Leviticus 27

Leviticus 27:1-13

This chapter is added as an appendix: it fixes the price of redemption of what had been confounded to God; 40. Perjam, ver. 2—8. Cattol, clon. et undum, ver. 9—13. Hufti and landi, ver. 14—25. Mish on exception of feffings, ver. 26, 27. 2. Concerning what was devoted, ver. 28, 29. 3. Concerning tyllus, ver. 30—34.

1. AND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD, by the estimation. 3. And the estimation shall be, of the male from twenty years old, even unto sixty years old; even the estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4. And if it be a female, then the estimation shall be thirty shekels. 5. And if it be from five years old, even unto twenty years old, then the estimation shall be, of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6. And if it be from a month old, even unto five years old; then the estimation shall be of the male, five shekels of silver, and for the female, the estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 7. And if it be from sixty years old, and above; if it be a male, then the estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8. But if he be poorer than the estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him: according to his ability that vowed, shall the priest value him. 9. And if it be a beast whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD; all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD, shall be holy. 10. 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 it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. 11. And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD; then he shall present the beast before the priest: 12. And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: + as thou value it, who art the priest, so shall it

be. 143:

John Chaff be. 13. But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

When in return for some singular mercy, or out of pious zeal, any man should sanctify to God any of his family, his lands, or houses, or cattle, an estimation is to be made, and they may be redeemed.

1. If a man conecrated himself, his child, or bond-servant, to the service of God at the tabernacle, as by the appointment of the tribe of Levi such service, not not needed, the priest must lay a remission upon the person devoted, according to their age, sex, and usefulness. The shekel of the sanctuary was to be the coin, somewhat less than half a crown; and nothing conecrated must be valued at less than one, nor more than fifty. But if a man was poor, and unable to pay the valuation of what he had conecrated, the priest, on examination of his circumstances, should abate according to his ability. Nix, (1.) A reckon here is not only willing to its power, but above its power. (2.) We should be careful not to be haily to vow, shall we involve ourselves in disreveling, and repent of our resources. To us is a zeal the according to knowledge.

2. If the vow was of a beall. The clean were not redeemable, but must be holy, either offered on the abject, or in case of blemish belong to the priest, or the price of it be for repairs of the sanctuary. It might not be altered nor changed; and if another was habituated, both the exchanged and conecrated beall were the Lord’s. If the beall were unclean, then it was valued and sold at the price set by the priest; but if the person who vowed it would redeem it, he must pay a fifth part more than the valuation. Nix, We should think before we speak, but when we have vowed unto the Lord, we should pay without reserve or change; for he loveth the chastified giver.

3. ¶ And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD: then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 15. 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. 16. And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession; then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: ¶ an honor of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17. If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 18. But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 19. And if he that sanctified the field will or any wife redeem it: then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 20. 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. 21. But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted: the possession thereof shall be the priest’s. 22. And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession; 23. Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile; and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD. 24. In the year of the jubile, the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 25. And all thy estimation shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.

Leviticus 27:14-25

Houses and lands, as well as persons and cattle, might be conecrated, and redeemed at a fixed price.

1. If a house was by a vow sanctified to God, the priest fixed the estimation, and it was sold, and the money employed in holy uks. If the person who vowed chose to be the purchaser, he must give a fifth part more than another. Nix, Though we need not fail our houses now for God’s service, it becomes us to sanctify them to him, by constant worship, and his fear in the midst of them.

2. If land were conecrated. A field which came by deponent could not be wholly alienated, but only a part. God will have our families to be dear to us, as well as his sanctuary; we must not letge the one to the injury of the other. The valuation was ac-

cording to the quantity of barley required to sow it: if an homer, containing ten ephahs, it was rated at fifty shekels, and so in proportion; and a discount, according to the distance of the jubile year. The owner might redeem it, but at a fifth added to the estimation. If the treasurer of the temple sold it to another, the person who vowed it might not purchase it; and at the jubile it reverted not to him, but was the priest’s for ever. If the lands were a purchase and not an inheritance, then the value of them was given by the person who conecrated it, or any other, and at the jubile they returned to the family from which they were purchased.

26. ¶ Only the firselling of the beasts, which should be the LORD’s firselling, no man shall sanctify it, whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD’s. 27. And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. 28. ¶ Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the LORD, of all that he hath, both of man and beall, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is must holy unto the LORD. 29. ¶ None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed: but shall surely be put to death. 30. ¶ And all the tribe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s: it is holy unto the LORD. 31. And if a man will at all redeem it, he might of his father, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 32. And concerning the tribe of the herd or of the flock, even of whatsoever present under the rod: the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33. 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 she change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. 34. ¶ Note per the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses, for the children of Israel, in mount Sinai.

Leviticus 27:26-34

1. The firselling of clean beasts were God’s by a former law, and therefore could not be conecrated. Those of unclean beasts might be redeemed with a lamb: but if, after redemption, they were again dedicated, then they must be sold at the priest’s estimate, or if redeemed, a fifth of the valuation must be added.

2. There was a difference between devoted things or persons, and ordinary vows. In this case they bound themselves with a solemn curle, never to alienate the person or thing from the use to which it was devoted. If a person or beast, it must be put to death. The persons devoted were not such as might be conecrated to God by a vow, for over them they had no such power of death, but the seven devoted nations, or their enemies, with whom they were at war, or those condemned to death by the judges. For these there could be no redemption.

3. Titles of all kinds are to be paid of the land, of the trees, and of the cattle; and as this was to be done according to justice, v. 32. What was once marked must not be changed, on pain of forfeiture of the thing habituated, and both it and the tribe was then irredeemable; otherwise, on adding a fifth to the priest’s valuation, the person might keep his tribes, by composition. Nix, Titles are of divine appointment, and though the Levitical priesthood is sealed, the gospel ministry does not deserve a less provision. Let those who eat those sacred spoils of the church remember, that though law or custom maintain them in possession, God may, by and by, dispute their right, and condemn them for sacrilege.

4. The book thus concludes; and from the whole of these commandments we have much to learn. What thankfulness is due for the mercies we enjoy in the clear light of gospel-day, when these shadows are passed away, and Christ the son of righteousness arises, to guide our feet into the paths of peace! We now no longer see through the dark glats of types and figures, but face to face behold a reconciled God in Christ. The burdensome services of ceremonial ordinances are ceased, and all our present required offering is the broken and contrite heart. In this liberty, wherewith Christ has made us free, every humble believer rejoices, and whilst ceremonial uncleanness is no longer his concern, he labours more deliciously to cleanse himself from all fathiness of flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God.