Leviticus 27

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Leviticus 27 outlines the laws concerning vows and dedications made to the Lord, detailing the monetary estimation of persons, animals, houses, and fields. It specifies conditions for redemption, often requiring an added fifth part of the estimated value. The chapter also addresses the sanctity of firstlings and tithes, which are holy unto the Lord. These commandments conclude the laws given by the Lord to Moses at Mount Sinai.

Valuation of Persons Vowed 1–8

And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall accomplish a vow, the persons shall be for Jehovah by thy estimation.

And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.

And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.

And if it be from sixty years old and upward; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him that vowed shall the priest value him.

Valuation of Dedicated Animals 9–13

And if it be a beast, whereof men offer an oblation unto Jehovah, all that any man giveth of such unto Jehovah shall be holy.

He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy.

And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer an oblation unto Jehovah, then he shall set the beast before the priest;

and the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou the priest valuest it, so shall it be.

But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

Valuation of Dedicated Houses 14–15

And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto Jehovah, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.

And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.

Valuation of Dedicated Fields 16–25

And if a man shall sanctify unto Jehovah part of the field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the sowing thereof: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand.

But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain unto the year of jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from thy estimation.

And if he that sanctified the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.

And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more:

but the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto Jehovah, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest’s.

And if he sanctify unto Jehovah a field which he hath bought, which is not of the field of his possession;

then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation unto the year of jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto Jehovah.

In the year of jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongeth.

And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

Rules for Firstborn Animals 26–27

Only the firstling among beasts, which is made a firstling to Jehovah, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox or sheep, it is Jehovah’s.

And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall ransom it according to thine estimation, and shall add unto it the fifth part thereof: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.

The Law of the Devoted Thing (Cherem) 28–29

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.

No one devoted, that shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.

The Law of Tithes 30–34

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is Jehovah’s: it is holy unto Jehovah.

And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof.

And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto Jehovah.

He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

These are the commandments, which Jehovah commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Leviticus 27

Verse 2

a singular vow — 'Singular' is pala, to set apart, the verb in Num 6:2, 'shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite'. A person vowed is not given up outright: the persons 'shall be for the LORD by thy estimation' (erek, a set value), and a price is set for each (vv.3–8). Deut 23:21 adds: 'thou shalt not slack to pay it'.

Verse 3

fifty shekels of silver — The highest valuation, for a man from twenty to sixty. The scale follows in vv.4–7: thirty for a woman; twenty and ten from five to twenty years; five and three from a month to five years; fifteen and ten above sixty. Every sum is 'after the shekel of the sanctuary', twenty gerahs (v.25).

Verse 8

poorer than thy estimation — Muk is to become thin or poor. The priest values the man 'according to his ability that vowed', which is literally what his hand can reach. The same provision of mercy appears in Lev 14:21–22, where a poor man brings the offering 'such as he is able to get'.

Verse 9

an offering unto the LORD — Qorban is something brought near the altar, here an animal fit to be offered. Whatever a man gives of such 'shall be holy'. No valuation is set for it, as there is for the persons of vv.2–8, and v.10 forbids any exchange of it for another.

Verse 10

beast for beast — 'Change' is mur and 'exchange' temurah. A good animal may not be put in place of a bad one, nor the reverse, and if a man does substitute, 'it and the exchange thereof shall be holy': he loses both. Lev 27:33 lays down the same rule for the tithe.

Verse 13

add a fifth part — The chamishi, a fifth, is the amount added whenever the giver takes back what he gave: here and at vv.15, 19, 27 and 31. Lev 5:16 and 22:14 require the same fifth from anyone who has wronged a holy thing, so a dedicated thing is treated as the LORD's once it is given.

Verse 14

sanctify his house — The priest 'shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad', the same pair (tov, ra) as 'a good for a bad' in v.10, and 'as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand'. If the owner wants the house back, he adds the fifth part (v.15).

Verse 16

a field of his possession — Achuzzah is land held as a family possession, the land that returns to each man at the jubile (Lev 25:10). Its value runs by the seed it takes, 'an homer of barley seed' at fifty shekels. Fifty shekels for the fifty years is a shekel a year, and v.18 reduces the sum by the years that remain.

Verse 18

after the jubile — The priest 'shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain'. This is the same method as the sale of land in Lev 25:15–16, where the price rises or falls with the number of years until the jubile, since what is really sold is the crops of those years.

Verse 21

as a field devoted — If the field is not redeemed (v.20), it does not return at the jubile but becomes 'holy unto the LORD'. Cherem, 'devoted', is the word of vv.28–29, and Num 18:14 gives it to the priest: 'Every thing devoted in Israel shall be thine.' Here 'the possession thereof shall be the priest's'.

Verse 25

the shekel of the sanctuary — The standard is set at 'twenty gerahs', and the gerah is a kernel, the smallest weight. The same measure is given in Ex 30:13, for the half shekel each man gave when numbered, and Num 3:47. Ezek 45:12 repeats it: 'the shekel shall be twenty gerahs'.

Verse 26

the firstling of the beasts — The firstborn male animal is the LORD's already: 'Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb … both of man and of beast: it is mine' (Ex 13:2). So 'no man shall sanctify it' by a vow. An unclean beast is dealt with in v.27, and the ass in Ex 13:13.

Verse 28

no devoted thing — Cherem is a thing put under the ban, given up to the LORD without return, whether man, beast or field. It cannot be sold or redeemed: it is 'most holy' (qodesh qodashim). Josh 6:17 uses the word of Jericho: 'the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD'.

Verse 29

shall surely be put to death — A person placed under the ban is not valued and redeemed like the persons of vv.2–8: 'None devoted … shall be redeemed'. Num 21:2–3 records such a vow, 'then I will utterly destroy their cities', and 'he called the name of the place Hormah'.

Verse 30

the tithe of the land — Ma'aser is a tenth. The tithe of seed and fruit 'is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD'. Jacob promised it in Gen 28:22, and Num 18:21 assigns it to Levi, 'all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance'. Matt 23:23 shows it still paid on herbs, 'mint and anise and cummin'.

Verse 32

passeth under the rod — The herd or flock goes under the shepherd's rod (shebet) one by one and every tenth is counted holy. Lev 27:33 adds that he 'shall not search whether it be good or bad', so the animal is not chosen. Ezek 20:37 uses the picture: 'I will cause you to pass under the rod'.

Verse 34

in mount Sinai — The book closes with the place named at Lev 7:38, 25:1 and 26:46: the commandments (mitsvot) were given 'in mount Sinai'. Numbers takes up the same place, 'in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation' (Num 1:1).