Leviticus 27:28

28 “ ‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes[a] to the LORD—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.

Leviticus 27:28 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.
English Standard Version (ESV)
28 "But no 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.
New Living Translation (NLT)
28 “However, anything specially set apart for the LORD —whether a person, an animal, or family property—must never be sold or bought back. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart as holy, and it belongs to the LORD .
The Message Bible (MSG)
28 "But nothing that a man irrevocably devotes to God from what belongs to him, whether human or animal or family land, may be either sold or bought back. Everything devoted is holy to the highest degree; it's God's inalienable property.
American Standard Version (ASV)
28 Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto Jehovah of all that he hath, whether of man or beast, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto Jehovah.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
28 "However, everything dedicated to the LORD for destruction--a person, an animal, or a field that belongs to you--must not be sold or bought back. Everything dedicated in that way is very holy. It belongs to the LORD.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
28 "Nothing that a man permanently sets apart to the Lord from all he owns, whether a person, an animal, or his inherited landholding, can be sold or redeemed; everything set apart is especially holy to the Lord.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
28 " 'But nothing a man owns and sets apart to me can be sold or bought back. It does not matter whether it is a person or an animal or a family's land. Everything that is set apart to me is very holy to me.

Leviticus 27:28 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 27:28

Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man shall devote
unto the Lord
This is a different vow from the former, expressed by "sanctifying"; for though "sanctifying" and "devoting" were both vows, yet the latter had an execration or curse added to it, by which a man imprecated a curse upon himself, if that itself, which he devoted, was put to any other use than that for which he devoted it; wherefore this sort of vow was absolute and irrevocable, and what was vowed was unalienable, and therefore not to be sold or redeemed as afterwards expressed, whereas things sanctified might:

of all that he hath, [both] of man and beast, and of the field of his
possession, shall be sold or redeemed;
but must be put to the use for which it was devoted. This must be understood of such as were his own, and he had a right to dispose of; which were in his own power, as Aben Ezra interprets the phrase, "of all that he hath": if of men, they must be such as were his slaves, which he had a despotic power over; such as he could sell, or give to another, or leave to his children for a perpetual inheritance, ( Leviticus 25:46 ) ; and could dispose of as he pleased, and so devote to the service of the priests: thus Jarchi interprets it of menservants and maidservants, Canaanitish ones; and if of beasts, such as were his own property, and not another's; and if of fields, such as were his possession by inheritance. Some Jewish writers, as Abendana, from the phrase, "of all that he hath", gather, that a man might devote only a part of what he had, and not the whole; and so it is said in the Misnah,

``a man may devote of his flock and of his herd, of his servants and maidens Canaanites, and of the field of his possession; but if he devote all of them, they are not devoted F11,''

the vow is null and void; and so one of the commentators F12 upon it says, he may devote some movable things, but not all; some of his Canaanitish servants and maidens, but not all; some part of the field of his possession, but not the whole: but a man's children, and Hebrew servants, and purchased fields, according to the Jewish canon, might not be devoted;

``if anyone devotes his son or his daughter, his servant or his handmaid, that are Hebrews, or the field of his purchase, they are not devoted (or to be reckoned so), for no man devotes (or ought to devote) what is not his own F13.''

A commentator F14 excepts his daughter, and says, he may devote his daughter, because he may sell her while a minor, but not an adult virgin; see ( Exodus 21:7 ) ;

every devoted thing [is] most holy unto the Lord;
and therefore not to be appropriated to any use but his, nor to be meddled with, not even touched or handled by any but the priests, as the most holy things that were eatable were only to be eaten by them.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 Eracin, c. 8. sect. 4.
F12 Bartenora in ib.
F13 lb. sect. 5.
F14 Bartenora in Misn. Eracin, c. 8. sect. 5.

Leviticus 27:28 In-Context

26 “ ‘No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the LORD; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.
27 If it is one of the unclean animals, it may be bought back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If it is not redeemed, it is to be sold at its set value.
28 “ ‘But nothing that a person owns and devotes to the LORD—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
29 “ ‘No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; they are to be put to death.
30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Numbers 18:14; Joshua 6:17-19
  • 2. S ver 9

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord.
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