Leviticus 25:13-23

13 In this year of the jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.
14 And if ye sell ought unto your neighbour, or buy of your neighbour's hand, ye shall not overreach one another.
15 According to the number of years since the jubilee, thou shalt buy of thy neighbour; according to the number of years of the produce, he shall sell unto thee.
16 According to the greater number of the years, thou shalt increase the price thereof; and according to the fewness of years, thou shalt diminish the price of it; for it is the number of crops that he selleth unto thee.
17 And ye shall not oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am Jehovah your God.
18 And ye shall do my statutes, and observe mine ordinances and do them: thus shall ye dwell in your land securely.
19 And the land shall yield its fruit, and ye shall eat and be satisfied, and dwell therein securely.
20 And if ye say, What shall we eat in the seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather in our produce;
21 then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, that it may bring forth produce for three years;
22 and ye shall sow in the eighth year, and ye shall eat of the old fruit until the ninth year; until her produce come in, ye shall eat the old.
23 And the land shall not be sold for ever; for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

Leviticus 25:13-23 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.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or 'a man shall not overreach his brother.'
  • [b]. Lit. 'unto extinction:' so ver. 30.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.