Deuteronomy 22:9

Summary

Deuteronomy 22:9 prohibits sowing a vineyard with two kinds of seed (kil'ayim, H3610). The verse states a consequence introduced by pen ("lest", H6435): the full produce — both the seed sown and the yield of the vineyard — would undergo the condition described by the verb tikdash (H6942I).

Key words

• tizra' ("you will sow", H2232) — qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular, repeated in position 2 and 13, framing both the initial prohibition and the description of what was sown.
• kil'ayim ("two kinds", H3610) — masculine dual noun, marking a paired/mixed category, functioning as the object of the sowing without a preposition.
• tikdash ("it should be set apart", H6942I) — qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular; the root here is the same root elsewhere associated with holiness/consecration (qadash).
• ha-mele'ah ("the full produce", H4395) — feminine singular noun with definite article, functioning as the grammatical subject of tikdash.
• tevu'at ("produce of…", H8393) — feminine singular noun in construct state, linking to ha-karem ("the vineyard", H3754) to form "produce of the vineyard."

What the text says

The verse divides into two clauses. The first is a direct prohibition: lo'-tizra' karmekha kil'ayim — "you will not sow your vineyard [with] two kinds." The dual noun kil'ayim stands as the object of tizra' without an intervening preposition, indicating the mixed sowing itself as the forbidden object.

The second clause, introduced by pen ("lest", H6435), gives the consequence: tikdash ha-mele'ah — "the full produce should [become] tikdash." The verb tikdash is feminine singular, agreeing with its subject ha-mele'ah, and the following words clarify what this "full produce" consists of: ha-zera' asher tizra' ("the seed which you sow") and u-tevu'at ha-karem ("and the produce of the vineyard"). These two nouns are placed in apposition to ha-mele'ah, specifying that both the sown seed and the vineyard's yield are included in the condition named by tikdash.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew verb tikdash (H6942I) shares its root with terms for holiness/consecration. The LXX renders this with ἁγιασθῇ (hagiasthē, "be sanctified/consecrated"), and the Vulgate with sanctificentur ("be sanctified"), both preserving the same semantic root as the Hebrew. However, the BSB translates this as "will be defiled," and the Spanish RV1909 and SBLIBRE render it as "se deprave" ("be corrupted") and "se contamine" ("be contaminated") respectively — terms with an opposite connotation to "sanctified." The Hebrew, LXX, and Vulgate align in using vocabulary from the domain of consecration/holiness, while these particular modern renderings shift toward vocabulary of defilement or contamination.