Leviticus 27

Dedications

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When a person makes a solemn promise to the LORD involving the value of a person,

3 if it is the value for a male between 20 and 60 years old, his value is fifty silver shekels according to the sanctuary's shekel.

4 If the person is a female, her value is thirty shekels.

5 If the age of the person is between 5 and 20 years, the value for a male is twenty shekels, for a female ten shekels.

6 If the age of the person is between one month and 5 years, the value for a male is five silver shekels, for a female three silver shekels.

7 If the age of the person is 60 years or more, the value is fifteen shekels if the person is male, ten shekels for a female.

8 But if financial difficulty prevents the promise maker from giving the full value, they must set the person before the priest. The priest will assign the person a value according to what the promise maker can afford.

9 If a solemn promise involves livestock that can be offered to the LORD, any such animal given to the LORD will be considered holy.

10 The promise maker cannot replace or substitute for it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if one should substitute one animal for another, both it and the substitute will be holy.

11 If the solemn promise involves any kind of unclean animal that cannot be offered to the LORD, the promise maker must set the animal before the priest.

12 The priest will assign it a value, whether high or low. Its value will be what the priest says.

13 If the promise maker wishes to buy it back, they must add one-fifth to its value.

14 When someone dedicates their house to the LORD as holy, the priest will assign a value to it, whether high or low. The value is fixed, whatever value the priest assigns to it.

15 If the one who dedicates the house wishes to buy it back, they must add one-fifth to its valued price, and it will be theirs again.

16 If a person dedicates part of the land from their family property to the LORD, the value will be set according to the seed needed to plant it: fifty silver shekels per homer of barley seed.

17 If the person dedicates the piece of land during the Jubilee year, its value will stay fixed.

18 But if the person dedicates the piece after the Jubilee year, the priest will calculate the price according to the years that are left until the next Jubilee year, and the value will be reduced.

19 If the one who dedicates the land wishes to buy it back, they must add one-fifth to its valued price, and it will be theirs again.

20 But if they do not buy it back or if it was sold to someone else, it is no longer able to be bought back.

21 When the piece of land is released in the Jubilee year, it will be holy to the LORD like a piece of devoted land; it will be the priest's property.

22 If the person dedicates land they purchased to the LORD—land that is not part of their family property—

23 the priest will calculate the amount of its value until the Jubilee year. The person must pay the value on that day as a holy donation to the LORD.

24 In the Jubilee year the piece of land will return to the seller, to the one who is the original owner of the family property.

25 Every value will be according to the sanctuary's shekel. The shekel will be twenty gerahs.

26 But note that a person cannot dedicate any oldest offspring from livestock, which already belongs to the LORD because it is the oldest. Whether ox or sheep, it belongs to the LORD.

27 If it is an unclean animal, it may be bought back at its value plus twenty percent. If it is not bought back, it will be sold at its set value.

28 Also note that everything someone devotes to the LORD from their possessions—whether humans, animals, or pieces of land from their family property—cannot be sold or bought back. Every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.

29 No human beings that have been devoted can be bought back; they must be executed.

30 All tenth-part gifts from the land, whether of seed from the ground or fruit from the trees, belong to the LORD; they are holy to the LORD.

31 If someone wishes to buy back part of their tenth-part gift, they must add one-fifth to it.

32 All tenth-part gifts from a herd or flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's staff—will be holy to the LORD.

33 The one bringing the tenth-part gift must not pick out the good from the bad, and cannot substitute any animal. But if one should substitute an animal, both it and the substitute will be holy and cannot be bought back.

34 These are the commands that the LORD gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Leviticus 27 Commentary

Chapter 27

The law concerning vows, Of persons and animals. (1-13) Vows concerning houses and land. (14-25) Devoted things not to be redeemed. (26-33) Conclusion. (34)

Verses 1-13 Zeal for the service of God disposed the Israelites, on some occasions, to dedicate themselves or their children to the service of the Lord, in his house for life. Some persons who thus dedicated themselves might be employed as assistants; in general they were to be redeemed for a value. It is good to be zealously affected and liberally disposed for the Lord's service; but the matter should be well weighed, and prudence should direct as to what we do; else rash vows and hesitation in doing them will dishonour God, and trouble our own minds.

Verses 14-25 Our houses, lands, cattle, and all our substance, must be used to the glory of God. It is acceptable to him that a portion be given to support his worship, and to promote his cause. But God would not approve such a degree of zeal as ruined a man's family.

Verses 26-33 Things or persons devoted, are distinguished from things or persons that were only sanctified. Devoted things were most holy to the Lord, and could neither be taken back nor applied to other purposes. Whatever productions they had the benefit, God must be honoured with the tenth of, if it could be applied. Thus they acknowledge God to be the Owner of their land, the Giver of its fruits, and themselves to be his tenants, and dependants upon him. Thus they gave him thanks for the plenty they enjoyed, and besought his favour in the continuance of it. We are taught to honour the Lord with our substance.

Verse 34 The last verse seems to have reference to this whole book. Many of the precepts in it are moral, and always binding; others are ceremonial, and peculiar to the Jewish nation; yet they have a spiritual meaning, and so teach us; for unto us, by these institutions, is the gospel preached, as well as unto them, Heb. 4:2 . The doctrine of reconciliation to God by a Mediator, is not clouded with the smoke of burning sacrifice, but cleared by the knowledge of Christ and him crucified. We are under the sweet and easy institutions of the gospel, which pronounces those true worshippers, who worship the Father in spirit and truth, by Christ only, and in his name. Yet, let us not think, because we are not tied to the ceremonial rites and oblations, that a little care, time, and expense, will serve to honour God with. Having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart, and in full assurance of faith, worshipping God with the more cheerfulness and humble confidence, still saying, BLESSED BE GOD FOR JESUS CHRIST.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or good or bad; also in 27:14
• [b]. Or places under the ban (also in 27:29), a technique of holy war, in which all is dedicated to the deity who helps in the battle; it often involved total destruction.
• [c]. Or tithes

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVEITICUS 27

This chapter contains various laws concerning vows made unto the Lord, whether of persons whose estimation was to be made by the priest, according to their age, sex, and condition, Le 26:1-8; or of beasts, clean and unclean, good or bad, Le 26:9-13; or of houses, fields, and lands, the estimation of which was to be according to its seed, and the time of its being set apart, whether from or after the year of jubilee, and the number of years to it, Le 26:14-25; with this exception to the above laws, that no firstling of the Lord's might be sanctified, and if an unclean beast it might be redeemed, but nothing devoted to the Lord, whether of man, beast, or field, might be sold or redeemed, Le 26:26-29; and the chapter is concluded with some laws concerning the redemption or change of tithes, what might or what might not be redeemed or changed, Le 26:30-34;