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

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Valuation of Persons Vowed

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to the LORD in a vow, according to your valuation,

your valuation of a male from twenty years old even to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.

If she is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

If the person is from five years old even to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

If the person is from a month old even to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.

If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if he is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall assign a value to him. The priest shall assign a value according to his ability to pay.

Valuation of Dedicated Animals

“‘If it is an animal, of which men offer an offering to the LORD, all that any man gives of such to the LORD becomes 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 animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy.

If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to the LORD, then he shall set the animal before the priest;

and the priest shall value it, whether it is good or bad. As you the priest values it, so shall it be.

But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.

Valuation of Dedicated Houses

“‘When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad: as the priest shall evaluate it, so shall it stand.

If he who dedicates it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his.

Valuation of Dedicated Fields

“‘If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. The sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.

But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation.

If he who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain his.

If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more;

but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field. It shall be owned by the priests.

“‘If he dedicates a field to the LORD which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession,

then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to the LORD.

In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs.

All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.

Rules for Firstborn Animals

“‘Only the firstborn among animals, which is made a firstborn to the LORD, no man may dedicate it; whether an ox or sheep. It is the LORD’s.

If it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it; or if it isn’t redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.

The Law of the Devoted Thing (Cherem)

“‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.

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

The Law of Tithes

“‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.

If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it.

All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.

He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he change it. If he changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”

Conclusion

These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel 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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