In Leviticus 19:24, what is the meaning of the phrase “all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD”?

Question

The prohibition of עָרְלָה (ʿārlâ) has been widely interpreted as an agricultural practice to cultivate the trees. But what is the meaning of Lev. 19:24 wherein it states to make the fourth year crop holy and set them aside for God?

²⁴ ‘But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. ^{NASB, 1995}

^כד וּבַשָּׁנָה הָרְבִיעִת יִהְיֶה כָּל פִּרְיוֹ קֹדֶשׁ הִלּוּלִים לַיהְוֶה

Was this practice similar to the second tithe (as the rabbis interpreted) where it was brought up to Jerusalem (cp. Deu. 14:22)? Or, is Leviticus describing a practice of burning them or sacrificing them? Furthermore, how does it relate to the עָרְלָה prohibition stated before? What would be the rationale behind such a practice? Finally, why only the fourth year?

Answer 1

There is a short, readable, academically rigorous and convincing answer in English to exactly this question in a post by Dr. Itamar Kislev called The Law of Fourth-Year Fruit: Restraining the Ancient Vintage Celebration. There is no way that I can improve on Dr. Kislev's answer. I can only summarize it here and explain its logic.

1. The law of the fourth year in Leviticus 19:24 applies to all trees, and especially to grape vines, which are also considered to be "trees" in Hebrew because they have a deciduous woody trunk that bears fruit annually like fig and apple trees. The vine is mentioned together with other trees in the parable of the forest starting in Judges 9:6, and is also called a tree in Ezekiel 15 and is clearly considered among the trees in Joel 1:2 and Hagai 2:19.
2. The laws of the first five years after planting in Leviticus 19:23-25 are intended to subvert heathen fertility rites associated with new fruits, and especially the fruit of the vine, and replace them with services to YHVH
3. There is no exposition or elaboration of the the commandment in verse 24 in the OT
4. The Rabbinic interpretation is that the fourth-year fruits are eaten by the owners, in Jerusalem, like the second tithes, or redeemed with money that is then used to buy food for the owners in Jerusalem
5. The Book of the Jubilees and the Temple Scroll indicate that the fourth year fruits are priestly gifts rather than being enjoyed by the owners in Jerusalem
6. Hebrew University professor of Talmud Menahem Kister argues convincingly that the Jubilees and Temple Scroll interpretation fits the context of Leviticus 19:23-25 better than the Rabbinic interpretation
7. The word הילולים, translated by the NASB as "an offering of praise" is used in only one other instance in the OT, Judges 9:27, apparently a heathen context
8. The word הלל in Isaiah 62:8-9 is apparently a reference to the same practice of "an offering of praise to the LORD" referred to in Leviticus 19:24

Answer 2

Jacob Milgrom in his book on Leviticus (a book of ritual and ethics. 19:24) gives us some insight on this seemingly bizarre ritual. And i cite his words here,

The firstfruits of produce belong to God (Num 18:12-13), as do the tithe, according to H (Lev 27:30), and the firstlings (27:26; Exod 13:2, 12; Num 18:17). However, the fruit of trees during their first three years is unworthy as an offering to God and like the impure firstling, according to the epic tradition (Exod 13:13), it must he destroyed[1].

Horticultural facts also correspond with the biblical injunction regarding the taboo concerning the fruit of the juvenile tree. In the land of Israel, fruit trees reach maturity only after several years: an average of five years for date palms, five to seven years for figs and pomegranates, three to six years for grapes, and four to five years for almonds. Ancient sources confirm this practice. In Babylonia a date orchard ripens in five years, and a rabbinic source testifies that grapevines ripen in five years, figs in six, and olives in seven.

The import of this unit was neatly captured by Philo. His exposition of the text is in italics (although his claim that the young trees need to he pruned is in error):

Thus many farmers during the spring season watch the young trees to squeeze off at once any fruit they bear before they advance in quality and size for fear of weakening the parent plants. For, if these precautions are not taken, the result is that when they should bear fully ripened fruit they bring forth either nothing at all or abortions nipped in the bud, exhausted as they are by the laborer of prematurely bearing crops which lay such a weight upon the branches that at last they wear out the trunk and roots as well. But after three years when the roots have sunk deep in and are made firmly attached to the soil, and the trunk supported as it were on immovable foundations has grown and acquired vigor, it will be able to bear fully in the fourth year.... But in this fourth year, he commands them not to pick this fruit for their own enjoyment but to dedicate the whole of it as a first fruit to God, partly as a thank offering for the past, partly in hope of fertility to come and the acquisition of wealth to which this will lead.

[1] Cf'. Driver and White 1898:90; but the priestly tradition allows impure firstlings to he redeemed. Lev 27:27; Num 18:15.

Jacob Milgrom. Leviticus (Continental Commentary) (Continental Commentaries).

He also has an interesting understanding regarding the uncircumcised status of the fruits mentioned in verse 23,

The foreskin is the fruit while it is enclosed in its bud, and Keter Torah has it right when it interprets this cognate accusative construction as: "Don't let the fruit ripen (open) but pluck it while it is closed." The closed bud, then, is the foreskin that should he plucked before the fruit (i.e., the penis) emerges. I checked with the Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, and this is precisely what is done. The juvenile tree is not pruned-the branches are not thinned or trimmed-hut its buds are removed (alternatively, the buds are allowed to flower, and only those that are pollinated and bearing fruit are removed).

Jacob Milgrom. Leviticus (Continental Commentary) (Continental Commentaries).

Answer 3

Your question is VERY broad, not because you have asked a string of them, but because of what it points to.

The bull’s eye to hit, so as to be able to understand what is going on here isn’t 4 but 3.

The notion of God accomplishing ‘tasks’ by men in ‘unit periods of 3’ or ‘7’ is scattered throughout many parts of scripture, and after which 3s or 7s, continuation in that exercise takes on other elements like aspects of the 4th day in your query; or in the case of 7 days of the feasts, at the end of which on the eighth, something else was also scheduled to happen. This is the obvious structure.

Some famous ones being; 1) Abraham’s infamous journey of three days to the mountain during which he had to endure in the unthinkable thought. 2) the ultimate sacrifice in which messiah was 3 days in the heart of Sheol. 1 Peter 3:19–20

In addition there are these sporadic instances like, A-Gen 40:12, B-Exo 5:3, C-Exo 10:22, D-1Sa 9:20, the list is quite long; which are all things spirit, and so there’s a signification to them in the element of 3. To spare you details I will be brief, but within the context of the first string of your questions.

It's a broad concept that originates from the very nature of what it means that ‘Israel is the chosen nation by God’. Question; chosen for what? Answer; to rule over all works of GOD in all creation, that honour going to all the firstborn males of Israel, but that would be on conditions of holiness and it would be an ages-long process for them to attain to this lofty duty. Indicating that EVENTUALLY all these firstborns had to have a nature far above that of a human so as to be able to rule over both man and other beings that were higher in power.

At the time that Adam fell, dominion given him in Genesis 1:26-28 passed into hands that weren’t God’s original plan for His creation. It is sons of man that were created for this dominion, and so Israel was God’s choice to work with (Deut 32:8) so as to replace these spiritual entities that had interim dominion over God’s works, with Messiah as the Head over Israel, ref Genesis 3:15

Now the passing of this dominion from Adam into these entities’ care was under circumstances of rebellion, Luke 4:6, the Devil as the ringleader, and so while their dominion lasted in the earth, all their achievements would be marked as uncircumcised, this is the period of ‘three' years worth of produce or increase that shouldn’t be eaten from the field by Israel. This is where comes in the famous element of the very first first-fruits that should be consecrated and brought to GOD in the fourth year.

Its the same principle in the tithe, and symbolic of the same rulers. An obscure pointer also is the fraction of 10 of all the increase. Ten alludes to aspects of dominion by the rebellious spirits in the earth in the time when messiah comes on the scene, Ref John 14:30 because ultimately Israel is about dominion in the earth.

This is why the number of horns(kings) on the head of the dragon is ten, denoting their dominion in the earth going way into millenium after the norm as we know it among men will have ceased; the same unit of 10 is in the 1000 years, to indicate the span that it takes for these ten kings to utterly be uprooted, and so during which period Messiah and His followers reign so as to uproot all their remnants of these ten kings that will still linger in the earth. Ref Dan 7:25-27 also here undertones of a 3 stick out. This is why I said your Qn was broad.

First-fruits of the field refer to aspects of the Firstborns who spiritually, and in the culture of Israel, are symbolic of rulers, and here, of God over all creation. Rev 14:4 This is the figure in Exodus about ‘killing off’ the firstborn of Pharaoh (the devil’s rulers) and setting apart the first born of Israel, man and beast, for Himself. Exodus 13:2.

Indicating that eventually these sons of Israel had to have a nature far above that of a simple human so as to rule over both man and other beings that were higher in power. However, it’s after a very long time of detours and changes and delays because of man’s evil nature, that the Most High would achieve this in them turning them into the mighty ‘first-fruits’. These are they that have the first resurrection to rule with messiah, ref 1 Cor 15:23 and Rev 14:4. So at the resurrection of these is the beginning of the ‘4th year’ when they only will be consecrated to the Most High for the duty of dominion that their errant father Adam forfeited to the Devil..Revelation 20:6

I hope that helps.