Moses · Traditional Attribution

Leviticus · Chapter 25וַיִּקְרָא

Sabbath years, jubilee, and the redemption of land and people

The land itself must rest. Leviticus 25 establishes the sabbatical year (every seventh year) and the jubilee (every fiftieth year) as sacred rhythms that prevent permanent poverty and slavery among God's people. These laws ensure that land returns to its original families, debts are forgiven, and enslaved Israelites go free, embodying God's ownership of the land and his people's status as tenants and servants of the Lord alone.

Leviticus 25:1-7

The Sabbath Year for the Land

LSB Text

¹Then Yahweh spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, ²"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to Yahweh. ³Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its produce, ⁴but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to Yahweh; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. ⁵Your harvest's aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. ⁶And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for yourself, and for your male and female slaves, and for your hired man and for your foreign resident, those who sojourn with you. ⁷Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its produce to eat.

Greek Text

¹וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּהַ֥ר סִינַ֖י לֵאמֹֽר׃ ²דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֤י תָבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲנִ֖י נֹתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְשָׁבְתָ֣ה הָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהוָֽה׃ ³שֵׁ֤שׁ שָׁנִים֙ תִּזְרַ֣ע שָׂדֶ֔ךָ וְשֵׁ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים תִּזְמֹ֣ר כַּרְמֶ֑ךָ וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ ⁴וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ שַׁבָּ֖ת לַיהוָ֑ה שָֽׂדְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע וְכַרְמְךָ֖ לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃ ⁵אֵ֣ת סְפִ֤יחַ קְצִֽירְךָ֙ לֹ֣א תִקְצ֔וֹר וְאֶת־עִנְּבֵ֥י נְזִירֶ֖ךָ לֹ֣א תִבְצֹ֑ר שְׁנַ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן יִהְיֶ֥ה לָאָֽרֶץ׃ ⁶וְ֠הָיְתָה שַׁבַּ֨ת הָאָ֤רֶץ לָכֶם֙ לְאָכְלָ֔ה לְךָ֖ וּלְעַבְדְּךָ֣ וְלַאֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְלִשְׂכִֽירְךָ֙ וּלְתוֹשָׁ֣בְךָ֔ הַגָּרִ֖ים עִמָּֽךְ׃ ⁷וְלִ֨בְהֶמְתְּךָ֔ וְלַֽחַיָּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאַרְצֶ֑ךָ תִּהְיֶ֥ה כָל־תְּבוּאָתָ֖הּ לֶאֱכֹֽל׃

¹wayĕdabbēr yhwh ʾel-mōšeh bĕhar sînay lēʾmōr. ²dabbēr ʾel-bĕnê yiśrāʾēl wĕʾāmartā ʾălēhem kî tābōʾû ʾel-hāʾāreṣ ʾăšer ʾănî nōtēn lākem wĕšābĕtâ hāʾāreṣ šabbāt layhwh. ³šēš šānîm tizraʿ śādekā wĕšēš šānîm tizmōr karmekā wĕʾāsaptā ʾet-tĕbûʾātāh. ⁴ûbaššānâ haššĕbîʿit šabbat šabbātôn yihyeh lāʾāreṣ šabbāt layhwh śādĕkā lōʾ tizrāʿ wĕkarmĕkā lōʾ tizmōr. ⁵ʾēt sĕpîaḥ qĕṣîrĕkā lōʾ tiqṣôr wĕʾet-ʿinnĕbê nĕzîrekā lōʾ tibṣōr šĕnat šabbātôn yihyeh lāʾāreṣ. ⁶wĕhāyĕtâ šabbat hāʾāreṣ lākem lĕʾoklâ lĕkā ûlĕʿabdĕkā wĕlaʾămātekā wĕliśkîrĕkā ûlĕtôšābĕkā haggārîm ʿimmāk. ⁷wĕlibhemtĕkā wĕlaḥayyâ ʾăšer bĕʾarṣekā tihyeh kol-tĕbûʾātāh leʾĕkōl.

Key Words

שַׁבָּת šabbāt sabbath / rest / cessation

From the root שׁבת (šbt), meaning "to cease, desist, rest." The noun šabbāt denotes both the weekly seventh day and, as here, a year-long cessation of agricultural labor. The term carries covenantal weight: Israel's rhythm of work and rest mirrors the Creator's pattern in Genesis 2:2-3. In Leviticus 25, the land itself becomes the subject of sabbath-keeping, underscoring that creation—not merely humanity—participates in the covenant order. The sabbath year anticipates the jubilee (year 50) and prefigures eschatological rest in Hebrews 4.

שַׁבָּתוֹן šabbātôn solemn rest / complete cessation

An intensive or augmented form of šabbāt, appearing in verses 4 and 5. The suffix -ôn often denotes emphasis or completeness in Hebrew. Šabbātôn signals not merely a pause but a sacred, inviolable rest—a "sabbath of sabbaths." It occurs in contexts of high solemnity (e.g., Day of Atonement, Lev 16:31; 23:32). Here it underscores that the seventh year is not a utilitarian fallow period but a liturgical act, a year wholly set apart to Yahweh. The land's rest is as binding as the weekly sabbath for persons.

סְפִיחַ sĕpîaḥ aftergrowth / volunteer crop

From the root ספח (sph), "to join, attach," hence "that which springs up of itself." Sĕpîaḥ refers to grain that germinates spontaneously from fallen seed, without deliberate sowing. Verse 5 forbids harvesting this aftergrowth during the sabbath year, distinguishing between passive gleaning for subsistence (permitted, v. 6) and organized reaping (prohibited). The term appears in 2 Kings 19:29 and Isaiah 37:30 in eschatological contexts, where volunteer crops signal divine provision during crisis. The prohibition protects the land's rest from being circumvented by opportunistic harvesting.

נָזִיר nāzîr untrimmed / unpruned / consecrated

The root נזר (nzr) means "to separate, consecrate, dedicate." A nāzîr is one set apart (Num 6), but here the adjective describes vines left unpruned, hence "untrimmed" or "wild." The grapes of nĕzîrekā (v. 5) are those growing on vines that have not been dressed or cultivated. The lexical link to Nazirite consecration is deliberate: just as a Nazirite's uncut hair signals devotion to Yahweh, so the untrimmed vineyard signals the land's consecration. The land, in its seventh year, becomes a kind of Nazirite, visibly set apart.

תּוֹשָׁב tôšāb sojourner / resident alien / temporary dweller

From the root ישׁב (yšb), "to sit, dwell, remain," with the prefix תּ indicating a temporary or dependent status. A tôšāb is a non-Israelite who resides in the land without full citizenship or inheritance rights, distinct from the gēr (sojourner with more integration). Verse 6 includes the tôšāb among those who may eat from the sabbath produce, reflecting the egalitarian ethic of the sabbath year: all residents, regardless of legal status, share in the land's spontaneous yield. The term reappears in the jubilee laws (25:23, 35, 47), where Israel itself is called tôšābîm before Yahweh—tenants, not owners.

תְּבוּאָה tĕbûʾâ produce / yield / harvest / income

From the root בוא (bwʾ), "to come, enter," hence "that which comes forth" from the land. Tĕbûʾâ denotes agricultural produce broadly—grain, fruit, increase. It appears throughout Leviticus 25-27 in economic and liturgical contexts (tithes, redemption, valuation). In verse 7, "all its produce" (kol-tĕbûʾātāh) encompasses everything the land yields during the sabbath year, available to humans and animals alike. The term's root in "coming" suggests a gift-quality: produce is not extracted by human effort but received as the land's own offering during its rest.

Grammar & Argument

The passage opens with the standard prophetic formula, "Then Yahweh spoke to Moses," but adds the locative "at Mount Sinai" (bĕhar sînay), a detail appearing only here and at the chapter's close (25:1; 26:46; 27:34). This geographic anchor ties the sabbath-year legislation to the Sinai covenant, situating agrarian law within the same revelatory moment as the Decalogue and the tabernacle instructions. The command is not an afterthought but integral to the covenant charter. The verb "spoke" (wayĕdabbēr) in verse 1 governs the entire chapter, making the sabbath year and jubilee a single divine discourse.

Verse 2 employs a temporal clause, "When you come into the land which I shall give you" (kî tābōʾû ʾel-hāʾāreṣ), deferring implementation until settlement. This future orientation recurs in Leviticus (14:34; 19:23; 23:10) and underscores that the land is gift, not conquest. The verb "shall have a sabbath" (wĕšābĕtâ) is Qal perfect with waw-consecutive, indicating consequence: entry into the land triggers the land's sabbath obligation. Remarkably, the land is the subject—"the land shall rest"—not the people. The syntax personifies the soil, granting it agency and covenantal standing. The prepositional phrase "to Yahweh" (layhwh) appears twice (vv. 2, 4), framing the sabbath as vertical worship, not merely horizontal economics.

Verses 3-5 contrast six years of labor with the seventh year of cessation through antithetical parallelism. The repetition of "six years" (šēš šānîm) in verse 3, followed by "but during the seventh year" (ûbaššānâ haššĕbîʿit) in verse 4, creates a rhythmic cadence that mirrors the weekly sabbath pattern. Four prohibitions are issued in verse 4-5: "you shall not sow... nor prune... you shall not reap... nor gather." The negative particle lōʾ governs each verb, establishing absolute boundaries. The verbs are second-person singular, addressing the landowner directly, yet the rationale is third-person: "the land shall have a sabbath rest" (šabbat šabbātôn yihyeh lāʾāreṣ). The doubling šabbat šabbātôn intensifies the command, evoking the "holy of holies" construction—a superlative rest.

Verses 6-7 shift from prohibition to provision. The waw-consecutive construction "And the sabbath produce of the land shall be" (wĕhāyĕtâ šabbat hāʾāreṣ) introduces a list of beneficiaries: the landowner, male and female slaves, hired laborers, resident aliens, livestock, and wild animals. The syntax is inclusio, moving from human to animal, from insider to outsider, collapsing social hierarchies. The preposition lĕ ("for") recurs seven times, distributing the land's yield democratically. The final clause, "all its produce to eat" (kol-tĕbûʾātāh leʾĕkōl), uses the infinitive construct to express purpose: the land's rest generates abundance for consumption, not accumulation. The grammar enacts the theology: sabbath rest produces communal flourishing.

The land is not a tool but a covenant partner, entitled to its own sabbath. When creation rests, hierarchy dissolves: slave and master, citizen and alien, human and beast eat from the same unharvested field. True rest is not the absence of work but the presence of trust—trust that Yahweh's economy operates by gift, not extraction.

OT Connection

Exodus 23:10-11; Deuteronomy 15:1-11; 2 Chronicles 36:21; Nehemiah 10:31

The sabbath year first appears in the Covenant Code (Exod 23:10-11), where the rationale is humanitarian: "that the needy of your people may eat." Leviticus 25 deepens this, making the land itself the subject of rest and Yahweh the recipient of sabbath worship. Deuteronomy 15 adds the release of debts, weaving economic justice into the sabbath-year fabric. The three texts together form a triad: Exodus emphasizes social equity, Leviticus liturgical ecology, Deuteronomy economic liberation. The Chronicler interprets the Babylonian exile as the land "enjoying its sabbaths" (2 Chr 36:21), fulfilling the seventy years owed from centuries of neglect—a sobering testimony that creation's rest is not optional but enforceable by divine decree.

LSB Choices Worth Noting

"Yahweh" in verses 2 and 4 renders the tetragrammaton, preserving the covenant name rather than the generic "LORD." The sabbath year is not owed to deity in the abstract but to Israel's particular God, whose own rest in Genesis 2 establishes the pattern.

"slaves" in verse 6 translates עֶבֶד (ʿebed) and אָמָה (ʾāmâ), maintaining the legal and social reality of servitude. The LSB does not soften to "servants," allowing the text's radical claim to stand: even those in bondage share equally in the sabbath produce, a foretaste of jubilee liberation.

Leviticus 25:8-22

The Year of Jubilee and Land Restoration

LSB Text

⁸'You shall also count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years, so that you have the time of seven sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. ⁹You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. ¹⁰So you shall set apart the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. ¹¹You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. ¹²For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its produce out of the field. ¹³'On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property. ¹⁴And if you make a sale, moreover, to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor's hand, you shall not wrong one another. ¹⁵Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your neighbor; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of produce. ¹⁶In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. ¹⁷So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am Yahweh your God. ¹⁸'You shall thus do My statutes and keep My judgments so as to do them, so that you may live securely on the land. ¹⁹Then the land will yield its produce, so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it. ²⁰But if you say, "What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our produce?" ²¹then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the produce for three years. ²²When you are sowing the eighth year, you can still eat old produce from the old produce, until the ninth year when its produce comes in, you can eat the old.

Greek Text

⁸וְסָפַרְתָּ֣ לְךָ֗ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת שָׁנִ֔ים שֶׁ֥בַע שָׁנִ֖ים שֶׁ֣בַע פְּעָמִ֑ים וְהָי֣וּ לְךָ֗ יְמֵי֙ שֶׁ֚בַע שַׁבְּתֹ֣ת הַשָּׁנִ֔ים תֵּ֥שַׁע וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃ ⁹וְהַֽעֲבַרְתָּ֞ שׁוֹפַ֤ר תְּרוּעָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִעִ֔י בֶּעָשׂ֖וֹר לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בְּיוֹם֙ הַכִּפֻּרִ֔ים תַּעֲבִ֥ירוּ שׁוֹפָ֖ר בְּכָל־אַרְצְכֶֽם׃ ¹⁰וְקִדַּשְׁתֶּ֗ם אֵ֣ת שְׁנַ֤ת הַחֲמִשִּׁים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וּקְרָאתֶ֥ם דְּר֛וֹר בָּאָ֖רֶץ לְכָל־יֹשְׁבֶ֑יהָ יוֹבֵ֥ל הִוא֙ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֔ם וְשַׁבְתֶּ֗ם אִ֚ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּת֔וֹ וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֖וֹ תָּשֻֽׁבוּ׃ ¹¹יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֗וא שְׁנַ֛ת הַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔עוּ וְלֹ֤א תִקְצְרוּ֙ אֶת־סְפִיחֶ֔יהָ וְלֹ֥א תִבְצְר֖וּ אֶת־נְזִרֶֽיהָ׃ ¹²כִּ֚י יוֹבֵ֣ל הִ֔וא קֹ֖דֶשׁ תִּהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם מִן־הַ֨שָּׂדֶ֔ה תֹּאכְל֖וּ אֶת־תְּבוּאָתָֽהּ׃ ¹³בִּשְׁנַ֥ת הַיּוֹבֵ֖ל הַזֹּ֑את תָּשֻׁ֕בוּ אִ֖ישׁ אֶל־אֲחֻזָּתֽוֹ׃ ¹⁴וְכִֽי־תִמְכְּר֤וּ מִמְכָּר֙ לַעֲמִיתֶ֔ךָ א֥וֹ קָנֹ֖ה מִיַּ֣ד עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ אַל־תּוֹנ֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ אֶת־אָחִֽיו׃ ¹⁵בְּמִסְפַּ֤ר שָׁנִים֙ אַחַ֣ר הַיּוֹבֵ֔ל תִּקְנֶ֖ה מֵאֵ֣ת עֲמִיתֶ֑ךָ בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר שְׁנֵֽי־תְבוּאֹ֖ת יִמְכָּר־לָֽךְ׃ ¹⁶לְפִ֣י ׀ רֹ֣ב הַשָּׁנִ֗ים תַּרְבֶּה֙ מִקְנָת֔וֹ וּלְפִי֙ מְעֹ֣ט הַשָּׁנִ֔ים תַּמְעִ֖יט מִקְנָת֑וֹ כִּ֚י מִסְפַּ֣ר תְּבוּאֹ֔ת ה֥וּא מֹכֵ֖ר לָֽךְ׃ ¹⁷וְלֹ֤א תוֹנוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עֲמִית֔וֹ וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ ¹⁸וַעֲשִׂיתֶם֙ אֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֔י וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֣ם אֹתָ֑ם וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לָבֶֽטַח׃ ¹⁹וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ פִּרְיָ֔הּ וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם לָשֹׂ֑בַע וִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח עָלֶֽיהָ׃ ²⁰וְכִ֣י תֹאמְר֔וּ מַה־נֹּאכַ֖ל בַּשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑ת הֵ֚ן לֹ֣א נִזְרָ֔ע וְלֹ֥א נֶאֱסֹ֖ף אֶת־תְּבוּאָתֵֽנוּ׃ ²¹וְצִוִּ֤יתִי אֶת־בִּרְכָתִי֙ לָכֶ֔ם בַּשָּׁנָ֖ה הַשִּׁשִּׁ֑ית וְעָשָׂת֙ אֶת־הַתְּבוּאָ֔ה לִשְׁלֹ֖שׁ הַשָּׁנִֽים׃ ²²וּזְרַעְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַשְּׁמִינִ֔ת וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֖ם מִן־הַתְּבוּאָ֣ה יָשָׁ֑ן עַ֣ד ׀ הַשָּׁנָ֣ה הַתְּשִׁיעִ֗ת עַד־בּוֹא֙ תְּב֣וּאָתָ֔הּ תֹּאכְל֖וּ יָשָֽׁן׃

⁸wəsāp̄artā ləḵā šeḇaʿ šabbəṯōṯ šānîm šeḇaʿ šānîm šeḇaʿ pəʿāmîm wəhāyû ləḵā yəmê šeḇaʿ šabbəṯōṯ haššānîm tēšaʿ wəʾarbāʿîm šānâ. ⁹wəhaʿăḇartā šôp̄ar tərûʿâ baḥōḏeš haššəḇîʿî bəʿāśôr laḥōḏeš bəyôm hakkippurîm taʿăḇîrû šôp̄ār bəḵol-ʾarṣəḵem. ¹⁰wəqiddaštem ʾēṯ šənaṯ haḥămišîm šānâ ûqərāṯem dərôr bāʾāreṣ ləḵol-yōšəḇêhā yôḇēl hîʾ tihyeh lāḵem wəšaḇtem ʾîš ʾel-ʾăḥuzzāṯô wəʾîš ʾel-mišpaḥtô tāšuḇû. ¹¹yôḇēl hîʾ šənaṯ haḥămišîm šānâ tihyeh lāḵem lōʾ ṯizrāʿû wəlōʾ ṯiqṣərû ʾeṯ-səp̄îḥehā wəlōʾ ṯiḇṣərû ʾeṯ-nəzirêhā. ¹²kî yôḇēl hîʾ qōḏeš tihyeh lāḵem min-haśśāḏeh tōḵəlû ʾeṯ-təḇûʾāṯāh. ¹³bišənaṯ hayyôḇēl hazzōʾṯ tāšuḇû ʾîš ʾel-ʾăḥuzzāṯô. ¹⁴wəḵî-ṯimkərû mimkār laʿămîṯeḵā ʾô qānōh miyyaḏ ʿămîṯeḵā ʾal-tônû ʾîš ʾeṯ-ʾāḥîw. ¹⁵bəmispar šānîm ʾaḥar hayyôḇēl tiqneh mēʾēṯ ʿămîṯeḵā bəmispar šənê-ṯəḇûʾōṯ yimkār-lāḵ. ¹⁶ləp̄î rōḇ haššānîm tarbeh miqnāṯô ûləp̄î məʿōṭ haššānîm tamʿîṭ miqnāṯô kî mispar təḇûʾōṯ hûʾ mōḵēr lāḵ. ¹⁷wəlōʾ ṯônû ʾîš ʾeṯ-ʿămîṯô wəyārēʾṯā mēʾĕlōheḵā kî ʾănî yhwh ʾĕlōhêḵem. ¹⁸waʿăśîṯem ʾeṯ-ḥuqqōṯay wəʾeṯ-mišpāṭay tišmərû waʿăśîṯem ʾōṯām wîšaḇtem ʿal-hāʾāreṣ lāḇeṭaḥ. ¹⁹wənāṯənâ hāʾāreṣ piryāh waʾăḵaltem lāśōḇaʿ wîšaḇtem lāḇeṭaḥ ʿālêhā. ²⁰wəḵî ṯōʾmərû mah-nōʾḵal baššānâ haššəḇîʿiṯ hēn lōʾ nizrāʿ wəlōʾ neʾĕsōp̄ ʾeṯ-təḇûʾāṯēnû. ²¹wəṣiwwîṯî ʾeṯ-birḵāṯî lāḵem baššānâ haššiššîṯ wəʿāśāṯ ʾeṯ-hatəḇûʾâ lišəlōš haššānîm. ²²ûzəraʿtem ʾēṯ haššānâ haššəmînîṯ waʾăḵaltem min-hatəḇûʾâ yāšān ʿaḏ haššānâ hatəšîʿîṯ ʿaḏ-bôʾ təḇûʾāṯāh tōḵəlû yāšān.

Key Words

יוֹבֵל yôḇēl jubilee / ram's horn

The term yôḇēl originally denoted a ram or ram's horn (šôp̄ar), and by extension the trumpet blast that announced the jubilee year. The word appears in Joshua 6 in connection with the ram's horn trumpets at Jericho. In Leviticus 25, yôḇēl becomes the technical designation for the fiftieth year when all debts are canceled, slaves freed, and ancestral lands restored. The jubilee embodies Yahweh's sovereignty over time, property, and social structures—a radical reset that prevents the permanent consolidation of wealth and the perpetual disenfranchisement of families. The New Testament echoes this liberation theme in Jesus' Nazareth sermon (Luke 4:18-19), where he announces the "favorable year of the Lord."

דְּרוֹר dərôr freedom / release / liberty

The noun dərôr denotes a proclamation of release or emancipation, derived from a root meaning "to flow freely" or "to move without restraint." It appears in Jeremiah 34:8, 15, 17 concerning the release of Hebrew slaves, and in Isaiah 61:1, where the prophet announces liberty to captives—a passage Jesus applies to his own ministry. In Leviticus 25:10, dərôr is proclaimed throughout the land, signaling the restoration of every person to his ancestral inheritance. This word was famously inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, linking the biblical vision of jubilee to modern concepts of freedom. The

Grammar & Argument

Leviticus 25:23-34

Redemption Rights for Land and Houses

LSB Text

²³The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but sojourners and residents with Me. ²⁴Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land. ²⁵If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest redeemer is to come and redeem what his relative has sold. ²⁶Or in case a man has no redeemer, but he himself acquires sufficient means for its redemption, ²⁷then he shall calculate the years since its sale and return the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property. ²⁸But if he has not acquired sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall revert, that he may return to his property. ²⁹Likewise, if a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then his redemption right remains valid until the end of a year from its sale; his right of redemption lasts a full year. ³⁰But if it is not redeemed for him within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city passes permanently to its purchaser throughout his generations; it does not revert in the jubilee. ³¹The houses of the villages, however, which have no surrounding wall shall be counted as open fields; they have redemption rights and revert in the jubilee. ³²As for cities of the Levites, the Levites have a permanent right of redemption for the houses of the cities which are their possession. ³³What, therefore, belongs to the Levites may be redeemed and a house sale in the city of this possession reverts in the jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons of Israel. ³⁴But pasture fields of their cities shall not be sold, for that is their perpetual possession.

Greek Text

²³וְהָאָ֗רֶץ לֹ֤א תִמָּכֵר֙ לִצְמִתֻ֔ת כִּי־לִ֖י הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֧ים וְתוֹשָׁבִ֛ים אַתֶּ֖ם עִמָּדִֽי׃ ²⁴וּבְכֹ֖ל אֶ֣רֶץ אֲחֻזַּתְכֶ֑ם גְּאֻלָּ֖ה תִּתְּנ֥וּ לָאָֽרֶץ׃ ²⁵כִּֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָכַ֖ר מֵאֲחֻזָּת֑וֹ וּבָ֤א גֹֽאֲלוֹ֙ הַקָּרֹ֣ב אֵלָ֔יו וְגָאַ֕ל אֵ֖ת מִמְכַּ֥ר אָחִֽיו׃ ²⁶וְאִ֕ישׁ כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יִֽהְיֶה־לּ֖וֹ גֹּאֵ֑ל וְהִשִּׂ֣יגָה יָד֔וֹ וּמָצָ֖א כְּדֵ֥י גְאֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ ²⁷וְחִשַּׁב֙ אֶת־שְׁנֵ֣י מִמְכָּר֔וֹ וְהֵשִׁיב֙ אֶת־הָ֣עֹדֵ֔ף לָאִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָֽכַר־ל֑וֹ וְשָׁ֖ב לַאֲחֻזָּתֽוֹ׃ ²⁸וְאִ֨ם לֹֽא־מָֽצְאָ֜ה יָד֗וֹ דֵּי֮ הָשִׁ֣יב לוֹ֒ וְהָיָ֣ה מִמְכָּר֗וֹ בְּיַד֙ הַקֹּנֶ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ עַ֖ד שְׁנַ֣ת הַיּוֹבֵ֑ל וְיָצָא֙ בַּיֹּבֵ֔ל וְשָׁ֖ב לַאֲחֻזָּתֽוֹ׃ ²⁹וְאִ֗ישׁ כִּֽי־יִמְכֹּ֤ר בֵּית־מוֹשַׁב֙ עִ֣יר חוֹמָ֔ה וְהָֽיְתָה֙ גְּאֻלָּת֔וֹ עַד־תֹּ֖ם שְׁנַ֣ת מִמְכָּר֑וֹ יָמִ֖ים תִּהְיֶ֥ה גְאֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ ³⁰וְאִ֣ם לֹֽא־יִגָּאֵ֗ל עַד־מְלֹ֣את לוֹ֮ שָׁנָ֣ה תְמִימָה֒ וְ֠קָם הַבַּ֨יִת אֲשֶׁר־בָּעִ֜יר אֲשֶׁר־לֹ֣ו חֹמָ֗ה לַצְּמִיתֻ֛ת לַקֹּנֶ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ לְדֹרֹתָ֑יו לֹ֥א יֵצֵ֖א בַּיֹּבֵֽל׃ ³¹וּבָתֵּ֣י הַחֲצֵרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֵין־לָהֶ֤ם חֹמָה֙ סָבִ֔יב עַל־שְׂדֵ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב גְּאֻלָּה֙ תִּהְיֶה־לּ֔וֹ וּבַיֹּבֵ֖ל יֵצֵֽא׃ ³²וְעָרֵי֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם בָּתֵּ֖י עָרֵ֣י אֲחֻזָּתָ֑ם גְּאֻלַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֖ם תִּהְיֶ֥ה לַלְוִיִּֽם׃ ³³וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר יִגְאַל֙ מִן־הַלְוִיִּ֔ם וְיָצָ֧א מִמְכַּר־בַּ֛יִת וְעִ֥יר אֲחֻזָּת֖וֹ בַּיֹּבֵ֑ל כִּ֣י בָתֵּ֞י עָרֵ֣י הַלְוִיִּ֗ם הִ֚וא אֲחֻזָּתָ֔ם בְּת֖וֹךְ בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ ³⁴וּֽשְׂדֵ֛ה מִגְרַ֥שׁ עָרֵיהֶ֖ם לֹ֣א יִמָּכֵ֑ר כִּֽי־אֲחֻזַּ֥ת עוֹלָ֛ם ה֖וּא לָהֶֽם׃

²³wəhāʾāreṣ lōʾ timmākēr liṣmitut kî-lî hāʾāreṣ kî-gērîm wətôšābîm ʾattem ʿimmādî. ²⁴ûbəkōl ʾereṣ ʾăḥuzzatkĕm gəʾullâ tittənû lāʾāreṣ. ²⁵kî-yāmûk ʾāḥîkā ûmākar mēʾăḥuzzātô ûbāʾ gōʾălô haqqārōb ʾēlāyw wəgāʾal ʾēt mimkar ʾāḥîw. ²⁶wəʾîš kî lōʾ yihyeh-lô gōʾēl wəhiśśîgâ yādô ûmāṣāʾ kədê gəʾullātô. ²⁷wəḥiššab ʾet-šənê mimkārô wəhēšîb ʾet-hāʿōdēp lāʾîš ʾăšer mākar-lô wəšāb laʾăḥuzzātô. ²⁸wəʾim lōʾ-māṣəʾâ yādô dê hāšîb lô wəhāyâ mimkārô bəyad haqqōneh ʾōtô ʿad šənat hayyôbēl wəyāṣāʾ bayyōbēl wəšāb laʾăḥuzzātô. ²⁹wəʾîš kî-yimkōr bêt-môšab ʿîr ḥômâ wəhāyətâ gəʾullātô ʿad-tōm šənat mimkārô yāmîm tihyeh gəʾullātô. ³⁰wəʾim lōʾ-yiggāʾēl ʿad-məlōʾt lô šānâ təmîmâ wəqām habbayit ʾăšer-bāʿîr ʾăšer-lô ḥōmâ laṣṣəmîtut laqqōneh ʾōtô lədōrōtāyw lōʾ yēṣēʾ bayyōbēl. ³¹ûbāttê haḥăṣērîm ʾăšer ʾên-lāhem ḥōmâ sābîb ʿal-śədê hāʾāreṣ yēḥāšēb gəʾullâ tihyeh-lô ûbayyōbēl yēṣēʾ. ³²wəʿārê halwiyyim bāttê ʿārê ʾăḥuzzātām gəʾullat ʿôlām tihyeh lalwiyyim. ³³waʾăšer yigʾal min-halwiyyim wəyāṣāʾ mimkar-bayit wəʿîr ʾăḥuzzātô bayyōbēl kî bāttê ʿārê halwiyyim hiʾ ʾăḥuzzātām bətôk bənê yiśrāʾēl. ³⁴ûśədê migrāš ʿārêhem lōʾ yimmākēr kî-ʾăḥuzzat ʿôlām hûʾ lāhem.

Key Words

גָּאַל gāʾal to redeem / to act as kinsman-redeemer

This verb denotes the action of a kinsman who buys back property or persons to restore them to their rightful place within the family. The root carries legal, familial, and covenantal weight, establishing the go'el (redeemer) as one who vindicates the rights of a relative. In Leviticus 25, the term appears repeatedly to safeguard the inalienability of tribal inheritance. The concept reaches its theological apex in the book of Ruth, where Boaz acts as go'el, and finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament portrayal of Christ as Redeemer who buys back humanity from bondage. The term is foundational to Israel's understanding of Yahweh as the divine Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14; 44:6).

אֲחֻזָּה ʾăḥuzzâ possession / inheritance / landed property

Derived from the verb ʾāḥaz ("to grasp, seize, hold"), this noun signifies property held firmly as a permanent inheritance. In the Pentateuch, ʾăḥuzzâ refers specifically to the tribal allotments given by divine decree, not merely real estate but covenant gift. The term underscores that Israel's tenure in Canaan is not by conquest alone but by Yahweh's sovereign grant. Leviticus 25 insists that such property cannot be sold in perpetuity because it belongs ultimately to God. The theological implication is that human ownership is always stewardship under divine lordship. The New Testament echoes this in the language of inheritance (klēronomia) promised to believers in Christ.

יוֹבֵל yôbēl jubilee / ram's horn / year of release

The term yôbēl originally referred to a ram or ram's horn (šôpār), whose blast announced the fiftieth year of liberation. Leviticus 25 transforms this acoustic signal into a comprehensive socio-economic reset: land reverts, slaves go free, debts are canceled. The jubilee embodies Yahweh's sovereignty over time and property, preventing the permanent stratification of Israelite society. Scholars debate the historical implementation of jubilee, but its theological force is undeniable—it prefigures the "year of the Lord's favor" proclaimed by Jesus in Luke 4:19. The jubilee is eschatological in essence, a recurring Sabbath of Sabbaths that points toward the ultimate restoration of all things.

צְמִיתֻת ṣəmîtut permanence / perpetuity / finality

This rare noun, from the root ṣāmat ("to cut off, exterminate"), denotes absolute and irrevocable transfer. In verse 23, Yahweh declares that land shall not be sold liṣmitut—permanently—because the land belongs to Him. The term appears again in verse 30 regarding houses in walled cities, which do pass permanently to the purchaser if not redeemed within a year. The contrast between redeemable and non-redeemable property highlights the unique status of agricultural land as covenant inheritance. The theological principle is clear: what God has given as inheritance cannot be alienated forever, for His gifts are irrevocable (Romans 11:29).

גֵּרִים gērîm sojourners / resident aliens / temporary dwellers

The plural of gēr, this term describes those who dwell in a land not their own, lacking full citizenship rights but protected under covenant law. In verse 23, Yahweh declares that Israel itself stands as gērîm before Him—sojourners in a land that remains His possession. This radical redefinition of Israel's status relativizes all human claims to ownership and roots Israel's identity in dependence and humility. The patriarchs described themselves as gērîm (Genesis 23:4; Psalm 39:12), and the New Testament extends this motif to the church, which lives as "aliens and strangers" (1 Peter 2:11) awaiting a heavenly homeland. The term underscores the provisional nature of earthly tenure.

חוֹמָה ḥômâ wall / fortification / defensive barrier

This feminine noun denotes a city wall, the defining feature that distinguished urban centers from unwalled villages in ancient Israel. Leviticus 25:29-31 makes a critical legal distinction: houses within walled cities could be sold permanently if not redeemed within one year, whereas houses in unwalled villages were treated like agricultural land and reverted at jubilee. The rationale may reflect the commercial versus agrarian character of property, or the fact that walled cities were not part of the original tribal allotments. The wall thus becomes a legal boundary marker, separating property regimes and underscoring the unique sanctity of the inherited land itself.

מִגְרָשׁ migrāš pasture land / open land / common fields

Derived from gāraš ("to drive out, expel"), migrāš refers to the open land surrounding Levitical cities, used for grazing and agriculture. Numbers 35:2-5 specifies the dimensions of these pasture lands, which were essential to the Levites' economic sustenance since they received no tribal territory. Verse 34 declares that these fields cannot be sold, for they are the Levites' ʾăḥuzzat ʿôlām—perpetual possession. The term highlights the communal and inalienable nature of Levitical property, ensuring that those who serve in the sanctuary are not economically vulnerable. The principle anticipates the New Testament teaching that those who proclaim the gospel should receive their living from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).

Grammar & Argument

The passage unfolds in a carefully structured legal discourse that moves from general principle (vv. 23-24) to specific cases (vv. 25-34). Verse 23 establishes the theological

Leviticus 25:35-46

Treatment of Poor Israelites and Slaves

LSB Text

³⁵'Now if your countryman becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a sojourner or a resident, that he may live with you. ³⁶Do not take interest from him or increase, but fear your God, that your countryman may live with you. ³⁷You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor give him your food for increase. ³⁸I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. ³⁹'Now if your countryman becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave. ⁴⁰He shall be with you as a hired man, as a resident; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. ⁴¹He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to his family, that he may return to the property of his forefathers. ⁴²For they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are not to be sold in a slave sale. ⁴³You shall not rule over him with harshness, but are to fear your God. ⁴⁴As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. ⁴⁵Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who sojourn among you that you may acquire them, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have brought forth in your land; they also may become your property. ⁴⁶You may even give them as an inheritance to your sons after you, to possess as a property; you can make them serve as slaves forever. But as for your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with harshness, one over another.

Greek Text

³⁵וְכִֽי־יָמ֣וּךְ אָחִ֔יךָ וּמָ֥טָה יָד֖וֹ עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהֶֽחֱזַ֣קְתָּ בּ֔וֹ גֵּ֧ר וְתוֹשָׁ֛ב וָחַ֖י עִמָּֽךְ׃ ³⁶אַל־תִּקַּ֤ח מֵֽאִתּוֹ֙ נֶ֣שֶׁךְ וְתַרְבִּ֔ית וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וְחֵ֥י אָחִ֖יךָ עִמָּֽךְ׃ ³⁷אֶ֨ת־כַּסְפְּךָ֔ לֹֽא־תִתֵּ֥ן ל֖וֹ בְּנֶ֑שֶׁךְ וּבְמַרְבִּ֖ית לֹא־תִתֵּ֥ן אָכְלֶֽךָ׃ ³⁸אֲנִ֗י יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לָתֵ֤ת לָכֶם֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לִהְי֥וֹת לָכֶ֖ם לֵֽאלֹהִֽים׃ ³⁹וְכִֽי־יָמ֥וּךְ אָחִ֛יךָ עִמָּ֖ךְ וְנִמְכַּר־לָ֑ךְ לֹא־תַעֲבֹ֥ד בּ֖וֹ עֲבֹ֥דַת עָֽבֶד׃ ⁴⁰כְּשָׂכִ֥יר כְּתוֹשָׁ֖ב יִהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֑ךְ עַד־שְׁנַ֥ת הַיֹּבֵ֖ל יַעֲבֹ֥ד עִמָּֽךְ׃ ⁴¹וְיָצָא֙ מֵֽעִמָּ֔ךְ ה֖וּא וּבָנָ֣יו עִמּ֑וֹ וְשָׁב֙ אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתּ֔וֹ וְאֶל־אֲחֻזַּ֥ת אֲבֹתָ֖יו יָשֽׁוּב׃ ⁴²כִּֽי־עֲבָדַ֣י הֵ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵ֥אתִי אֹתָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לֹ֥א יִמָּכְר֖וּ מִמְכֶּ֥רֶת עָֽבֶד׃ ⁴³לֹא־תִרְדֶּ֥ה ב֖וֹ בְּפָ֑רֶךְ וְיָרֵ֖אתָ מֵֽאֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ ⁴⁴וְעַבְדְּךָ֥ וַאֲמָתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִהְיוּ־לָ֑ךְ מֵאֵ֣ת הַגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ סְבִיבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם מֵהֶ֥ם תִּקְנ֖וּ עֶ֥בֶד וְאָמָֽה׃ ⁴⁵וְ֠גַם מִבְּנֵ֨י הַתּוֹשָׁבִ֜ים הַגָּרִ֤ים עִמָּכֶם֙ מֵהֶ֣ם תִּקְנ֔וּ וּמִמִּשְׁפַּחְתָּם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמָּכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הוֹלִ֖ידוּ בְּאַרְצְכֶ֑ם וְהָי֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם לַֽאֲחֻזָּֽה׃ ⁴⁶וְהִתְנַחַלְתֶּ֨ם אֹתָ֜ם לִבְנֵיכֶ֤ם אַֽחֲרֵיכֶם֙ לָרֶ֣שֶׁת אֲחֻזָּ֔ה לְעֹלָ֖ם בָּהֶ֣ם תַּֽעֲבֹ֑דוּ וּבְאַ֨חֵיכֶ֤ם בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אִ֣ישׁ בְּאָחִ֔יו לֹא־תִרְדֶּ֥ה ב֖וֹ בְּפָֽרֶךְ׃

³⁵wĕkî-yāmûk ʾāḥîkā ûmāṭâ yādô ʿimmāk wĕheḥĕzaqtā bô gēr wĕtôšāb wāḥay ʿimmāk. ³⁶ʾal-tiqqaḥ mēʾittô nešek wĕtarbît wĕyārēʾtā mēʾĕlōheykā wĕḥê ʾāḥîkā ʿimmāk. ³⁷ʾet-kaspĕkā lōʾ-tittēn lô bĕnešek ûbĕmarbît lōʾ-tittēn ʾoklekā. ³⁸ʾănî yhwh ʾĕlōhêkem ʾăšer-hôṣēʾtî ʾetkem mēʾereṣ miṣrāyim lātet lākem ʾet-ʾereṣ kĕnaʿan lihyôt lākem lēʾlōhîm. ³⁹wĕkî-yāmûk ʾāḥîkā ʿimmāk wĕnimkar-lāk lōʾ-taʿăbōd bô ʿăbōdat ʿābed. ⁴⁰kĕśākîr kĕtôšāb yihyeh ʿimmāk ʿad-šĕnat hayyōbēl yaʿăbōd ʿimmāk. ⁴¹wĕyāṣāʾ mēʿimmāk hûʾ ûbānāyw ʿimmô wĕšāb ʾel-mišpaḥtô wĕʾel-ʾăḥuzzat ʾăbōtāyw yāšûb. ⁴²kî-ʿăbāday hēm ʾăšer-hôṣēʾtî ʾōtām mēʾereṣ miṣrāyim lōʾ yimmākĕrû mimkeret ʿābed. ⁴³lōʾ-tirdeh bô bĕpārek wĕyārēʾtā mēʾĕlōheykā. ⁴⁴wĕʿabdĕkā waʾămātĕkā ʾăšer yihyû-lāk mēʾēt haggôyim ʾăšer sĕbîbōtêkem mēhem tiqnû ʿebed wĕʾāmâ. ⁴⁵wĕgam mibbĕnê hattôšābîm haggārîm ʿimmākem mēhem tiqnû ûmimmišpaḥtām ʾăšer ʿimmākem ʾăšer hôlîdû bĕʾarṣĕkem wĕhāyû lākem laʾăḥuzzâ. ⁴⁶wĕhitnaḥaltem ʾōtām libnêkem ʾaḥărêkem lāršet ʾăḥuzzâ lĕʿōlām bāhem taʿăbōdû ûbĕʾaḥêkem bĕnê-yiśrāʾēl ʾîš bĕʾāḥîw lōʾ-tirdeh bô bĕpārek.

Key Words

יָמוּךְ yāmûk becomes poor / falters

From the root מוּךְ (mûk), meaning "to become low, poor, or impoverished." This verb captures the economic vulnerability that threatens a person's ability to sustain themselves within the covenant community. The term appears repeatedly in this chapter (vv. 25, 35, 39, 47) to describe various stages of economic decline, from land loss to debt slavery. The language emphasizes that poverty is not a moral failure but a circumstance requiring communal response. The verb's passive or intransitive quality underscores that impoverishment happens to people rather than being chosen by them, thus demanding the compassion of fellow Israelites.

נֶשֶׁךְ nešek interest / usury

Literally "a bite," from the root נָשַׁךְ (nāšak), "to bite." This vivid metaphor portrays interest as something that bites into or devours the borrower's resources. The term appears in Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 23:19-20, and throughout the prophetic literature (Ezekiel 18:8, 13, 17; 22:12) as a practice forbidden among covenant brothers but permitted in transactions with foreigners. The biting imagery suggests the predatory nature of charging interest to the vulnerable. Ancient Near Eastern interest rates could reach 20-50%, making the metaphor especially apt. The prohibition reflects Yahweh's concern that economic transactions within Israel preserve rather than exploit community bonds.

תַרְבִּית tarbît increase / profit

From the root רָבָה (rābâ), "to increase, multiply, become great." While נֶשֶׁךְ refers to interest on money, תַרְבִּית typically denotes profit or increase on goods, particularly food (v. 37). The two terms together form a comprehensive prohibition against all forms of usurious gain from a fellow Israelite in distress. The word's root connection to multiplication and growth ironically highlights what should characterize God's blessing on the land, not human exploitation. Ezekiel uses both terms in parallel to condemn economic injustice (Ezek 18:8, 13, 17). The distinction preserves the principle that covenant relationships transcend mere commercial calculation.

עֲבֹדַת עָבֶד ʿăbōdat ʿābed service of a slave / slave labor

A construct phrase combining עֲבֹדָה (ʿăbōdâ, "service, labor, work") with עֶבֶד (ʿebed, "slave, servant"). The doubling of the root עבד intensifies the meaning: "the work characteristic of a slave" or "slave-like servitude." Verse 39 explicitly forbids subjecting an impoverished Israelite to this kind of labor, distinguishing it from the service of a hired worker (שָׂכִיר, śākîr) or resident (תּוֹשָׁב, tôšāb). The phrase appears again in verse 46, where it is permitted only for non-Israelite slaves. This linguistic distinction creates a two-tier system that protects Israelite dignity while acknowledging the reality of ancient Near Eastern slavery. The theological rationale follows in verse 42: all Israelites are already Yahweh's slaves, precluding permanent human ownership.

פֶּרֶךְ perek harshness / severity / rigor

A rare term appearing primarily in Exodus 1:13-14 (describing Egyptian oppression of Israel) and here in Leviticus 25:43, 46, 53. The word denotes crushing severity, ruthless domination, or brutal treatment. Its use creates a deliberate echo of Egypt's tyranny, warning Israelites not to replicate their former oppressors' behavior. The root may be related to פָּרַךְ (pārak), "to break apart, crush." By invoking the memory of Egyptian bondage, the text transforms Israel's historical trauma into an ethical imperative: those who have suffered oppression must not become oppressors. The command "you shall not rule over him with harshness" (v. 43) is reinforced by the fear-of-God motive, linking treatment of the vulnerable directly to covenant faithfulness.

אֲחֻזָּה ʾăḥuzzâ possession / property / inheritance

From the root אָחַז (ʾāḥaz), "to grasp, seize, hold fast." The term denotes property that is held firmly, particularly inherited land that remains within a family line. In verse 41, the impoverished Israelite returns "to the property of his forefathers" (אֲחֻזַּת אֲבֹתָיו, ʾăḥuzzat ʾăbōtāyw), while in verses 45-46, foreign slaves may become the ʾăḥuzzâ of Israelite masters, passed down as inheritable property. The contrast is stark: Israelite land is inalienable inheritance, while foreign persons can become property. This dual usage highlights the theological principle underlying Jubilee—land belongs ultimately to Yahweh (25:23), and Israelites are tenants, not absolute owners. The term appears throughout the Pentateuch in connection with the land promise (Gen 17:8; 48:4; Lev 14:34), anchoring economic legislation in salvation history.

יֹבֵל yōbēl jubilee / ram's horn

The defining term of this chapter, appearing in verses 10-13, 28, 30-33, 40, 50, 52, and 54. Derived either from the ram's horn (יוֹבֵל, yôbēl) blown to announce the year, or possibly from a root meaning "to bring back, restore." The Jubilee year, occurring every fiftieth year, mandated the release of Israelite debt-slaves, the return of ancestral lands, and the proclamation of liberty throughout the land. Verse 40 specifies that an impoverished Israelite who sells himself shall serve only "until the year of jubilee," after which he and his children go free. This institution prevented the permanent stratification of Israelite society into hereditary classes of landowners and landless. The Jubilee theology profoundly influenced Jesus' inaugural sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61), where he proclaimed the "favorable year of the Lord."

Grammar & Argument

Leviticus 25:47-55

Redemption of Israelites from Foreign Owners

LSB Text

⁴⁷'Now if the sojourner or stranger who is with you becomes rich, and your brother becomes so poor with regard to him that he sells himself to a sojourner or stranger who is with you, or to the descendants of a sojourner's family, ⁴⁸then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, ⁴⁹or his uncle or his uncle's son may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. ⁵⁰He shall then calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall correspond to the number of years. It is like the days of a hired man that he shall be with him. ⁵¹If there are still many years, he shall refund part of his purchase price in proportion to them for his own redemption; ⁵²and if few years remain until the year of jubilee, he shall so calculate with him. In proportion to his years he is to refund the amount for his redemption. ⁵³Like a man hired year by year he shall be with him; he shall not rule over him with harshness in your sight. ⁵⁴Even if he is not redeemed by these means, he shall still go out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him. ⁵⁵For the sons of Israel are My slaves; they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.

Greek Text

⁴⁷וְכִי תַשִּׂיג יַד גֵּר וְתוֹשָׁב עִמָּךְ וּמָךְ אָחִיךָ עִמּוֹ וְנִמְכַּר לְגֵר תוֹשָׁב עִמָּךְ אוֹ לְעֵקֶר מִשְׁפַּחַת גֵּר׃ ⁴⁸אַחֲרֵי נִמְכַּר גְּאֻלָּה תִּהְיֶה־לּוֹ אֶחָד מֵאֶחָיו יִגְאָלֶנּוּ׃ ⁴⁹אוֹ־דֹדוֹ אוֹ בֶן־דֹּדוֹ יִגְאָלֶנּוּ אוֹ־מִשְּׁאֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ יִגְאָלֶנּוּ אוֹ־הִשִּׂיגָה יָדוֹ וְנִגְאָל׃ ⁵⁰וְחִשַּׁב עִם־קֹנֵהוּ מִשְּׁנַת הִמָּכְרוֹ לוֹ עַד שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְהָיָה כֶּסֶף מִמְכָּרוֹ בְּמִסְפַּר שָׁנִים כִּימֵי שָׂכִיר יִהְיֶה עִמּוֹ׃ ⁵¹אִם־עוֹד רַבּוֹת בַּשָּׁנִים לְפִיהֶן יָשִׁיב גְּאֻלָּתוֹ מִכֶּסֶף מִקְנָתוֹ׃ ⁵²וְאִם־מְעַט נִשְׁאַר בַּשָּׁנִים עַד־שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל וְחִשַּׁב־לוֹ כְּפִי שָׁנָיו יָשִׁיב אֶת־גְּאֻלָּתוֹ׃ ⁵³כִּשְׂכִיר שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה יִהְיֶה עִמּוֹ לֹא־יִרְדֶּנּוּ בְּפֶרֶךְ לְעֵינֶיךָ׃ ⁵⁴וְאִם־לֹא יִגָּאֵל בְּאֵלֶּה וְיָצָא בִּשְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל הוּא וּבָנָיו עִמּוֹ׃ ⁵⁵כִּי־לִי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדִים עֲבָדַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר־הוֹצֵאתִי אוֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃

⁴⁷wĕkî taśśîḡ yad gēr wĕtôšāḇ ʿimmāḵ ûmāḵ ʾāḥîḵā ʿimmô wĕnimkar lĕgēr tôšāḇ ʿimmāḵ ʾô lĕʿēqer mišpaḥat gēr. ⁴⁸ʾaḥărê nimkar gĕʾullâ tihyeh-lô ʾeḥāḏ mēʾeḥāyw yiḡʾālennû. ⁴⁹ʾô-ḏōḏô ʾô ḇen-dōḏô yiḡʾālennû ʾô-miššĕʾēr bĕśārô mimišpaḥtô yiḡʾālennû ʾô-hiśśîḡâ yāḏô wĕniḡʾāl. ⁵⁰wĕḥiššaḇ ʿim-qōnēhû miššĕnat himmāḵrô lô ʿaḏ šĕnat hayyōḇēl wĕhāyâ kesep mimkārô bĕmispar šānîm kîmê śāḵîr yihyeh ʿimmô. ⁵¹ʾim-ʿôḏ rabbôt baššānîm lĕpîhen yāšîḇ gĕʾullātô mikesep miqnātô. ⁵²wĕʾim-mĕʿaṭ nišʾar baššānîm ʿaḏ-šĕnat hayyōḇēl wĕḥiššaḇ-lô kĕpî šānāyw yāšîḇ ʾeṯ-gĕʾullātô. ⁵³kiśĕḵîr šānâ bĕšānâ yihyeh ʿimmô lōʾ-yirdenû bĕpereḵ lĕʿênêḵā. ⁵⁴wĕʾim-lōʾ yiggāʾēl bĕʾēlleh wĕyāṣāʾ bišnat hayyōḇēl hûʾ ûḇānāyw ʿimmô. ⁵⁵kî-lî ḇĕnê-yiśrāʾēl ʿăḇāḏîm ʿăḇāḏay hēm ʾăšer-hôṣēʾtî ʾôtām mēʾereṣ miṣrayim ʾănî yhwh ʾĕlōhêḵem.

Key Words

גָּאַל gāʾal to redeem / to act as kinsman-redeemer

This verb denotes the action of a kinsman-redeemer who buys back property or persons that have been sold due to poverty. The root carries legal, familial, and theological weight throughout the Old Testament. In Ruth, Boaz functions as the gōʾēl who redeems both land and bride. In Isaiah 40–66, Yahweh is repeatedly called Israel's Gōʾēl, the one who redeems His people from exile and bondage. The New Testament echoes this language in the work of Christ, who redeems (lytrōō) His people from slavery to sin, fulfilling the typology of the kinsman-redeemer.

גֵּר gēr sojourner / resident alien

The gēr is a non-Israelite who resides within Israel's borders, enjoying certain protections under the law but not full covenant membership. The term appears frequently in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where Israel is commanded to love the sojourner because they themselves were sojourners in Egypt. This passage envisions the unusual scenario where a gēr prospers while a native Israelite falls into poverty, reversing the expected social order. The law's concern for the dignity of the impoverished Israelite even in such circumstances reveals the covenant community's commitment to protecting its weakest members.

יוֹבֵל yôḇēl jubilee / ram's horn

The yôḇēl designates both the ram's horn trumpet and the fiftieth year announced by its blast. This year of release represents the climax of Israel's sabbatical cycle, when all debts are forgiven, all land returns to its original family, and all indentured servants go free. The jubilee embodies Yahweh's sovereignty over time, land, and people—a perpetual reminder that Israel holds everything in trust from Him. The New Testament concept of the "acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:19) draws on jubilee imagery to describe the eschatological liberation Christ brings.

עֲבָדִים ʿăḇāḏîm slaves / servants

The plural of ʿeḇeḏ, this term denotes those in servitude or bondage. In verse 55, Yahweh declares that the sons of Israel are His ʿăḇāḏîm—His exclusive property by right of redemption from Egypt. This divine claim undergirds the entire chapter's legislation: because Israel belongs to Yahweh as His redeemed slaves, no Israelite may be permanently enslaved to another human master. The term's theological freight is immense; Paul will later describe himself as a doulos of Christ, embracing the identity of one who has been bought with a price and now belongs entirely to his Redeemer.

פֶּרֶךְ pereḵ harshness / ruthlessness / oppression

This noun describes brutal, crushing labor—the kind of oppression Israel experienced in Egypt under Pharaoh's taskmasters. The term appears in Exodus 1:13-14 to characterize Egyptian cruelty, making its prohibition here especially poignant. An Israelite master must not treat his brother with the same pereḵ that characterized their collective bondage. The law thus transforms memory into ethics: the experience of oppression becomes the basis for compassion. The prohibition extends even to how a foreign owner treats an Israelite servant, requiring community oversight ("in your sight," v. 53).

שָׂכִיר śāḵîr hired worker / day laborer

The śāḵîr is a free laborer who works for wages, contrasting with the permanent slave. This passage repeatedly uses the hired worker as the model for how an indentured Israelite must be treated—with dignity, fair compensation, and the expectation of eventual release. The comparison establishes a floor of humane treatment: even in servitude, the Israelite retains the status of a temporary employee rather than chattel property. This legal fiction preserves the servant's humanity and anticipates his restoration to full freedom, either through redemption or at the jubilee.

מִשְׁפָּחָה mišpāḥâ clan / extended family

The mišpāḥâ represents the kinship unit larger than the nuclear family but smaller than the tribe—the social structure responsible for mutual aid and redemption. Verse 49 specifies that redemption may come from "one of his blood relatives from his mišpāḥâ," establishing a hierarchy of obligation. The clan system functioned as Israel's social safety net, ensuring that no individual fell through the cracks into permanent destitution. This communal responsibility reflects the covenant's corporate nature: Israel's members are bound not only vertically to Yahweh but horizontally to one another in networks of kinship obligation.

Grammar & Argument

The passage unfolds as a carefully structured legal case addressing the most precarious scenario in Israel's social order: an Israelite who has sold himself not to a fellow Israelite but to a resident alien. Verses 47-49 establish the problem and the solution—the right of redemption (gĕʾullâ) exercised by kinsmen in descending order of proximity: brother, uncle, cousin, or any blood relative. The repetition of the verb gāʾal (redeem) in verses 48-49 hammers home the central concern: this Israelite must not remain permanently in foreign hands. The climactic phrase "or if he prospers, he may redeem himself" acknowledges the possibility of self-redemption, though the primary expectation is familial intervention.

Verses 50-52 shift to the mechanics of redemption, introducing a proportional calculation based on years remaining until jubilee. The language is precise and commercial: "calculate" (ḥiššaḇ), "price" (kesep), "purchase price" (miqnātô). Yet even this financial transaction is governed by the controlling metaphor of the hired worker (śāḵîr), mentioned three times (vv. 50, 53). The servant's time is valued like wages, not like property. The mathematical precision—"in proportion to his years"—ensures fairness to both parties while maintaining the fundamental principle that the Israelite's servitude is temporary and redeemable.

Verse 53 introduces the ethical dimension with a prohibition against harsh treatment (pereḵ), significantly adding "in your sight" (lĕʿênêḵā). The community bears responsibility to monitor how even foreign masters treat Israelite servants. This is not a private transaction but a matter of covenant fidelity requiring public accountability. Verse 54 provides the ultimate safety net: even if no redemption occurs, the jubilee itself liberates the servant and his sons. The passage thus moves from particular (kinsman redemption) to universal (jubilee release), ensuring that no Israelite remains permanently enslaved regardless of family circumstances.

Verse 55 functions as the theological capstone not only for this section but for the entire chapter. The emphatic "For" (kî) introduces the foundational rationale: Israel belongs exclusively to Yahweh as His ʿăḇāḏîm, His slaves whom He redeemed from Egypt. The repetition—"My slaves; they are My slaves"—is emphatic, almost possessive. The Exodus is invoked as the basis of Yahweh's claim, and the divine name formula "I am Yahweh your God" seals the declaration. This verse reveals that all of chapter 25's legislation—sabbath years, jubilee, land redemption, servant release—flows from a single theological axiom: Israel is Yahweh's exclusive property, and therefore no human master may claim permanent ownership over any Israelite. The social order mirrors the theological reality.

Because Yahweh has redeemed Israel as His exclusive possession, no Israelite may be permanently enslaved to another human master—the Exodus establishes both Israel's identity and the limits of all human authority. The jubilee and kinsman-redemption laws are not merely humanitarian provisions but theological necessities, protecting the integrity of a people who belong entirely to their divine Redeemer.

LSB Choices Worth Noting

"slaves" for ʿăḇāḏîm in verse 55—The LSB preserves the force of the Hebrew by rendering "they are My slaves" rather than softening to "servants." This choice highlights the exclusivity of Yahweh's claim on Israel: they are His property by right of redemption, which is precisely why they cannot be permanently enslaved to human masters. The term "slave" captures the totality of belonging that "servant" obscures.

"Yahweh" for יְהוָה—The LSB renders the divine name as "Yahweh" rather than "LORD," making explicit the covenant name by which God redeemed Israel from Egypt. In verse 55, this choice underscores that it is not a generic deity but the specific God who acted in history—Yahweh—who claims Israel as His slaves. The personal name reinforces the personal relationship and the historical basis of the claim.