Scripture
Old Testament / Hebrew Bible
Genesis 2:8-9
Leviticus 19:23-25
Deuteronomy 8:7-10
Deuteronomy 14:22-29
Deuteronomy 20:19-20
Psalm 1:1-3
Psalm 92:12-15
Proverbs 3:13-18
Isaiah 55:10-13
New Testament
Notes
No biblical passage commands the observance of Tu BiShvat.
Leviticus 19 provides important background because it gives rules concerning fruit from newly planted trees. Deuteronomy gives laws concerning agricultural tithes and describes the produce of the land of Israel.
Deuteronomy 20 gives fruit trees special protection during warfare. These passages show why trees had practical as well as symbolic importance in biblical life.
Psalms and Proverbs use the tree as an image of life, wisdom and faithfulness. These images continued to be important throughout Jewish teaching.
The New Testament passages are not references to Tu BiShvat. They have been included because they show how Jesus and John the Baptist used trees, fruit and agriculture as familiar spiritual images.
John 15 uses the related image of a vine and its branches to describe the relationship between Jesus and His disciples. It belongs to the same agricultural world, but it should not be interpreted as a teaching about Tu BiShvat.