own possession.

Innocent blood will not be shed in your land that Jehovah your God gives you as an inheritance. Blood guiltiness will not be on you.

Jehovah said to Moses: Use the list of names from the census to divide the land these people will possess. Give more land to larger tribes and less land to smaller ones. Use the totals from the census in giving land to each tribe.read more.
The land must also be divided by drawing lots. The tribes will receive their land based on the names of their ancestors.

So Moses gave the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan. It was the whole land with its cities and its surrounding territory.

Moses the servant of Jehovah and the children of Israel killed them. Moses the servant of Jehovah gave it for a possession to the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

With whom the Reubenites and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave them, beyond Jordan eastward, even as Moses the servant of Jehovah gave them.

These are the names of the men who will divide the land for you: the priest Eleazar and Joshua son of Nun. You must also take one leader from each tribe to divide the land. These are their names: Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah,read more.
Shemuel son of Ammihud, from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon, from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, the leader of the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, the leader of the tribe of Manasseh; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, the leader of the tribe of Ephraim; Manasseh and Ephraim are Joseph's descendants. Elizaphan son of Parnach, the leader of the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, the leader of the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, the leader of the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, the leader of the tribe of Naphtali. Jehovah commanded these men to divide Canaan for the Israelites.

These are the countries that the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for their inheritance.

This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families: The border of Edom the wilderness of Zin southward was the farthest part of the south coast.

So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.

The lot for the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families: and the boundary of their lot came between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph.

The second lot came for Simeon, even for the tribe of the children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance was within the inheritance of the children of Judah.

The total number of all the Levite males at least one month old was twenty-three thousand. They were not counted along with the other Israelites, because they were given no land of their own.

The Levitical priests including the entire tribe of Levi will receive no land or property of their own like the rest of the Israelites. They will eat what has been sacrificed to Jehovah. These sacrifices will be what they receive.

He gave no inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices of Jehovah God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said to them.

The property of every Israelite will remain attached to his tribe. Every woman who inherits property in an Israelite tribe must marry a man belonging to that tribe. In this way all Israelites will inherit the property of their ancestors, and the property will not pass from one tribe to another. Each tribe will continue to possess its own property.

But Naboth said to Ahab, God forbid that I give you the heritage of my fathers.

The prince must not take any of the people's property. He must not force them to give up their property. He must give his own property as an inheritance to his sons so that none of my people will be separated from their property.'

No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me! It is not your land! You only live there for a little while.

Listen to another illustration. A master of a house made a vineyard, and put a wall around it. He made a wine press and built a tower. Then he rented it to workers and traveled to another country. When the time for the fruit came near, he sent his servants to the workmen, to get the fruit. The workmen attacked his servants, striking one with a stone and killing the other.read more.
He sent other servants more in number than the first. They did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'Certainly they will respect my son.' When the workmen saw the son, they said, 'Let us put him to death and take his heritage, for someday he will own this property.' They took him out of the vineyard and killed him. When the lord of the vineyard returns, what will he do to the workmen? They all said: He will put those cruel men to death. Then he will find other workmen who are worthy and who will give him fruit when it is ready. Jesus said to them: Have you read the Scriptures, 'The stone the builders rejected has been made the chief cornerstone of the building. This was Jehovah's doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.' (Isaiah 28:16) For this reason I tell you, The kingdom of God will be taken away from you. It will be given to a nation producing fruit. Any man falling on this stone will be broken. Any man having this stone fall on him will be crushed to dust. When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his illustrations they realized he was talking about them. They wanted to seize him, but feared the people, because the people saw Jesus as a prophet.

One-tenth of what comes from the land, whether grain or fruit, is holy and belongs to Jehovah.

Celebrate the Harvest Festival when you begin to harvest your crops. Celebrate the Festival of Shelters in the autumn, when you gather the fruit from your vineyards and orchards.

Count seven full weeks from the day after Passover, the day you bring the bundle of grain as an offering presented to Jehovah until the day after the seventh week. This is a total of fifty days. Then bring a new grain offering to Jehovah. Bring two loaves of bread from your homes to present to Jehovah. Bake them with four quarts of flour. They are the first harvested grain for Jehovah.read more.
Using the bread the community is to present seven one-year-old lambs, one bull, and two rams, none of which may have any defects. They should be offered as a burnt offering to Jehovah, along with a grain offering and a wine offering. The odor of this offering is pleasing to Jehovah. Also offer one male goat as a sin offering and two one-year-old male lambs as a fellowship offering. The priest should present the bread with the two lambs as a special gift to Jehovah for the priests. These offerings are holy. Do none of your daily work. Gather for worship. Your descendants are to observe this regulation from generation to generation, no matter where they live.

Jehovah spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and commanded: Give the following regulations to the people of Israel: 'When you enter the land that Jehovah is giving you, honor Jehovah by not cultivating the land every seventh year. Plant your fields, prune your vineyards, and gather your crops for six years.read more.
But the seventh year is to be a sabbath year of complete rest for the land. It is a year dedicated to Jehovah. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not even harvest the grain that grows by itself without being planted. Do not gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. It is a year of complete rest for the land. Even though the land has not been cultivated during that year, it will provide food for you, your slaves, your hired men, the foreigners living with you, your domestic animals, and the wild animals in your fields. Everything that it produces may be eaten.

Count seven times seven years (seven sabbaths of years), a total of forty-nine years. Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement, send someone to blow a trumpet throughout the whole land. In this way you will set the fiftieth year apart and proclaim freedom to all the inhabitants of the land. During this year all property that has been sold must be restored to the original owner or the descendants, and any who have been sold as slaves may return to their families.read more.
That fiftieth year will be your jubilee year. Do not plant or harvest what grows by itself or pick grapes from the vines in the land. The jubilee year will be holy to you. You will eat what the field itself produces. In this jubilee year every slave will be freed in order to return to his property.

Do not move your neighbor's boundary mark. The ancestors have set this in your inheritance. You will inherit this in the land Jehovah your God gives you to possess.

Cursed is he who moves his neighbor's boundary mark. All the people will say: Amen.

Jehovah will destroy the house of the proud and he will establish the border of the widow.

Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have set.

Do not remove the old landmark (boundry). And do not enter the field of the fatherless.

The princes of Judah are like them that remove the landmark. I will pour my wrath upon them like water.

Cursed are those who are joining house to house, and putting field to field, till there is no more living-space for any but themselves in all the land!

And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Go to Ahab, king of Israel, in Samaria. He is in the garden of Naboth the Jezreelite. He went there to take it as his heritage. Say to him: 'Jehovah says: Have you put a man to death and taken his heritage?' Then say: 'Jehovah says: Your blood will become the drink of dogs! You will go to the same place where the dogs drink the blood of Naboth.'

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor and left them destitute. He has violently seized houses he did not build.

This land will belong to the prince in Israel. Then my princes will no longer oppress my people. They will give land to each tribe of the nation of Israel.' This is what the Lord Jehovah says: 'I have had enough of you, you princes of Israel.' 'Stop your violence and looting, and do what is fair and right. Stop evicting my people,' declares the Lord Jehovah.

They covet fields and seize them. They covet houses and confiscate them! They oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Plant your land and gather in what it produces for six years. Let your land rest the seventh year. Do not harvest anything that grows on it. The poor may eat what grows there. The wild animals may have what is left. Do the same with your vineyards and your olive trees.

Even though the land has not been cultivated during that year, it will provide food for you, your slaves, your hired men, the foreigners living with you, your domestic animals, and the wild animals in your fields. Everything that it produces may be eaten.

Release all debts at the end of every seven years. This is how you should release. Every man who has a loan to his neighbor shall release it. He shall not require it from his neighbor, or from his brother, because it is called Jehovah's release. You may collect from a foreigner, but your hand should release that debt which is yours with your brother.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you should not reap to the very corners of your field. You should not gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not glean your vineyard. Do not gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard. Leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am Jehovah your God.

When you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the fields. Do not go back to cut the heads of grain that were left. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. Jehovah is your God.'

When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that Jehovah your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.read more.
You must remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. I am commanding you to do this.

Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi: Now let me go into the fields and pick up the heads of grain after anyone in whose eyes I find favor. She said to her: Go, my daughter. So she went and picked up the heads of grain in the field after the cutters. By chance she went into that part of the field owned by Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech.

Carefully obey Jehovah your God. Faithfully follow all his commandments that I give you today. If you do this Jehovah your God will place you high above all the other nations in the world. These are all the blessings that will come to you and stay close to you because you obey Jehovah your God: Jehovah will bless your towns and your fields.read more.
Jehovah will bless you with many children, with abundant crops, and with many cattle and sheep. Jehovah will bless your grain crops and the food you prepare from them. Jehovah will make you successful in your daily work.

You must observe my statutes and keep my judgments, so as to carry them out. That way you may live securely on the land. The land will give you its products. You will eat all you want and live there securely.

If you faithfully obey my commandments that I give you today, love Jehovah your God, and serve him with all your heart and with all your being, I will send rain on your land at the proper time, both in the fall and in the spring. You will gather your own grain, new wine, and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your animals. You will be able to eat and be filled.

You visit the earth and cause it to overflow. You greatly enrich it! The stream of God is full of water. You prepare their grain and thus you prepare the earth. You water its furrows abundantly; you settle its ridges and soften it with showers. You bless its growth. You have crowned the year with your bounty. Your paths drip with fatness.read more.
The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills surround themselves with rejoicing. The meadows are clothed with flocks and the valleys are covered with grain. They shout for joy, yes, they sing.

Let the peoples praise you, O God. Let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase. God, even our own God, will bless us.

If you do not obey Jehovah your God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations that I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things.read more.
The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you.

If you carefully obey all my laws and my rules, the land I am bringing you to live in will not vomit you out. The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things. I hated them for it! So do not follow their example. I am Jehovah your God. I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people.

I will remember my promise to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. I will also remember the land. The land, abandoned by them, will enjoy its time to honor Jehovah while it lies deserted without them. They must accept their guilt because they rejected my rules and looked at my laws with disgust. Even when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or look at them with disgust. I will not reject or cancel my promise to them, because I am Jehovah their God.read more.
For their well being, I will remember the promise to their ancestors. I brought them out of Egypt to be their God while nations looked on. I am Jehovah!'

Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab: By the living Jehovah, the God of Israel, whose servant I am, there will be no dew or rain in these years, but only at my word.