Leviticus 27:26-33

26 “But a ¹firstborn of animals, which as a firstborn belongs to the Lord, no man may dedicate; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s.

27 And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back at the valuation, ²and add a fifth to it; or, if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at the valuation.

28 “But ³no devoted thing that a man devotes to the Lord, of anything that he has, whether man or beast, or of his inherited field, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.

29 ⁴No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction^[a] from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

30 ⁵“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it.

32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that ⁶pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.

33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, ⁷neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. ”

Leviticus 27:26-33 Meaning and Commentary

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;

Cross References

• 1. 27:26 See Ex. 13:2
• 2. 27:27 ver. 11-13
• 3. 27:28 ver. 21; Josh. 6:17-19; 1 Sam. 15:21
• 4. 27:29 [Num. 21:2; Judg. 11:35]
• 5. 27:30 Gen. 14:20; 28:22; Num. 18:21, 24; Deut. 14:28; 2 Chr. 31:5, 6, 12; Neh. 13:12; Mal. 3:8, 10
• 6. 27:32 Ezek. 20:37; [Jer. 33:13]
• 7. 27:33 ver. 10

Footnotes

• [a] 27:29 That is, set apart (devoted) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)