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Texts -- Leviticus 25:20-55 (NET)

Context
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 . 25:46 You may give them as inheritance to your children after you to possess as property . You may enslave them perpetually . However, as for your brothers the Israelites , no man may rule over his brother harshly . 25:47 “‘If a resident foreigner who is with you prospers and your brother becomes impoverished with regard to him so that he sells himself to a resident foreigner who is with you or to a member of a foreigner’s family , 25:48 after he has sold himself he retains a right of redemption . One of his brothers may redeem him, 25:49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or anyone of the rest of his blood relatives – his family – may redeem him, or if he prospers he may redeem himself . 25:50 He must calculate with the one who bought him the number of years from the year he sold himself to him until the jubilee year , and the cost of his sale must correspond to the number of years , according to the rate of wages a hired worker would have earned while with him. 25:51 If there are still many years , in keeping with them he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption , 25:52 but if only a few years remain until the jubilee , he must calculate for himself in keeping with the remaining years and refund it for his redemption . 25:53 He must be with the one who bought him like a yearly hired worker . The one who bought him must not rule over him harshly in your sight . 25:54 If, however , he is not redeemed in these ways, he must go free in the jubilee year , he and his children with him, 25:55 because the Israelites are my own servants ; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt . I am the Lord your God .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • 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 ...

  • Poor

    [ebd] The Mosaic legislation regarding the poor is specially important. (1.) They had the right of gleaning the fields (Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 24:19,21). (2.) In the sabbatical year they were to have their share of the produce of th...
    [isbe] POOR - poor ('ebhyon, dal, `ani, rush; ptochos): I. In the Old Testament. The poor have great prominence in the Bible; it is said, indeed, that there should be no poor among the Hebrews because Yahweh should so greatly bless...
    [smith] The general kindly spirit of the law toward the poor is sufficiently shown by such passages as (15:7) for the reason that (ver. 11) "the poor shall never cease out of the land." Among the special enactments in their favor the...
    [nave] POOR Atonement money of, uniform with that of the rich, Ex. 30:15. Inexpensive offerings of the poor, Lev. 5:7; 12:8; 14:21, 22. See: Beneficence; Giving; Liberality; Orphans; Poverty; Widow. Also See: Rich; Riches. Uncl...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • RANSOM

    [isbe] RANSOM - ran'-sum (the noun occurs in the English Bible 12 times (Ex 21:30 the King James Version pidhyon; Ex 30:12; Job 33:24; 36:18; Prov 6:35; 13:8; 21:18; Isa 43:3, kopher; Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45, lutron; 1 Tim 2:6, antilutr...

  • 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...

  • LEVITICUS, 2

    [isbe] LEVITICUS, 2 - III. Origin. 1. Against the Wellhausen Hypothesis: As in the article ATONEMENT, DAY OF, sec. I, 2, (2), we took a stand against the modern attempts at splitting up the text, and in III, 1 against theory of the...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • PENTATEUCH, 2B

    [isbe] PENTATEUCH, 2B - 3. Answer to the Critical Analysis: (1) The Veto of Textual Criticism. The first great objection that may be made to the higher criticism is that it starts from the Massoretic text (MT) without investigation...

  • POVERTY

    [isbe] POVERTY - pov'-er-ti: 1. Old Testament References: This word, found but once in the Old Testament (Gen 45:11) outside of the Book of Proverbs in which it occurs 11 times (6:11; 10:15; 11:24 the King James Version; 13:18; 20:...

  • Debtor

    [ebd] Various regulations as to the relation between debtor and creditor are laid down in the Scriptures. (1.) The debtor was to deliver up as a pledge to the creditor what he could most easily dispense with (Deut. 24:10, 11). (2....
    [nave] DEBTOR, Laws Concerning Ex. 21:2-6; Ex. 22:10-15; Lev. 25:14-17, 25-41, 47-55; Neh. 10:31; Matt. 5:25, 26, 40; Matt. 18:25 Unclassified Scriptures Relating to 2 Kin. 4:1-7; Neh. 5:3-5; Job 20:18, 19; Matt. 18:23-33; Luke...

  • Servant

    [nave] SERVANT Distinguished as bond servant, who was a slave, and hired servant. Bond Laws of Moses concerning, Ex. 21:1-11, 20, 21, 26, 27, 32; Lev. 19:20-22; 25:6, 10, 35-55; Deut. 15:12, 14, 18; 24:7. Kidnapping forbidden, D...

  • LOAN

    [ebd] The Mosaic law required that when an Israelite needed to borrow, what he asked was to be freely lent to him, and no interest was to be charged, although interest might be taken of a foreigner (Ex. 22:25; Deut. 23:19, 20; Lev...
    [smith] The law strictly forbade any interest to be taken for a loan to any poor person, and at first, as it seems, even in the case of a foreigner; but this prohibition was afterward limited to Hebrews only, from whom, of whatever r...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • JUBILEE YEAR

    [isbe] JUBILEE YEAR - (shenath ha-yobhel; etos tes apheseos; annus jubilaeus, "year of jubilee" (Lev 25:13), or simply ha-yobhel, "the jubilee" (Lev 25:28; compare Nu 36:4), the King James Version and the English Revised Version Ju...

  • SLAVE; SLAVERY

    [isbe] SLAVE; SLAVERY - slav, slav'-er-i: 1. Acquiring of Slaves 2. Hebrews as War Captives 3. Freedom of Slaves 4. Rights of Slaves 5. Rights of Slave Masters 6. The New Testament Conception LITERATURE The origin of the term "slav...

  • ODED

    [isbe] ODED - o'-ded (`owdhedh (2 Ch 15), `odhedh (elsewhere), `odhedh, "restorer"): (1) According to 2 Ch 15:1, he was the father of Azariah who prophesied in the reign of Asa of Judah (c 918-877), but 15:8 makes Oded himself the ...
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Arts

Questions

  • 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 ...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...

Sermon Illustrations

Slavery; 2 Kings 4:1-7

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 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...
  • "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...
  • "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 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...
  • 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...
  • 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...
  • 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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