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Texts -- Leviticus 25:1-45 (NET)

Context
Regulations for the Sabbatical Year
25:1 The Lord spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai : 25:2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land must observe a Sabbath to the Lord . 25:3 Six years you may sow your field , and six years you may prune your vineyard and gather the produce , 25:4 but in the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath of complete rest – a Sabbath to the Lord . You must not sow your field or prune your vineyard . 25:5 You must not gather in the aftergrowth of your harvest and you must not pick the grapes of your unpruned vines ; the land must have a year of complete rest . 25:6 You may have the Sabbath produce of the land to eat – you, your male servant , your female servant , your hired worker , the resident foreigner who stays with you, 25:7 your cattle , and the wild animals that are in your land – all its produce will be for you to eat .
Regulations for the Jubilee Year of Release
25:8 “‘You must count off seven weeks of years , seven times seven years , and the days of the seven weeks of years will amount to forty-nine years . 25:9 You must sound loud horn blasts – in the seventh month , on the tenth day of the month , on the Day of Atonement – you must sound the horn in your entire land . 25:10 So you must consecrate the fiftieth year , and you must proclaim a release in the land for all its inhabitants . That year will be your jubilee ; each one of you must return to his property and each one of you must return to his clan . 25:11 That fiftieth year will be your jubilee ; you must not sow the land, harvest its aftergrowth , or pick the grapes of its unpruned vines . 25:12 Because that year is a jubilee , it will be holy to you– you may eat its produce from the field .
Release of Landed Property
25:13 “‘In this year of jubilee you must each return to your property . 25:14 If you make a sale to your fellow citizen or buy from your fellow citizen , no one is to wrong his brother . 25:15 You may buy it from your fellow citizen according to the number of years since the last jubilee ; he may sell it to you according to the years of produce that are left. 25:16 The more years there are, the more you may make its purchase price , and the fewer years there are, the less you must make its purchase price , because he is only selling to you a number of years of produce . 25:17 No one is to oppress his fellow citizen , but you must fear your God , because I am the Lord your God . 25:18 You must obey my statutes and my regulations ; you must be sure to keep them so that you may live securely in the land . 25:19 “‘The land will give its fruit and you may eat until you are satisfied , and you may live securely in the land. 25:20 If you say , ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not sow and gather our produce ?’ 25:21 I will command my blessing for you in the sixth year so that it may yield the produce for three years , 25:22 and you may sow the eighth year and eat from that sixth year’s produce – old produce. Until you bring in the ninth year’s produce , you may eat old produce. 25:23 The land must not be sold without reclaim because the land belongs to me, for you are foreigners and residents with me . 25:24 In all your landed property you must provide for the right of redemption of the land . 25:25 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property , his near redeemer is to come to you and redeem what his brother sold . 25:26 If a man has no redeemer , but he prospers and gains enough for its redemption , 25:27 he is to calculate the value of the years it was sold , refund the balance to the man to whom he had sold it, and return to his property . 25:28 If he has not prospered enough to refund a balance to him, then what he sold will belong to the one who bought it until the jubilee year , but it must revert in the jubilee and the original owner may return to his property .
Release of Houses
25:29 “‘If a man sells a residential house in a walled city , its right of redemption must extend until one full year from its sale ; its right of redemption must extend to a full calendar year . 25:30 If it is not redeemed before the full calendar year is ended , the house in the walled city will belong without reclaim to the one who bought it throughout his generations ; it will not revert in the jubilee . 25:31 The houses of villages , however, which have no wall surrounding them must be considered as the field of the land ; they will have the right of redemption and must revert in the jubilee . 25:32 As for the cities of the Levites , the houses in the cities which they possess , the Levites must have a perpetual right of redemption . 25:33 Whatever someone among the Levites might redeem – the sale of a house which is his property in a city – must revert in the jubilee , because the houses of the cities of the Levites are their property in the midst of the Israelites . 25:34 Moreover, the open field areas of their cities must not be sold , because that is their perpetual possession .
Debt and Slave Regulations
25:35 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished and is indebted to you , you must support him; he must live with you like a foreign resident . 25:36 Do not take interest or profit from him, but you must fear your God and your brother must live with you. 25:37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit . 25:38 I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan – to be your God . 25:39 “‘If your brother becomes impoverished with regard to you so that he sells himself to you, you must not subject him to slave service . 25:40 He must be with you as a hired worker , as a resident foreigner ; he must serve with you until the year of jubilee , 25:41 but then he may go free , he and his children with him, and may return to his family and to the property of his ancestors . 25:42 Since they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt , they must not be sold in a slave sale . 25:43 You must not rule over him harshly , but you must fear your God . 25:44 “‘As for your male and female slaves who may belong to you– you may buy male and female slaves from the nations all around you. 25:45 Also you may buy slaves from the children of the foreigners who reside with you, and from their families that are with you, whom they have fathered in your land , they may become your property .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Wall

    [ebd] Cities were surrounded by walls, as distinguished from "unwalled villages" (Ezek. 38:11; Lev. 25:29-34). They were made thick and strong (Num. 13:28; Deut. 3:5). Among the Jews walls were built of stone, some of those in the...

  • Trumpets

    [ebd] were of a great variety of forms, and were made of divers materials. Some were made of silver (Num. 10:2), and were used only by the priests in announcing the approach of festivals and in giving signals of war. Some were als...

  • Sabbatic Year

    [nave] SABBATIC YEAR, a rest recurring every seventh year. Called Year of Release, Deut. 15:9; 31:10. Ordinances concerning, Ex. 23:9-11; Lev. 25. Israelite bondservants set free in, Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12; Jer. 34:14. Creditors r...

  • Sabbath

    [isbe] SABBATH - sab'-ath (shabbath, shabbathon; sabbaton, ta sabbata; the root shabhath in Hebrew means "to desist," "cease," "rest"): I. ORIGIN OF THE SABBATH 1. The Biblical Account 2. Critical Theories II. HISTORY OF THE SABBAT...
    [nave] SABBATH Signifying a rest period, Gen. 2:2, 3; Lev. 23; 25; 26:34, 35. Preparations for, Ex. 16:22; Matt. 27:62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31. Religious usages on, Gen. 2:3; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16, 31; 6:6; 13:10; Acts ...

  • SLAVE

    [ebd] Jer. 2:14 (A.V.), but not there found in the original. In Rev. 18:13 the word "slaves" is the rendering of a Greek word meaning "bodies." The Hebrew and Greek words for slave are usually rendered simply "servant," "bondman,"...
    [smith] The institution of slavery was recognized, though not established, by the Mosaic law with a view to mitigate its hardship and to secure to every man his ordinary rights. I. Hebrew slaves. -- The circumstances under which a H...

  • Naboth

    [ebd] fruits, "the Jezreelite," was the owner of a portion of ground on the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel (2 Kings 9:25, 26). This small "plat of ground" seems to have been all he possessed. It was a vineyard, and lay "hard...

  • Levite

    [ebd] a descendant of the tribe of Levi (Ex. 6:25; Lev. 25:32; Num. 35:2; Josh. 21:3, 41). This name is, however, generally used as the title of that portion of the tribe which was set apart for the subordinate offices of the sanc...

  • LEVITICUS, 1

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 1 - le-vit'-i-kus: I. GENERAL DATA 1. Name 2. Character of Book 3. Unity of Book: Law of Holiness Examination of Critical Theory II. STRUCTURE 1. Modern Analyses (1) Theories of Disintegration (2) Reasons for Dism...

  • LAW OF MOSES

    [smith] It will be the object of this article to give a brief analysis of the substance of this law, to point out its main principles, and to explain the position which it occupies in the progress of divine revelation. In order to do...

  • LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

    [isbe] LAW IN THE OLD TESTAMENT - || I. TERMS USED 1. Torah ("Law") 2. Synonyms of Torah (1) Mitswah ("Command") (2) `Edhah ("Witness," "Testimony") (3) MishpaTim ("Judgments") (4) Chuqqim ("Statutes") (5) Piqqudhim ("Precepts") II...

  • Kinsman

    [ebd] Heb. goel, from root meaning to redeem. The goel among the Hebrews was the nearest male blood relation alive. Certain important obligations devolved upon him toward his next of kin. (1.) If any one from poverty was unable to...

  • Jubilee

    [ebd] a joyful shout or clangour of trumpets, the name of the great semi-centennial festival of the Hebrews. It lasted for a year. During this year the land was to be fallow, and the Israelites were only permitted to gather the sp...
    [nave] JUBILEE Called Acceptable Year of the Lord, Isa. 61:2. The Year of Liberty, Ezek. 46:17. Laws Concerning Lev. 25:8-55; Lev. 27:17-24; Num. 36:4 See: Sabbatic Year.

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • Freedom

    [ebd] The law of Moses pointed out the cases in which the servants of the Hebrews were to receive their freedom (Ex. 21:2-4, 7, 8; Lev. 25:39-42, 47-55; Deut. 15:12-18). Under the Roman law the "freeman" (ingenuus) was one born fr...

  • Field

    [ebd] (Heb. sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied to any cultivated ground or pasture (Gen. 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage (Gen. 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Ps. 132:6) or mountain top (Judg. 9:...

  • Festivals, Religious

    [ebd] There were daily (Lev. 23), weekly, monthly, and yearly festivals, and great stress was laid on the regular observance of them in every particular (Num. 28:1-8; Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 6:8-23; Ex. 30:7-9; 27:20). (1.) The septena...

  • Beast

    [ebd] This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Ex. 22:5; Num. 20:4, 8, 11; Ps. 78:48); of beasts of burden (Gen. 45:17); of eatable beasts (Prov. 9:2); and of swift beasts or dromedaries (Isa. 60:6). In the New Tes...

  • Alms

    [ebd] Not found in the Old Testament, but repeatedly in the New. The Mosaic legislation (Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7) tended to promote a spirit of charity, and to prevent the occurrence of destitution among the people. Such passages a...

  • Agriculture

    [ebd] Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession of the Promised Land, the...
    [smith] This was little cared for by the patriarchs. The pastoral life, however, was the means of keeping the sacred race, whilst yet a family, distinct from mixture and locally unattached, especially whilst in Egypt. When grown into...
    [nave] AGRICULTURE Divine institution of, Gen. 2:15; 3:19, 23. Practiced by Cain, Gen. 4:2; Noah, Gen. 9:20; Elisha, 1 Kin. 19:19; David, 1 Chr. 27:26-31; Uzziah, 2 Chr. 26:10; Solomon, Eccl. 2:4-6. God to be acknowledged in, Jer...

  • AGRARIAN LAWS

    [isbe] AGRARIAN LAWS - a-gra'-ri-an loz: 1. The Sabbath Year 2. The Jubilee 3. Its Object 4. The Legal Rules 5. Ideas and Circumstances of the Legislation 6. Form of the Legislation 7. Its Operation and Extension 8. Other Laws Affe...

Arts

Hymns

(Note: In "active" or "on" condition, the hymns music will be played automatically when mouse hover on a hymns title)
  • [Lev 25:9] Blow Ye The Trumpet, Blow
  • [Lev 25:10] Awake! Awake!
  • [Lev 25:10] Our Land For Christ
  • [Lev 25:10] Someone Must Tell The Glad Story
  • [Lev 25:10] Wake The Song Of Jubilee

Questions

  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...
  • The most radical reference to money lending is that of Christ himself (Luke 6:35), "Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again." But it must be remembered that the words were spoken to a people very differently situated from ...
  • The generous heart is commended in many passages in the Scripture, and especially where that generosity has the poor for its object We are told to remember the poor (see Lev. 25:35; Deu. 15:7), to be a helper to the fatherles...
  • It is pleasing to God. He never forgets it. Christ set an example of it. And it is characteristic of Saints (II Cor. 9:7; Heb. 6:10; II Cor. 8:9; Ps. 112:9). This good quality should be exercised in the service of God towards...
  • God and Christ commanded us to love man. The Saviour gave us an example in doing it (I John 4:7,21; John 13:34; John 15:12; I John 3:23). It is taught by God and is a fruit of the Spirit (I Thes. 4:9; Gal. 5:22; Col. 1:8). Wi...

Sermon Illustrations

Slavery; 2 Kings 4:1-7

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "2:1-3 echoes 1:1 by introducing the same phrases but in reverse order: he created,' God,' heavens and earth' reappear as heavens and earth' (2:1) God' (2:2), created' (2:3). This chiastic pattern brings the section to a neat...
  • 21:2-4 The ancients practiced slavery widely in the Near East. These laws protected slaves in Israel better than the laws of other nations protected slaves in those countries."In Israel slaves had far better rights than elsew...
  • "Till now the text dealt with positive and negative precepts that are valid at all times; now we have a series of precepts that are to be observed at given times, commandments that apply to seasons that are specifically dedic...
  • "At first sight the book of Leviticus might appear to be a haphazard, even repetitious arrangement of enactments involving the future life in Canaan of the Israelite people. Closer examination will reveal, however, that quite...
  • Leviticus continues revelation concerning the second of three elements necessary for any nation to exist, namely, a people (Gen. 12:10--Exod. 19), their law (Exod. 20--Num. 10:10), and their land (Num. 10:11--Josh. 24).Leviti...
  • The sacrifices and offerings that Moses described thus far in the law were not sufficient to cleanse all the defilement that the sins of the people created. Much sinfulness still needed covering. Therefore God appointed a yea...
  • The second major division of Leviticus deals with how the Israelites were to express their worship of Yahweh in their private lives."The first sixteen chapters of Leviticus are concerned primarily with establishment and maint...
  • We move from public regulations in chapter 16 to intimate regulations in chapter 18 with chapter 17 providing the transition. In contrast to the first sixteen chapters, chapter 17 says very little about the role of the priest...
  • Chapter 25 concludes the laws God gave the Israelites on Mt. Sinai. It contains the only legislation on the subject of land ownership in the Pentateuch.These laws regarding the Promised Land correspond to the laws Moses previ...
  • As God ordered the people to rest every seventh day, so He ordered them to let the land rest every seventh year. By resting the people renewed their strength and rejuvenated their productivity in His service. By resting the l...
  • "The Jubilee legislation found in Leviticus 25 presents a vision of social and economic reform unsurpassed in the ancient Near East."283The year of jubilee did for the land what the Day of Atonement did for the people. This y...
  • The Israelites were to observe the year of jubilee (lit. blowing the ram's horn) every fiftieth year, the year following seven seven-year periods.285On the Day of Atonement of that year a priest was to blow the ram's horn (sh...
  • The people were to buy and sell property in view of the upcoming year of jubilee since in that year all property would revert to its original tribal leasees. This special year reminded the Israelites that they did not really ...
  • The Israelites were not to exploit one another (vv. 35-38). They were not to charge one another interest on loans (v. 37; cf. Exod. 22:25; Deut. 23:19-20). This policy would have enabled a poor farmer to buy enough seed for t...
  • Genesis reveals how people can have a relationship with God. This comes through trust in God and obedience to Him. Faith is the key word in Genesis. God proves Himself faithful in this book.Exodus reveals that God is also sov...
  • The Israelites were not only to care for the Levites (14:27, 29) and the aliens, orphans, and widows (14:29) but also other individuals in the nation who were in need (15:1-18).15:1-11 "It is appropriate to deal with the law ...
  • The Israelites could charge interest when they made loans to non-Israelites, but they were not to charge their brethren interest (vv. 19-20; cf. Exod. 22:25; Lev. 25:35-37).". . . the evidence shows that ancient rates of inte...
  • 5:13-15 "Despite Joshua's long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine, Jericho was probably the most invincible. T...
  • God eventually withdrew the famine from Judah (v. 6) probably in response to His people's calling out to Him for deliverance (cf. Judg. 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10; 16:28). This verse sounds one of the major themes of the story:...
  • Ruth carried out Naomi's instructions exactly, further demonstrating her loyal love to her mother-in-law, and encouraged Boaz to pursue the possibility of marriage (vv. 6-9)."Note that the threshingfloor was a public place an...
  • The gate of cities like Bethlehem was the place where people transacted official business (cf. Gen. 19:1; 2 Sam. 15:2-6; 1 Kings 22:10; Amos 5:10, 12, 15)."In ancient cities the gate' was a short passageway through the thick ...
  • Even though Jezebel was behind the murder of Naboth, God held her husband Ahab responsible (v. 19). Jezebel's evil influence over her husband stands out in this story.221Ahab was willing to murder a godly Israelite to obtain ...
  • It was common in the ancient Near East for creditors to enslave the children of debtors who could not pay. The Mosaic Law also permitted this practice (Exod. 21:2-4, Lev. 25:39). However servitude in Israel was to end on the ...
  • Several details in this incident hinge on timing that God supernaturally controlled to bring blessing on the woman as God had promised. God directed her away from the famine before it came on Israel for the nation's apostasy ...
  • Israel had evidently retaken Ramoth-gilead after Ben-Hadad I had defeated Ahab there 12 years earlier. Israel was now defending it against the attacking Arameans (v. 14). The horsemen and Joram who asked Jehu, "Is it peace?"w...
  • This chapter evidently describes a situation that prevailed for more than the 52 days the wall was under construction (cf. v. 14). The writer probably included it in the text here because it was another situation that threate...
  • "But it is just here, when everything is blackest, that his faith . . . like the rainbow in the cloud . . . shines with a marvelous splendor."89This short section contains probably the best known verses in the book (vv. 23-27...
  • 15:2a-b In this section the psalmist summarized what was necessary to have an intimate relationship with the Lord. First, he or she must have a pattern of life that is blameless (Heb. tamim). This word means genuine, free fro...
  • 5:8-10 The first quality that spoiled Israel's fruit was greed, an example of which Isaiah detailed (cf. Mic. 2:1). The Israelites were buying out their neighbors, as they had opportunity or made the opportunity, to increase ...
  • Isaiah now announced more about the work of the Servant (cf. 42:5-9). He will enable people around the world to return to God, similarly to how the Israelites would return to Jerusalem after the Exile. The response to God's s...
  • This was another of Jeremiah's symbolic acts (cf. 16:1-4; 18:1-12; 19:1-2, 10-11; 27:1-28:17; 43:8-13; 51:59-64).32:1 A message came to the prophet from the Lord about 587 B.C., the year before Jerusalem fell.32:2 Jerusalem w...
  • Jeremiah wrote almost as much about Babylon's future as he did about the futures of all the other nations in his other oracles combined. The length of this oracle reflects the great importance of Babylon in his ministry as we...
  • The following section of the lament falls into two parts marked by Jeremiah's use of the plural (vv. 41-47) and singular personal pronouns (vv. 48-66). In the first part he called on the Judahites to confess their sins to God...
  • 46:16-17 The prince could give a gift to any of his sons out of his own inheritance from the Lord. This gift was theirs forever. However, if he gave such a gift to one of his servants, it would revert back to him on the year ...
  • "In the concluding four verses of Daniel 9, one of the most important prophecies of the Old Testament is contained. The prophecy as a whole is presented in verse 24. The first sixty-nine sevens is described in verse 25. The e...
  • Chapter 8 not only contains two major messages from the Lord (vv. 1-17, 18-23) but 10 minor messages, "a decalogueof divine words,"155that make up the two major ones. "Thus says the Lord"introduces each of these minor message...
  • 5:38 Retaliation was common in the ancient Near East. Frequently it led to vendettas in which escalating vengeance continued for generations. Israel's "law of retaliation"(Lat. lex talionis) limited retaliation to no more tha...
  • In contrast to most people, the inhabitants of Jesus' hometown did not praise Him. When Jesus began to speak of God extending salvation to the Gentiles, a particular interest of Luke's, the Jews there opposed Him violently. P...
  • Paul brought his revelation of the resurrection to a climax in this paragraph by clarifying what all this means for the believer in Christ. Here he also dealt with the exceptional case of living believers' transformation at t...
  • 2:26 The "these things"in view probably refer to what John had just written (vv. 18-25)."The author concludes his attack on the false teachers with a warning and a word of encouragement for his followers."992:27 The "anointin...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Lev. 25:23The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.'--Lev. 25:23.The singular institution of the Jubilee year had more than one purpose. As a social and economical...
  • Lev. 25:42For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen.'--Lev. 25:42.This is the basis of the Mosaic legislation as to slavery. It did not suppress but regulated ...
  • The qualifications may be all summed up in one--that he must be the nearest blood relation of the person whoso Goel he was. He might be brother, or less nearly related, but this was essential, that of all living men, he was t...
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