Leviticus 25:47-55

Redeeming a Poor Man

47 "If a stranger or sojourner with you becomes rich, and 1your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner with you or to a member of the stranger's clan,
48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him,
49 or his uncle or his cousin may 2redeem him, or a close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he 3grows rich he may redeem himself.
50 He shall calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his sale shall vary with the number of years. The time he was with his owner shall be 4rated as the time of a hired servant.
51 If there are still many years left, he shall pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price.
52 If there remain but a few years until the year of jubilee, he shall calculate and pay for his redemption in proportion to his years of service.
53 He shall treat him as a servant hired year by year. 5He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight.
54 And if he is not redeemed by these means, then 6he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee.
55 For it is 7to me that the people of Israel are servants.[a] They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:47-55 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS 25

In this chapter the Israelites are directed, when come into the land of Canaan, to observe every seventh year as a sabbatical year, in which there was to be no tillage of the land, and yet there would be a sufficiency for man and beast, Le 25:1-7; and every fiftieth year as a year of jubilee, in which also there was to be no tillage of the land, and every man was to return to his possession or estate, which had been sold to another any time before this, Le 25:8-17; and a promise of safety and plenty in the seventh year is made to encourage the observance of it, Le 25:18-22; and several laws and rules are delivered out concerning the sale of lands, the redemption of them, and their return to their original owner in the year of jubilee, Le 25:23-28; and the sale of houses, and the redemption of them, and the difference between those in walled cities and those in villages, with respect thereunto, Le 25:29-31; and also concerning the houses of the cities of the Levites, and the fields of the suburbs of them, Le 25:32-34; to which are added some instructions about relieving decayed, persons, and lending and giving to them, without taking usury of them, Le 25:34-38; and other laws concerning the release of such Israelites as had sold themselves for servants to the Israelites, in the year of jubilee, since none but Heathens were to be bondmen and bondmaids for ever, Le 25:39-46; and of such who were sold to proselytes, Le 25:47-55.

Cross References 7

  • 1. ver. 25, 35, 39
  • 2. See Nehemiah 5:1-5
  • 3. ver. 26, 47
  • 4. Job 7:1; Isaiah 16:14; Isaiah 21:16
  • 5. [See ver. 46 above]
  • 6. ver. 41; Exodus 21:2, 3
  • 7. ver. 42

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.