Leviticus27

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.

Introduction to Vows and Redemption

1
ADONAI said to Moshe,

Valuation of Persons Vowed

2
"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'If someone makes a clearly defined vow to ADONAI to give him an amount equal to the value of a human being, ​
3
the value you are to assign to a man between the ages of twenty and sixty years is to be fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds], with the sanctuary shekel being the standard, ​
4
if a woman, thirty shekels.
5
If it is a child five to twenty years old, assign a value of twenty shekels for a boy and ten for a girl;
6
if a baby one month to five years of age, five shekels for a boy and three for a girl;
7
if a person past sixty, fifteen shekels for a man and ten for a woman.
8
If the person is too poor to be evaluated, set him before the cohen, who will assign him a value in keeping with the means of the person who made the vow. ​

Valuation of Dedicated Animals

9
"'If the vow is for the value of an animal of the kind used when people bring an offering to ADONAI, all that a person gives of such animals to ADONAI will be holy. ​
10
He is not to exchange or replace it by substituting a good animal for a bad one or vice versa; if he does make such a substitution, both the original animal and the one replacing it will be holy. ​
11
If the animal is an unclean one, such as may not be used in an offering to ADONAI, he must set it before the cohen;
12
and the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by you the cohen will stand.
13
But if the person making the vow wishes to redeem the animal, he must add one-fifth to your valuation. ​

Valuation of Dedicated Houses

14
"'When a person consecrates his house to be holy for ADONAI, the cohen is to set a value on it in relation to its good and bad points; the value set by the cohen will stand. ​
15
If the consecrator wishes to redeem his house, he must add one-fifth to the value you have set on it; and it will revert to him.

Valuation of Dedicated Fields

16
"'If a person consecrates to ADONAI part of a field belonging to his tribe's possession, you are to value it according to its production, with five bushels of barley being valued at fifty shekels of silver [one-and-a-quarter pounds]. ​
17
If he consecrates his field during the year of yovel, this valuation will stand.
18
But if he consecrates his field after the yovel, then the cohen is to calculate the price according to the years remaining till the next yovel, with a corresponding reduction from your valuation. ​
19
If the one consecrating the field wishes to redeem it, he must add one-fifth to your valuation, and the field will be set aside to revert to him.
20
If the seller does not wish to redeem the field, or if [the treasurer for the cohanim] has already sold the field to someone else, it can no longer be redeemed.
21
But when the purchaser has to vacate the field in the yovel, it will become holy to ADONAI, like a field unconditionally consecrated; it will belong to the cohanim. ​
22
"'If he consecrates to ADONAI a field which he has bought, a field which is not part of his tribe's possession,
23
then the cohen is to calculate its value according to the years remaining until the year of yovel; and the man will on that same day pay this amount; since it is holy to ADONAI.
24
In the year of yovel the field will revert to the person from whom it was bought, that is, to the person to whose tribal possession it belongs.
25
"'All your valuations are to be according to the sanctuary shekel [two-fifths of an ounce], twenty gerahs to the shekel. ​

Rules for Firstborn Animals

26
"'However, the firstborn among animals, since it is already born as a firstborn for ADONAI, no one can consecrate -neither ox nor sheep -since it belongs to ADONAI already. ​
27
But if it is an unclean animal, he may redeem it at the price at which you value it and add one-fifth; or if he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at the price at which you value it.

The Law of the Devoted Thing (Cherem)

28
However, nothing consecrated unconditionally which a person may consecrate to ADONAI out of all he owns - person, animal or field he possesses -is to be sold or redeemed; because everything consecrated unconditionally is especially holy to ADONAI. ​
29
No person who has been sentenced to die, and thus unconditionally consecrated, can be redeemed; he must be put to death. ​

The Law of Tithes

30
"'All the tenth given from the land, whether from planted seed or fruit from trees, belongs to ADONAI; it is holy to ADONAI. ​
31
If someone wants to redeem any of his tenth, he must add to it one-fifth.
32
"'All the tenth from the herd or the flock, whatever passes under the shepherd's crook, the tenth one will be holy to ADONAI. ​
33
The owner is not to inquire whether the animal is good or bad, and he cannot exchange it; if he does exchange it, both it and the one he substituted for it will be holy; it cannot be redeemed.'"

Conclusion

34
These are the mitzvot which ADONAI gave to Moshe for the people of Isra'el on Mount Sinai. ​

Study Notes for Leviticus 27

Verse 2

A 'singular vow' (neder) is a voluntary promise to dedicate a person or object to the Lord. Since the Law forbids human sacrifice, the dedicated person must be redeemed by a monetary payment calculated by the priest.

Verse 3

The standard valuation system is based on productivity and physical strength. Fifty shekels represents the peak earning years (20-60) for a male. The 'shekel of the sanctuary' was the standardized, precise weight used for religious transactions.

Verse 8

This provision demonstrates divine mercy and practicality. If the vower is poor, the valuation is adjusted based on their true economic ability, ensuring the vow does not become a crushing financial burden.

Verse 9

If a clean beast (suitable for offering) is vowed, it automatically becomes holy and cannot be redeemed or used for common purposes.

Verse 10

This strict prohibition against substitution reflects the seriousness of the vow. If a substitution is attempted, both the original and the substitute become holy, emphasizing that dedicated property cannot be manipulated for personal gain.

Verse 13

The addition of a 'fifth part' (20%) is the standard penalty required throughout this chapter when redeeming something that has already been dedicated to God (cf. vv. 15, 19, 27, 31). This added cost discourages rash vows.

Verse 14

Like other dedicated items, a house could be vowed. The priest determines the value based on the quality and condition of the property.

Verse 16

Fields are valued based on the amount of seed required to plant them (a measure of productivity), rather than total acreage. The estimation is tied to the Jubilee cycle, ensuring that land ownership remains ultimately tied to God's grant.

Verse 18

If a field is vowed after the Jubilee, its value is depreciated proportionally based on the remaining years until the next Jubilee, when all ancestral land reverts to its original owner.

Verse 21

A field that is vowed and not redeemed becomes the permanent possession of the priesthood after the Jubilee. This treats the unredeemed land like *cherem* (devoted) property, moving it out of the cycle of Israelite inheritance.

Verse 25

This verse standardizes the monetary unit, confirming that the shekel must equal twenty *gerahs* (a small weight measure). This ensures consistency and honesty in all estimations and transactions related to the sanctuary.

Verse 26

The firstborn animal already belongs to God (Ex. 13:2, 12) and is therefore not the vower's property to dedicate. It cannot be sanctified because it is inherently and mandatorily the Lord’s.

Verse 28

This introduces the category of *cherem* (the devoted thing), which is placed under a permanent ban. Unlike voluntary vows (*neder*), *cherem* cannot be sold or redeemed; it is 'most holy' and must be irrevocably separated for God.

Verse 29

The specific application of *cherem* to a person means they must be put to death. This extreme rule was reserved for those under divine judgment (like condemned enemies in warfare) and ensured the absolute sanctity of the ban.

Verse 30

Tithes (a mandatory tenth) are distinct from voluntary vows. They are considered inherently 'holy unto the LORD,' reinforcing the theological concept that God owns all the land and its produce.

Verse 32

Tithing livestock likely involved counting animals as they passed through a gate or under a shepherd's rod. Every tenth animal was dedicated to God regardless of its quality, emphasizing that the dedication was based on divine claim, not human selection.

Verse 34

This verse serves as the formal conclusion to the entire book of Leviticus, placing these laws concerning ritual purity, holiness, and redemption firmly within the covenant framework established by God at Mount Sinai.

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