What Does The Bible Say About Agriculture? (35 Bible Verses)
Agriculture—the cultivation of land and crops—is an essential aspect of human civilization, but what does the Bible say about it? Let’s explore the biblical teachings on stewardship, provision, and the symbiotic relationship between humanity and the natural world, as we seek to honor God’s creation and care for the earth entrusted to our care.
What Does The Bible Say About Agriculture
Genesis 2:5 – The Creation of MisTrial and farm Animals
“Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground”
Genesis 3:17-19 – Adam’s Curse
“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
Proverbs 10:4 – Wise farming brings wealth
“Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.”
Proverbs 27:23 – Know the state of your flocks
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds”
Proverbs 12:11 – Those who work their land will have abundant food
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”
Proverbs 14:23 – All hard work brings profit
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
Proverbs 28:19-20 – Diligence in farming leads to blessings
“Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty. A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.”
Ecclesiastes 11:4 – Sow your seed in the morning
“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.”
Ecclesiastes 11:6 – In the evening, sow your seed
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
Deuteronomy 28:12 – Blessings of obedience in farming
“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”
Deuteronomy 28:8-9 – The Lord will bless you in your farming
“The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.”
Isaiah 55:10-11 – God’s word is like rain
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
Matthew 6:26 – God feeds the birds
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
Matthew 6:28-30 – God will provide for your needs
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Matthew 7:17-18 – A good tree bears good fruit
“Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.”
Matthew 13:8 – The parable of the sower
“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Mark 4:8 – The parable of the sower explained
“Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
John 4:35 – The fields are ready for harvest
“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
John 15:1-2 – Jesus is the true vine
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 – God gives the growth
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
Galatians 6:7-8 – You reap what you sow
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Colossians 3:23-24 – Work heartily for the Lord
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
James 5:7-8 – Be patient for the Lord’s coming
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
James 5:9 – Do not grumble against one another
“Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!”
John 12:24 – A grain of wheat must die to bear fruits
“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
Proverbs 20:4 – The sluggard does not plow
“A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.”
Isaiah 28:24-26 – A farmer knows how to handle his crops
“When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has leveled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place, barley in its plot, and spelt in its field?”
Matthew 9:37-38 – Pray for more laborers in the harvest field
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Matthew 13:30 – Let the wheat and weeds grow together
“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”
Mark 4:26-29 – The kingdom of God is like a farmer
“He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Luke 10:2 – The harvest is plentiful
“He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Luke 12:24 – Consider the ravens and the flowers
“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”
Luke 12:27-28 – Consider how God clothes the grass
“Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
Luke 12:30 – Seek ye the kingdom of God and all things shall be added unto you
“For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.”
Luke 19:17-19 – Be faithful with a few things
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities. The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’ His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
John 4:34 – Jesus’ food is to do the will of God
““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
1 Corinthians 9:10-11 – The laborer is worthy of his wages
“Or does he say it altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?”
1 Corinthians 15:58 – Always abound in the work of the Lord
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
2 Corinthians 9:10 – God provides seed to the sower
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 9:6 – He who sows sparingly reaps sparingly
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Galatians 6:9 – Do not grow weary in doing good
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Philippians 4:19 – My God shall supply all your needs
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
James 1:17 – Every good gift is from above
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
1 Timothy 5:18 – The laborer is worthy of his wages
“For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”
Hebrews 6:7 – Land that drinks in the rain
“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.”
Revelation 14:15 – The harvest of the earth is ripe
“Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, ‘Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’”
