Leviticus 25:50

Translation
King James Version
And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And he shall reckon H2803 with him that bought H7069 him from the year H8141 that he was sold H4376 to him unto the year H8141 of jubile H3104: and the price H3701 of his sale H4465 shall be according unto the number H4557 of years H8141, according to the time H3117 of an hired servant H7916 shall it be with him.
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Complete Jewish Bible
He will calculate with the person who bought him the time from the year he sold himself to him to the year of yovel; and the amount to be paid will be according to the number of years and his time at an employee's wage.
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Berean Standard Bible
He and his purchaser will then count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale will be determined by the number of years, based on the daily wages of a hired hand.
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American Standard Version
And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him.
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World English Bible Messianic
He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee. The price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; he shall be with him according to the time of a hired servant.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Then he shall recken with his byer from the yeere that he was solde to him, vnto the yere of Iubile: and the money of his sale shalbe according to the number of yeeres: according to the time of an hyred seruant shall he be with him.
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Young's Literal Translation
`And he hath reckoned with his buyer from the year of his being sold to him till the year of jubilee, and the money of his sale hath been by the number of years; as the days of an hireling it is with him.
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See also
Isaiah 16:14Isaiah 21:16Deuteronomy 15:18Leviticus 25:53Leviticus 25:40Job 7:1Job 7:2
In the KJVVerse 3,520 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Leviticus 25:50 precisely outlines the method for calculating the redemption price of an Israelite who had sold themselves into temporary servitude to a foreign resident, ensuring their liberation before the arrival of the Jubilee year. This verse underscores God's unwavering commitment to the freedom and inherent dignity of His covenant people, mandating a proportional repayment based on the remaining years until the great year of liberty. It thereby prevents exploitation and reinforces the foundational principle that all Israelites ultimately belong to God, not to any human master.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: Leviticus 25 is a pivotal chapter within the book, transitioning from detailed instructions on ritual purity, priestly duties, and offerings to the socio-economic laws governing the land and its inhabitants, particularly the Sabbatical Year (every seventh year, where the land rested) and the Jubilee Year (every fiftieth year). The preceding verses, specifically Leviticus 25:39-46, establish the foundational principle that no Israelite could be permanently enslaved, especially not by another Israelite, as they are "the Lord's servants." The specific scenario of an Israelite selling themselves into servitude to a foreign resident is introduced in Leviticus 25:47, setting the stage for the detailed redemption provisions outlined in verses 48-55. Verse 50, therefore, provides the precise economic mechanism for this redemption, ensuring fairness and upholding the divine principles of the Jubilee in such transactions.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: In the broader ancient Near Eastern societies, debt slavery was a common and often permanent practice, where individuals could sell themselves or family members into perpetual servitude to pay off debts. However, Israel's laws, divinely revealed through Moses, stood in stark contrast to these norms, emphasizing principles of justice, mercy, and the ultimate sovereignty of Yahweh over both land and people. The concept of the Jubilee year, proclaimed by the sound of the ram's horn (the yobel), was unique to Israel, serving as a national reset button every 50 years. This comprehensive liberation included the return of ancestral lands and the release of all Israelite indentured servants, regardless of their debt status. The provision in Leviticus 25:50 specifically addresses the vulnerability of an Israelite who, due to extreme poverty, might sell themselves to a non-Israelite. This scenario was particularly complex because a non-Israelite would not be bound by the same internal covenantal obligations to release the servant. The law ensures that even in such circumstances, the Israelite's temporary servitude was akin to that of a hired worker, with a calculable, diminishing value, reinforcing their ultimate freedom and belonging to God, not to any human master.
  • Key Themes: Leviticus 25:50 significantly contributes to several overarching themes within the book of Leviticus and the Pentateuch. Foremost is the theme of God's Sovereignty and Ownership, particularly over the land and its people. The laws concerning the Sabbatical and Jubilee years (explored in Leviticus 25:1-55) repeatedly emphasize that the land belongs to God, and the Israelites are merely sojourners and tenants (Leviticus 25:23). This divine ownership is the theological bedrock for the prohibition of permanent enslavement of Israelites. Another critical theme is Redemption and Liberation. The entire system of the Jubilee and the provisions for early redemption underscore God's desire for His people to live in freedom, reflecting His act of redeeming them from slavery in Egypt (as recounted in Exodus 12). Finally, the verse highlights Justice and Equity. The meticulous calculation of the redemption price, based on a diminishing value, demonstrates God's demand for fairness in all economic transactions, preventing exploitation of the vulnerable and ensuring that the poor are not perpetually trapped by their circumstances.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • Reckon (Hebrew, châshab, H2803): A primitive root meaning properly "to plait or interpenetrate," but figuratively, "to think, regard, value, compute." In this context, it denotes a precise, mathematical calculation and a deliberate, just assessment of value. The buyer is commanded to engage in a fair accounting, demonstrating God's demand for equity and careful consideration in all financial dealings, even those involving servitude. It implies a thoughtful, non-arbitrary determination of the remaining value.
  • Jubile (Hebrew, yôwbêl, H3104): Apparently from a root meaning "to flow" or "bring," this term refers to "the blast of a horn (from its continuous sound); specifically, the signal of the silver trumpets; hence, the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced." It signifies the fiftieth year of liberty, a time of universal release and restoration. Its inclusion here emphasizes that the calculation of redemption is always framed by this ultimate, divinely ordained end-point of freedom, ensuring that no Israelite's servitude could extend beyond this fixed, liberating horizon.
  • Hired Servant (Hebrew, sâkîyr, H7916): This term refers to "a man at wages by the day or year; hired (man, servant), hireling." By explicitly comparing the indentured Israelite to a "hired servant," the law fundamentally limits the nature of their servitude. It underscores that even when an Israelite sold their labor, they were not selling their person permanently but rather their service for a defined period, with an inherent end date (the Jubilee) or the possibility of earlier redemption. This distinction was crucial for maintaining the Israelite's dignity and their status as God's redeemed people, never to be treated as mere chattel.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile:" This initial clause establishes the precise timeframe for the calculation of the redemption price. It mandates that the buyer (or the Israelite seeking redemption, or a kinsman redeemer) must accurately calculate the value of the remaining service from the point of sale until the next Jubilee year. This highlights the diminishing value of the servant's labor over time, as the ultimate freedom of the Jubilee was always on the horizon, acting as a built-in "expiration date" for any servitude.
  • "and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years," This specifies the exact method of calculation. The original "price of his sale" (which was essentially an advance payment for future labor) must be prorated. The redemption price is not the original sum, but a decreasing amount corresponding to the number of years of service remaining until the Jubilee. This ensures that the buyer does not profit excessively from the early redemption and that the servant or their redeemer pays a fair, diminishing value for the unfulfilled portion of the labor contract.
  • "according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him." This final phrase reiterates and profoundly reinforces the temporary and dignified nature of the servitude. The Israelite's status is explicitly defined as that of a temporary, wage-earning laborer, not a permanent chattel slave. This legal stipulation safeguards the Israelite's fundamental freedom and identity as belonging to God, emphasizing that their labor, not their person, was temporarily "sold." It underscores the conditional nature of the arrangement, always pointing towards the ultimate liberation of the Jubilee and maintaining the Israelite's inherent dignity.

Literary Devices

The passage primarily employs Legal Language and adheres to the structure of Casuistic Law, characteristic of the Mosaic covenant. It presents a specific scenario ("if an Israelite sells himself to a foreigner") and prescribes a precise legal remedy and calculation. The detailed instructions for "reckoning" and prorating the price based on "the number of years" demonstrate a profound emphasis on Proportionality and Equity. This mathematical precision in a legal context ensures fairness for both the buyer and the servant, preventing arbitrary pricing or exploitation. Furthermore, the explicit comparison of the indentured Israelite to a "hired servant" serves as a powerful Simile, clarifying the temporary and non-permanent nature of the servitude, which is a crucial theological and social distinction within Israelite law, contrasting sharply with the chattel slavery prevalent in surrounding cultures.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Leviticus 25:50 profoundly illustrates God's heart for justice, mercy, and the liberation of His people. It underscores the theological truth that all Israelites are ultimately God's servants, redeemed by Him from Egyptian bondage, and therefore cannot be permanently enslaved by human masters. This law ensures that economic hardship does not lead to perpetual servitude, reflecting God's desire for the dignity and freedom of His covenant community. The system of redemption, based on a fair calculation, highlights divine principles of equity and compassion, preventing exploitation and affirming the inherent value of every individual as created in God's image and belonging to Him.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Leviticus 25:50, while rooted in ancient Israelite socio-economic law, offers profound timeless principles for reflection and application today. It reminds us that true freedom is a divine gift, and that systems of justice should always lean towards liberation and equity, especially for the vulnerable. We are called to consider how we, as individuals and communities, uphold or undermine principles of fairness in our economic dealings and social structures. Do we exploit others' vulnerabilities, or do we seek to create pathways to dignity and freedom? The passage challenges us to remember that ultimate ownership belongs to God, and our possessions, talents, and even our very lives are gifts to be stewarded in a way that honors His liberating character. It beckons us to advocate for justice, to practice generosity, and to live as those who have been redeemed by a gracious God, extending that same liberating grace to others. It calls us to examine our own hearts for any form of "servitude" to sin, materialism, or worldly systems, and to embrace the true freedom found in Christ.

Questions for Reflection

  • How does the principle of "reckoning" fairly apply to our modern economic systems and personal financial dealings, especially concerning debt and labor?
  • In what ways might we, or our society, inadvertently perpetuate forms of "servitude" or exploitation, and how can we actively work towards liberation and equity for all?
  • How does the ultimate freedom of the Jubilee year inform our understanding of God's character and His desire for humanity to live in dignity and true liberty?

FAQ

What was the purpose of calculating the redemption price based on the years remaining until the Jubilee?

Answer: The purpose was to ensure fairness and prevent exploitation, reflecting God's just character. Since the Jubilee year would automatically set all Israelite indentured servants free and return land to its original families, the value of a servant's labor diminished as the Jubilee approached. Calculating the redemption price "according unto the number of years" meant that the buyer was only compensated for the actual remaining service time, not the original, full value of the "sale." This prevented the buyer from unjustly profiting from an early redemption and reinforced the temporary nature of the servitude, ensuring that the Israelite's ultimate freedom was always accounted for, as detailed in Leviticus 25:50.

How does this law differ from chattel slavery?

Answer: This law is fundamentally different from chattel slavery, which involves the permanent, inheritable ownership of a person as property, often with no rights. In ancient Israel, the "sale" of an Israelite into servitude, as described in Leviticus 25:39-55, was a form of temporary indentured servitude, typically entered into voluntarily due to debt or poverty. The individual was selling their labor for a defined period, not their person permanently. Their status was explicitly compared to that of a "hired servant," and they retained significant rights, including the right to redemption by a kinsman or by themselves, and guaranteed freedom at the Jubilee year. This contrasts sharply with the dehumanizing and permanent nature of chattel slavery, where individuals were considered property with no rights or hope of freedom.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Leviticus 25:50, with its emphasis on redemption and liberation through a calculated price, finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelite servant was "bought" by a kinsman redeemer or through their own means, humanity, enslaved by sin and death, was utterly incapable of redeeming itself. The "price" required for our liberation was infinite, a debt we could never pay. Christ, our divine Kinsman-Redeemer, entered into our human condition to pay that ultimate price, not with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood (as illuminated in 1 Peter 1:18-19). He "reckoned" with the demands of divine justice, fulfilling every requirement of the law on our behalf. His atoning sacrifice on the cross secured our spiritual Jubilee, proclaiming "liberty to the captives" and "the opening of the prison to them that are bound" (echoing Isaiah 61:1, quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19). Through Christ, we are not merely released from temporary servitude but are eternally adopted as sons and daughters, no longer slaves to sin but heirs of God's glorious inheritance (as seen in Galatians 4:4-7). The temporary, earthly Jubilee pointed forward to this eternal, spiritual liberation accomplished by the Lamb of God, who truly takes away the sin of the world (as proclaimed in John 1:29).

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Commentary on Leviticus 25 verses 39–55

We have here the laws concerning servitude, designed to preserve the honour of the Jewish nation as a free people, and rescued by a divine power out of the house of bondage, into the glorious liberty of God's sons, his first-born. Now the law is,

I. That a native Israelite should never be made a bondman for perpetuity. If he was sold for debt, or for a crime, by the house of judgment, he was to serve but six years, and to go out the seventh; this was appointed, Exo 21:2. But if he sold himself through extreme poverty, having nothing at all left him to preserve his life, and if it was to one of his own nation that he sold himself, in such a case it is here provided, 1. That he should not serve as a bond-servant (Lev 25:39), nor be sold with the sale of a bondman (Lev 25:42); that is, "it must not be looked upon that his master that bought him had as absolute a property in him as in a captive taken in war, that might be used, sold, and bequeathed, at pleasure, as much as a man's cattle; no, he shall serve thee as a hired servant, whom the master has the use of only, but not a despotic power over." And the reason is, They are my servants, Lev 25:42. God does not make his servants slaves, and therefore their brethren must not. God had redeemed them out of Egypt, and therefore they must never be exposed to sale as bondmen. The apostle applies this spiritually (Co1 7:23), You are bought with a price, be not the servants of men, that is, "of the lusts of men, no, nor of your own lusts;" for, having become the servants of God, we must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies, Rom 6:12, Rom 6:22. 2. That while he did serve he should not be ruled with rigour, as the Israelites were in Egypt, Lev 25:43. Both his work and his usage must be such as were fitting for a son of Abraham. Masters are still required to give to their servants that which is just and equal, Col 4:1. They may be used, but must not be abused. Those masters that are always hectoring and domineering over their servants, taunting them and trampling upon them, that are unreasonable in exacting work and giving rebukes, and that rule them with a high hand, forget that their Master is in heaven; and what will they do when he rises up? as holy Job reasons with himself, Job 31:13, Job 31:14. 3. That at the year of jubilee he should go out free, he and his children, and should return to his own family, Lev 25:41. This typified our redemption from the service of sin and Satan by the grace of God in Christ, whose truth makes us free, Joh 7:32. The Jewish writers say that, for ten days before the jubilee-trumpet sounded, the servants that were to be discharged by it did express their great joy by feasting, and wearing garlands on their heads: it is therefore called the joyful sound, Psa 89:15. And we are thus to rejoice in the liberty we have by Christ.

II. That they might purchase bondmen of the heathen nations that were round about them, or of those strangers that sojourned among them (except of those seven nations that were to be destroyed); and might claim a dominion over them, and entail them upon their families as an inheritance, for the year of jubilee should give no discharge to them, Lev 25:44, Lev 25:46. Thus in our English plantations the negroes only are used as slaves; how much to the credit of Christianity I shall not say. Now, 1. This authority which they had over the bondmen whom they purchased from the neighbouring nations was in pursuance of the blessing of Jacob, Gen 27:29, Let people serve thee. 2. It prefigured the bringing in of the Gentiles to the service of Christ and his church. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thy inheritance, Psa 2:8. And it is promised (Isa 61:5), Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your vine-dressers; see Rev 2:26, Rev 2:27. The upright shall have the dominion in the morning, Psa 49:14. 3. It intimates that none shall have the benefit of the gospel jubilee but those only that are Israelites indeed, and the children of Abraham by faith: as for those that continue heathenish, they continue bondmen. See this turned upon the unbelieving Jews themselves, Gal 4:25, where Jerusalem, when she had rejected Christ, is said to be in bondage with her children. Let me only add here that, though they are not forbidden to rule their bondmen with rigour, yet the Jewish doctors say, "It is the property of mercy, and way of wisdom, that a man should be compassionate, and not make his yoke heavy upon any servant that he has."

III. That if an Israelite sold himself for a servant to a wealthy proselyte that sojourned among them care should be taken that he should have the same advantages as if he had sold himself to an Israelite, and in some respects greater. 1. That he should not serve as a bondman, but as a hired servant, and not to be ruled with rigour (Lev 25:53), in thy sight, which intimated that the Jewish magistrates should particularly have an eye to him, and, if he were abused, should take cognizance of it, and redress his grievances, though the injured servant did not himself complain. Also he was to go free at the year of jubilee, Lev 25:54. Though the sons of strangers might serve them for ever, yet the sons of Israel might not serve strangers for ever; yet the servant here, having made himself a slave by his own act and deed, should not go out in the seventh year of release, but in the jubilee only. 2. That he should have this further advantage that he might be redeemed again before the year of jubilee, Lev 25:48, Lev 25:49. He that had sold himself to an Israelite might, if ever he was able, redeem himself, but his relations had no right to redeem him. "But if a man sold himself to a stranger," the Jews say, "his relations were urged to redeem him; if they did not, it was fit that he should be redeemed at the public charge," which we find done, Neh 5:8. The price of his ransom was to be computed according to the prospect of the year of jubilee (Lev 25:50-52), as in the redemption of land, Lev 25:15, Lev 25:16. The learned bishop Patrick quotes one of the Jewish rabbin for an evangelical exposition of that appointment (Lev 25:48), One of his brethren shall redeem him. "This Redeemer," says the rabbi, "is the Messiah, the Son of David." They expected this Messiah to be their Redeemer out of their captivity, and to restore them to their own land again; but we welcome him as the Redeemer who shall come to Zion, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for he shall save his people from their sins; and under this notion there were those that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 39–55. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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