Leviticus 25:25

25 “ ‘If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold.

Leviticus 25:25 in Other Translations

25 If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

25 "If your brother becomes poor and sells part of his property, then his nearest redeemer shall come and redeem what his brother has sold.

25 If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell some family land, then a close relative should buy it back for him.

25 "If one of your brothers becomes poor and has to sell any of his land, his nearest relative is to come and buy back what his brother sold.

25 If your brother becomes destitute and sells part of his property, his nearest relative may come and redeem what his brother has sold.

Leviticus 25:25 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 25:25

If thy brother be waxen poor
Is brought very low, greatly reduced, and is in mean circumstances; hence Jarchi says, we learn, that no man may sell his field, unless his distress presses him and forces him to it; for, as Maimonides ^F3 observes, a man might not sell his estate to put money into his purse, or to trade with, or to purchase goods, servants, and cattle, only food:

and hath sold away [some] of his possession;
not all of it, as Jarchi remarks; for the way of the earth or custom of the world teaches, that a man should reserve a field (or a part) for himself:

and if any of his kin come to redeem it;
come to the buyer and propose to redeem it, by giving what it was sold for, or in proportion to the time he had enjoyed it:

then shall he redeem that which his brother sold;
nor was it in the power of the purchaser to hinder him, or at his option whether he would suffer him to redeem it or not: such an one was an emblem of our "goel", our near kinsman and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ, who came in our nature into this world to redeem us, and put us into the possession of the heavenly inheritance; nor was it in the power of any to hinder his performance of it, for he is the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is his name.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Hilchot Shemittah Vejobel, c. 11. sect. 3.

Leviticus 25:25 In-Context

23 “ ‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.

24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

25 “ ‘If one of your fellow Israelites becomes poor and sells some of their property, their nearest relative is to come and redeem what they have sold.

26 If, however, there is no one to redeem it for them but later on they prosper and acquire sufficient means to redeem it themselves,

27 they are to determine the value for the years since they sold it and refund the balance to the one to whom they sold it; they can then go back to their own property.

Cross References

• 1. ver 48; Ruth 2:20; Jeremiah 32:7
• 2. Lev 27:13,19,31; Ruth 4:4