Leviticus 25

Leviticus 25:1-7

4. SABBATICAL AND JUBILEE YEARS 25:1-55 a. THE SABBATICAL YEAR 25:1-7 TEXT 25:1-7

1

And Jehovah spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

2

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto Jehovah.

3

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruits thereof;

4

but in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto Jehovah: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

5

That which groweth of itself of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather: it shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.

6

And the sabbath of the land shall be for food for you; for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant and for thy stranger, who sojourn with thee.

7

And for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:1-7

Are we to understand from Leviticus 25:1 that Moses is now called up on the mount to receive these instructions?

Besides the benefit to the land was there another purpose in the sabbath year?

There is a work principle here. Does it have any relation to present society? Discuss.

Vineyards and orchards would already be planted. What is to be done with them?

From what would the nation live if the increase was for the slaves and servants?

How would they feed their animals?

PARAPHRASE 25:1-7

While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him these instructions for the people of Israel: When you come into the land I am going to give you, you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year. For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow before the Lord, uncultivated. Don-’t sow your crops and don-’t prune your vineyards during that entire year. Don-’t even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that come up, and don-’t gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of rest for the land. Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to allfor you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living among you. Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to graze there.

COMMENT 25:1-7

Leviticus 25:1-4 The seventh year is a very important time in the book of Leviticus: (1) to teach equality; the slaves were set free, the land was free for indiscriminate use by all the inhabitants; (2) to teach kindness and thoughtfulness to slaves, servants and cattle; (3) to teach a dependence on God who must provide in the sixth year what they would not have in the seventh or the eighth; (4) break the routine of the pursuit after mammonthey did have time to teach and worship; (5) to let Israel know they did not own the land but were only using it. (Calmet) In Leviticus 25:20-21 of this chapter, God plainly states He will provide three times as much in the sixth year than in any other year. This would be necessary for the sixth year, the sabbath year, and the eighth year. What a lesson such care would give to the stranger in the land! Just when this practice began would be hard to determine. Some believe it was in the twenty-first year after their entrance into Canaan. It is calculated by considering seven years for conquest (Joshua 14:10), seven years to dividing the land among the tribes (Joshua 18:1), and seven years of crops.

Leviticus 25:5-7 There is a most intriguing principle taught here: God wants man to enjoy the creation He has provided. God will actually enable the land to produce enough for three years for the express use of man in a year of rest, learning, worship and relaxation. Could this be but a foretaste of the sabbath of rest God has for all His children in that upper and better Canaan? Cf. Hebrews 4:9.

FACT QUESTIONS 25:1-7

Show the importance of the seventh year.

The strangers in the land could learn a very important lesson. What was it?

When did the first sabbath year begin, i.e. after entrance into Canaan?

What intriguing principle is taught in Leviticus 25:5-7?

Leviticus 25:8-22

b. THE YEAR OF JUBILEE 25:8-55 RULES FOR THE OBSERVANCE OF THE JUBILEE 25:8-22 TEXT 25:8-22

8

And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years, and there shall be unto thee the days of seven sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years.

9

Then shalt thou send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye send abroad the trumpet throughout all your land.

10

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

11

A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines.

12

For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.

13

In this year of jubilee ye shall return every man unto his possession.

14

And if thou sell aught unto thy neighbor, or buy of thy neighbor’s hand, ye shall not wrong one another.

15

According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the crops he shall sell unto thee.

16

According to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for the number of the crops doth he sell unto thee.

17

And ye shall not wrong one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am Jehovah your God.

18

Wherefore ye shall do my statutes, and keep mine ordinances and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety.

19

And the land shall yield its fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.

20

And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase;

21

then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for the three years.

22

And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the fruits, the old store; until the ninth year, until its fruits come in, ye shall eat the old store.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:8-22

Was the year of Jubilee in the 49th or the 50th year?

On what annual feast day was the trumpet sounded for the year of Jubilee?

This was surely a day of liberty. Mention two liberations.

There was also liberation from harvesting. Was this good news?

Who made the original division of the land to decide the ancestral property?

Please explain Leviticus 25:14 in its context.

No property was actually sold. How would you define what happened?

The land was not being sold, only the number of crops until Jubilee. Was there any problem with this arrangement? Discuss.

Someone could take advantage of his neighbor. How? What was intended to prevent this?

God promised safety and enough food. Upon what conditions?

Why the increase for three years? Cf. Leviticus 25:21.

There was a very significant purpose to the observance of the year of Jubilee. What was it? What lesson is in it for us? Cf. Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11-17.

PARAPHRASE 25:8-22

Every fiftieth year, on the Day of Atonement, let the trumpets blow loud and long throughout the land. For the fiftieth year shall be holy, a time to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all enslaved debtors, and a time for the canceling of all public and private debts. It shall be a year when all the family estates sold to others shall be returned to the original owners or their heirs. What a happy year it will be! In it you shall not sow, nor gather crops nor grapes; for it is a holy Year of Jubilee for you. That year your food shall be the volunteer crops that grow wild in the fields. Yes, during the Year of Jubilee everyone shall return home to his original family possession; if he has sold it, it shall be his again! Because of this, if the land is sold or bought during the preceding forty-nine years, a fair price shall be arrived at by counting the number of years until the Jubilee. If the Jubilee is many years away, the price will be high; if few years, the price will be low; for what you are really doing is selling the number of crops the new owner will get from the land before it is returned to you. You must fear your God and not over-charge! For I am Jehovah. Obey My laws if you want to live safely in the land. When you obey, the land will yield bumper crops and you can eat your fill in safety. But you will ask, What shall we eat the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year? The answer is, I will bless you with bumper crops the sixth year that will last you until the crops of the eighth year are harvested!

COMMENT 25:8-22

Leviticus 25:8-13 In the following verses we have the prelude to a most meaningful time in the life of the Hebrew man or woman. The seventh day reminded him of his deliverance from Egyptian bondage, i.e. that he belonged to God by right of deliverance from death and slavery. The seventh month spoke to him again and again of God’s provisions for him in the several feasts of the month. The seventh year told him of God’s ownership of the land. Now the climactic, once-in-a-lifetime experience, the year of Jubilee. Seven times seven yearsthe year of deliverance and restoration. It was announced with the sound of the silver trumpets. Perhaps these were ram’s horns plated with silver and fitted with a mouth-piece of gold. How we would like to share with the sincere Israelite all the wonder, excitement and joy this glorious year brought. Perhaps we can share a little by a careful understanding of each verse.

It was on the close of the great day of atonement that the loud blasts from the trumpets was heard … when the Hebrews realized that they had peace of mind, that their heavenly Father had annulled their sins, and that they had become reunited to Him through His forgiving mercy, every Israelite was called upon to proclaim throughout the land, by nine blasts of the trumpet, that he too had given the soil rest, that he had freed every encumbered family estate, and that he had given liberty to every slave, who was now to rejoin his kindred. Inasmuch as God had forgiven his debts, he also was to forgive his debtors. (Ginsburg)

Since the Day of Atonement was on the tenth day of the first month of the religious calendar of Israel, the year of Jubilee was counted as beginning from the first day of the month Tishri (i.e. according to Jewish tradition). The Feast of Trumpets occurred on the first day of Tishri, hence the blowing of the trumpets of the new year was an announcement for the slaves that liberty was at the door. In the interim of ten days, the slaves were said to have put on garlands of flowers (by provision and permission of their masters); they ate, drank and rejoiced in eager anticipation of the coming year of Jubilee. If Israel began the counting of the years only after they had taken possession of the land, this would have placed the first year of Jubilee on the sixty-fourth year after they came into the promised land. The observance of Jubilee was almost identical to the sabbath year. Indeed every fifty years then were what amounted to two successive sabbath years. In contemplating the return to their ancestral possessions we can say with Bonar, … we see a picture of human happiness in one of its most natural and intelligible forms. You see parents rejoicing for their children’s sake, and children for their own, in being once more allowed to sit under their vine and fig tree, and pluck the flowers and fruit of a region so sweet, and balmy, and abundant, You see their happy countenances, and eyes bright with joy; and the holy look toward heaven of the man of faith and prayer, who thanks the Lord for all. They forget the past in the joy of the present. Past losses are made up. Nor is one solitary individual forgotten. Every man has his portion.

Leviticus 25:14-18 Satan has always been present, even in Eden, to distort to his own advantage all the good gifts of God. In what way could the law of Jubilee be abused? We can think of at least two ways, and we are sure there are others: (1) charging excessive lease money for the use of the land. All that could actually be sold was the number of crops to be produced by the land. Misrepresentation of what had been produced on the land, and therefore what could be expected in the future would be one way of defrauding your neighbor. According to tradition one-sixth was the maximum mark-up for any sale. Two years was the minimal time. Accurate records of what the land had produced plus one-sixth interest was allowed, but not more; (2) the sabbath years could be easily counted in the sale when in fact no crop would be forthcoming. The sale amounted to the total number of crops so the price was lower and lower as the year of Jubilee approached. We are sure there were ways to oppress and cheat and intimidate, even as there are today. Only reverence toward God can offset greed and lust. Remember, if you do not answer to your neighbor, you will most assuredly answer to God. God reminds Israel that His statutes are not only for reading, they are for doing!

Leviticus 25:19-22 The safety of the nation was contingent upon their obedience to His laws. As God is Israel’s strong tower and wall of defense, it is by keeping His commandments that the Israelites will enjoy the security which other nations endeavor to obtain by great labour and mighty armies. (Ibid) Why would anyone ask the question: … what shall we eat the seventh year? Someone had not taught or someone had not listened. The promises were clear and sure. Cf. Deuteronomy 28:8. Couldn-’t they remember God’s provision of manna on the sixth day in excess to cover the seventh day? Hadn-’t He provided every sixth year for the sabbath years? What was wrong with their memory?or their confidence in the character of a loving living heavenly Father? Perhaps the same thing that affects our memory and faith.

FACT QUESTIONS 25:8-22

Show the relation of the year of Jubilee to the sabbath day, the sabbath month, and the sabbath year.

How was the year announced? When?

How do the words of our Lord, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors relate to the year of Jubilee?

What supposedly happened in the first ten days of the month of Tishri?

When was the first year of Jubilee observed?

Describe in your own words the happiness that must have prevailed in the year of Jubilee.

In what two possible ways could the year of Jubilee be abused?

Israel would enjoy prosperity and safety upon what conditions?

Why would anyone ask the question what shall we eat the seventh year?

Leviticus 25:23-34

THE LAW OF REDEMPTION 25:23-34 TEXT 25:23-34

23

And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity; for the land is mine: for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

24

And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.

25

If thy brother be waxed poor, and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold.

26

And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he be waxed rich and find sufficient to redeem it;

27

then let him reckon the years of the sale thereof, and restore the over-plus unto the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return unto his possession.

28

But if he be not able to get it back for himself, then that which he hath sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

29

And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption.

30

And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee.

31

But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.

32

Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.

33

And if one of the Levites redeem, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the jubilee; for the house of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.

34

But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:23-34

What relationship did the Israelites sustain to the Lord? Cf. Leviticus 25:23.

What is the meaning of the word redemption as it is used here?

Why any need to redeem if the land was to revert back to the original owner?

Please explain in your own words Leviticus 25:26-27.

Would the principle of the year of Jubilee work in our society? Discuss.

Why the distinction in the sale of a house in a fortified city? Cf. Leviticus 25:29-30.

What interest rate do you suppose was charged on the redemption of the old home place? Discuss.

What provision did God make for the Levites as to a place to live? Why?

There was a field or a pasture land that could not be sold. What was it?

PARAPHRASE 25:23-34

And remember, the land is Mine, so you may not sell it permanently. You are merely My tenants and sharecroppers! In every contract of sale there must be a stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time by the seller. If anyone becomes poor and sells some of his land, then his nearest relatives may redeem it. If there is no one else to redeem it, and he himself gets together enough money, then he may always buy it back at a price proportionate to the number of harvests until the Jubilee, and the owner must accept the money and return the land to him. But if the original owner is not able to redeem it, then it shall belong to the new owner until the Year of Jubilee; but at the Jubilee year it must be returned again. If a man sells a house in the city, he has up to one year to redeem it, with full right of redemption during that time. But if it is not redeemed within the year, then it will belong permanently to the new ownerit does not return to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. But village housesa village is a settlement without fortifying walls around itare like farmland, redeemable at any time, and are always returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. There is one exception: the homes of the Levites, even though in walled cities, may be redeemed at any time, and must be returned to the original owners in the Year of Jubilee; for the Levites will not be given farmland like the other tribes, but will receive only houses in their cities, and the surrounding fields. The Levites are not permitted to sell the fields of common land surrounding their cities, for these are their permanent possession, and they must belong to no one else.

COMMENT 25:23-34

Leviticus 25:23 It is a comforting as well as humbling realization that we are only temporary tenants upon this earth. Our deeds of ownership do not declare the real owner. The nation of Israel was to be even more aware of this fact. Although they must live in the same land area throughout their generations it was for the purpose of identifying the real owner of the land. Remaining where they were assigned by Joshua would preserve the genealogies unmixed until the Messiah came. Covetous ambition would be lowered as no one could add field to field. The most cherished of family associations would gather around the old home place and thus would family ties grow strong. The land could not be sold for more than 49 years.

Leviticus 25:24-28 But the land was sold, for men became hungry and they must eat. However, even when it was sold the owner did not hold a permanent deed. If the original owner could find relatives with money, they must be given permission to buy back the land, or if the first owner prospers himself he can buy back his land. When such a circumstance arises the land is to be sold under the following conditions: count the years since it was sold and deduct the price of the crops for those years from the original purchase price. The remainder must be paid to the one who purchased the land. The total purchase price was controlled by the year of Jubilee, i.e. if it were 20 years to Jubilee, the cost of twenty crops would be the purchase price. If the land was redeemed after ten years, one-half of the price would remain to be paid.

If the land is not redeemed it remains the possession of the purchaser until the year of Jubilee. We refer the reader to our Introduction by W. G. Moorehead in which a beautiful comparison is made between the redeemer of this chapter and our Lord. Notice: (1) The redeemer was to be one of near kin with the one to be redeemedLev 25:25; Leviticus 25:48. So JesusHeb 2:14-18; (2) He was to redeem the person47-50, as illustrated by RuthLev 4:4-5. So Jesus brought His peopleI. Cor. Leviticus 6:19-20; (3) He was to redeem the property that had been disposed awayLev 25:25; Leviticus 25:29. So, too, Christ hath redeemed for us our lost inheritance1 Peter 1:3-5; (4) He was to avenge the brother on his enemiesNum 35:12. The avenger of blood seems to have been a near kinsman of the one injured. And Christ will in due time take vengeance on the enemies of His peopleDeu 32:43; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8.

Leviticus 25:29-34 The kindness expressed in these laws is very impressive. Even when a man has lost his house through poverty he has a whole year in which to redeem it. Houses are not like fields, they are made by man and are subject to decay. It is the land, and God’s allotment of the land, that is to continue; not man’s work in it. Yet man’s work is respected and can be restored to him. The city dweller can lose his house. A permanent deed can be written for the purchase of a house in a fortified city.

There are three cases of real estate to be considered: (1) the house in the fortified city; (2) the house in the country or in a village; (3) the houses of the Levites. The home in the village was considered landed property and is subject to the law of Jubilee. The tribe of Levi never had a land allotment. They were given forty-eight cities scattered throughout the tribes. Cf. Numbers 35:1-8; Joshua 21:1-3.

The houses built in these cities by the Levites were to have the same value as the land. If sold, the houses could be redeemed at any time, and were subject to the law of Jubilee. Even if a fellow Levite purchased a house or land from his fellow Levite he could not have permanent possession. Such a regulation for the Levites was to protect the only possession they hadtheir home. The pasture lands outside the cities of the Levities were never to be sold. Cf. Numbers 35:4-5. These outlying fields, which were beyond the suburbs, they are forbidden to sell. These estates belong to the whole tribe to all futurity, and the present occupiers have to transmit them intact to their successors. Hence no present owner, or all of them combined, have a right to dispose of any portion of the estates, or materially to alter it. They must hand these estates down to their successors as they received them from their predecessors. (Ibid.)

FACT QUESTIONS 25:23-34

What is the comforting as well as humbling realization?

Give three reasons for staying in the allotment given to them by God through Joshua.

For what reason was the land sold?

What were two of the ways of redeeming the land?

Under what circumstances was the land returned to the original owner?

In what way was the total purchase price controlled by the year of Jubilee?

Give the four beautiful comparisons between our Redeemer and the redeemer of the land.

Point out the kindness found in these laws.

Why could a house be sold permanently?

List three cases of real estate to be considered.

Why the special regulations for the Levites?

Leviticus 25:35-55

TREATMENT OF THE POOR 25:35-55 TEXT 25:35-55

35

And if thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee.

36

Take thou no interest of him or increase, but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

37

Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase.

38

I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

39

And if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant.

40

As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee:

41

then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

42

For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

43

Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.

44

And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou shalt have; of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

45

Moreover of the children of the strangers that sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land: and they shall be your possession.

46

And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigor.

47

And if a stranger or sojourner with thee be waxed rich, and thy brother be waxed poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner with thee, or to the stock of the stranger’s family;

48

after that he is sold he may be redeemed: one of his brethren may redeem him;

49

or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxed rich, he may redeem himself.

50

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.

51

If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

52

And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption.

53

As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight.

54

And if he be not redeemed by these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him.

55

For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:35-55

A special type of poverty seems to be described in Leviticus 25:35. What is it? What is to be done?

What does the fear of God have to do with offering free board and room to our neighbor?

What is meant by the phrase, … nor give him thy victuals for increase?

God used His deliverance of Israel as a motivation for kindness and hospitality. How so?

Selling of one’s self into slavery is one thing not discussed in Leviticus 25:39. What is discussed?

What circumstances could cause such a condition as that described in Leviticus 25:39-40?

Why insist that the servants and family return at the year of Jubilee? Cf. Leviticus 25:42.

If a master did rule over his servants with rigor what would happen to him?

Does God approve of slavery in Leviticus 25:44 through 46? Discuss. (Notice the careful regulations for the continuance of this practice.)

Could we infer from Leviticus 25:46 that Israel was permitted to rule over their slaves with rigor?

What good would money be to a slave? i.e. if an Israelite sold himself to a stranger or sojourner, what would he do with the money?

Why identify the possible redeemers as in Leviticus 25:49?

Once again the year of Jubilee controls the redemption. Explain.

Did the owner of the Hebrew slave have the right of life and death over him? Discuss. Cf. Leviticus 25:53.

There was no perpetual slavery among the Hebrews, but they could perpetually own slaves. Is this right? Discuss.

How does deliverance from Egyptian bondage relate to this section?

PARAPHRASE 25:35-55

If your brother becomes poor, you are responsible to help him; invite him to live with you as a guest in your home. Fear your God and let your brother live with you; and don-’t charge him interest on the money you lend him. Rememberno interest; and give him what he needs, at your cost: don-’t try to make a profit! For I, the Lord your God, brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. If a fellow Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, you must not treat him as an ordinary slave, but rather as a hired servant or as a guest; and he shall serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. At that time he can leave with his children, and return to his own family and possessions. For I brought you from the land of Egypt, and you are My servants; so you may not be sold as ordinary slaves, or treated harshly; fear your God. However, you may purchase slaves from the foreign nations living around you, and you may purchase the children of the foreigners living among you, even though they have been born in your land. They will be permanent slaves for you to pass on to your children after you; but your brothers, the people of Israel, shall not be treated so. If a foreigner living among you becomes rich, and an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to the foreigner or to the foreigner’s family, he may be redeemed by one of his brothers, his uncle, nephew, or anyone else who is a near relative. He may also redeem himself if he can find the money. The price of his freedom shall be in proportion to the number of years left before the Year of Jubileewhatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. If there are still many years until the Jubilee, he shall pay almost the amount he received when he sold himself; if the years have passed and only a few remain until the Jubilee, then he will repay only a small part of the amount he received when he sold himself. If he sells himself to a foreigner, the foreigner must treat him as a hired servant rather than as a slave or as property. If he has not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then he and his children shall be freed at that time. For the people of Israel are My servants; I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

COMMENT 25:35-55

Leviticus 25:35-55 Again we are indebted to S. H. Kellogg for a splendid exposition of these verses:

The relation of the jubilee law to personal rights in the land having been thus determined and expounded, in the next place (Leviticus 25:35-55) is considered the application of the law to slavery. Quite naturally, this section begins (Leviticus 25:35-37) with a general injunction to assist and deal mercifully with any brother who has become poor. If thy brother be waxen poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee. Take thou no usury of him or increase; but fear thy God: that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give thy money upon usury, nor give him thy victuals for increase.

The evident object of this law is to prevent, as far as possible, that extreme of poverty which might compel a man to sell himself in order to live. Debt is a burden in any case, to a poor man especially; but debt is the heavier burden when to the original debt is added the constant payment of interest. Hence, not merely usury in the modern sense of excessive interest, but it is forbidden to claim or take any interest whatever from any Hebrew debtor. On the same principle, it is forbidden to take increase for food which may be lent to a poor brother; as when one lets a man have twenty bushels of wheat on condition that in due time he shall return for it twenty-two. This command is enforced (Leviticus 25:38) by reminding them from whom they have received what they have, and on what easy terms, as a gift; from their covenant God, who is Himself their security that by so doing they shall not lose: I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God. They need not therefore have recourse to the exaction of interest and increase from their poor brethren in order to make a living, but are to be merciful, even as Jehovah their God is merciful.

Even with the burdensomeness of debt lightened as above, it was yet possible that a man might be reduced to poverty so extreme that he should feel compelled to sell himself as a slave. Hence arises the question of slavery, and its relation to the law of the jubilee. Under this head two cases were possible: the first, where a man has sold himself to a fellow-Hebrew (Leviticus 25:39-46): and second, where a man had sold himself to a foreigner resident in the land (Leviticus 25:47-55).

With the Hebrews and all the neighboring peoples, slavery was, and had been from of old, a settled institution. Regarded simply as an abstract question of morals, it might seem as if the Lord might once for all have abolished it by an absolute prohibition; after the manner in which many modern reformers would deal with such evils as the liquor traffic, etc. But the Lord was wiser than many such. As had been remarked already, in connection with the question of concubinage, that law is not in every case the best which may be the best intrinsically and ideally. That law is the best which can be best enforced in the actual moral status of the people, and consequent condition of public opinion. So the Lord did not at once prohibit slavery; but He ordained laws which would restrict it, and modify and ameliorate the condition of the slave wherever slavery was permitted to exist; laws, moreover, which have had such an educational power as to have banished slavery from the Hebrew people.

In the first place, slavery, in the unqualified sense of the word, is allowed only in the case of non-Israelites. That it was permitted to hold these as bondmen is explicitly declared (Leviticus 25:44-46). It is, however, important, in order to form a correct idea of Hebrew slavery, to observe that, according to Exodus 21:16, man-stealing was made a capital offence; and the law also carefully guarded from violence and tyranny on the part of the master the non-Israelite slave lawfully gotten, even decreeing his emancipation from his master in extreme cases of this kind (Exodus 21:20-21; Exodus 21:26-27).

With regard to the Hebrew bondman, the law recognizes no property of the master in his person; that a servant of Jehovah should be a slave of another servant of Jehovah is denied; because they are His servants, no other can own them (Leviticus 25:42; Leviticus 25:55). Thus, while the case is supposed (Leviticus 25:39) that a man through stress of poverty may sell himself to a fellow-Hebrew as a bondservant, the sale is held as affecting only the master’s right to his service, but not to his person. Thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant: as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee.

Further, it is elsewhere provided (Exodus 21:2) that in no case shall such sale hold valid for a longer time than six years; in the seventh year the man was to have the privilege of going out free for nothing. And in this chapter is added a further alleviation of the bondage (Leviticus 25:40-41): He shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee: then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

That is, if it so happened that before the six years of his prescribed service had been completed the jubilee year came in, he was to be exempted from the obligation to service for the remainder of that period.

The remaining verses of this part of the law (Leviticus 25:44-46) provide that the Israelite may take to himself bondmen of the children of the strangers that sojourn among them; and that to such the law of the periodic release shall not be held to apply. Such are bondmen for ever. Ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever.

It is to be borne in mind that even in such cases the law which commanded the kind treatment of all the strangers in the land (Leviticus 19:33-34) would apply; so that even where permanent slavery was allowed it was placed under humanising restriction.

In Leviticus 25:47-55 is taken up, finally, the case where a poor Israelite should have sold himself as a slave to a foreigner resident in the land. In all such cases it is ordered that the owner of the man must recognize the right of redemption. That is, it was the privilege of the man himself, or of any of his near kindred, to buy him out of bondage. Compensation to the owner is, however, enjoined in such cases according to the number of the years remaining to the next jubilee, at which time he would be obliged to release him (Leviticus 25:54), whether redeemed or not. Thus we read (Leviticus 25:50-52): 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 an hired servant shall he be with him. If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him.

Furthermore, it is commanded (Leviticus 25:53) that the owner of the Israelite, for so long time as he may remain in bondage, shall not rule over him with rigour; and by the addition of the words in thy sight it is intimated that God would hold the collective nation responsible for seeing that no oppression was exercised by any alien over any of their enslaved brethren. To which it should also be added, finally, that the regulations for the release of the slave carefully provided for the maintenance of the family relation. Families were not to be parted in the emancipation of the jubilee; the man who went out free was to take his children with him (Leviticus 25:41; Leviticus 25:54). In the case, however, where the wife had been given him by his master, she and her children remained in bondage after his emancipation in the seventh year; but of course only until she had reached her seventh year of service. But if the slave already had his wife when he became a slave, then she and their children went out with him in the seventh year (Exodus 21:3-4). The contrast in the spirit of these laws with that of the institution of slavery as it formerly existed in The Southern States of America, and elsewhere in Christendom, is obvious.

These, then, were the regulations connected with the application of the ordinance of the jubilee year to rights of property, whether in real estate or in slaves. In respect to the cessation from the cultivation of the soil which was enjoined for the year, the law was essentially the same as that for the sabbatic year, except that, apparently, the right of property in the spontaneous produce of the land, which was in abeyance in the former case, was in so far recognized in the latter that each man was allowed to eat the increase of the jubilee year out of the field (Leviticus 25:12).

FACT QUESTIONS 25:35-55

What is the total subject of Lev 25:35-55? What is the subject of Lev 25:35-37?

What was the purpose of the provision of the law in Leviticus 25:35-37?

Why no interest at all upon what is given to a poor brother? What is meant by increase as in Leviticus 25:36-37?

Israel had been charged no interest by God on the gifts they received from Him. When? Where? What is the principle?

Two cases of slavery are to be considered. What are they?

Why not pass a law to forbid slavery? How was slavery banished from the Hebrew people?

Show how Exodus 21:16; Exodus 21:20-21; Exodus 21:26-27 relate to slavery.

When one Hebrew sold himself to another Hebrew he was yet not the property of his master. Explain why.

For how long would a Hebrew be held as a slave? i.e., what was the total time of his slavery? Cf. Exodus 21:2.

There were exceptional cases when even this time was shortened. Explain.

When was permanent human slavery allowed? What were the restrictions on it?