Leviticus 25

Leviticus 25 outlines laws regarding the sabbatical year and the Year of Jubilee. These laws highlight the importance of rest, release, and restoration for both the land and the people of Israel. The chapter emphasizes God's ownership of the land, His care for the poor, and the principle of equality. It also teaches trust in God's provision and justice through economic resets every fifty years, preventing long-term poverty and exploitation.

Leviticus 25:1-3 (NKJV)
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord.
3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit;

God commands a sabbath rest for the land in the Promised Land. For six years, the Israelites could work the land by sowing crops and harvesting its produce, but in the seventh year, it was to rest. This land sabbath was an expression of trust in God’s provision and a reminder that the land ultimately belonged to Him. It mirrored the weekly Sabbath, which allowed for physical rest and spiritual renewal for the people.

Leviticus 25:4-5 (NKJV)
4 But in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.
5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land.

In the seventh year, no agricultural work was to be done. This sabbath year, like the weekly Sabbath, was to be a solemn observance, dedicated to the Lord. The Israelites were forbidden from sowing or harvesting crops, even from what grew naturally. This reinforced the dependence on God for sustenance, as they were to live off the produce from the previous six years.

Leviticus 25:6-7 (NKJV)
6 And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you,
7 for your livestock and the beasts that are in your land—all its produce shall be for food.

During the sabbath year, the spontaneous growth of the land was to provide food not only for the landowners but for their servants, hired workers, and even the animals. This command ensured that the entire community, including the vulnerable and the animals, would share in the provision God allowed the land to produce naturally.

Leviticus 25:8-10 (NKJV)
8 And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.
9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.
10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.

After every seven cycles of seven years (49 years), the fiftieth year was to be proclaimed as the Year of Jubilee. This year would begin with the blowing of trumpets on the Day of Atonement, signifying spiritual cleansing and forgiveness. During Jubilee, there was a restoration of property to its original owners, and slaves were freed, symbolizing God’s ultimate ownership of everything and His provision for justice and equality among the people.

Leviticus 25:11-12 (NKJV)
11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine.
12 For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field.

The fiftieth year, the Jubilee, was to be a special time of rest similar to the sabbath year. No sowing or harvesting was allowed, and the people were to live off what the land naturally produced. This year was holy, emphasizing the sacredness of rest, release, and restoration. The people were to trust God for their sustenance.

Leviticus 25:13-15 (NKJV)
13 In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.
14 And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another.
15 According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you.

During the Jubilee, any property sold or leased was returned to its original owner. God’s law ensured that no family would permanently lose its inheritance. Transactions were based on the number of years remaining until the next Jubilee, which affected the value of the land. This prevented exploitation and maintained economic balance, emphasizing fairness in buying and selling.

Leviticus 25:16-17 (NKJV)
16 According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops.
17 Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God.

The price of land was to be adjusted based on how many years remained until the next Jubilee. More years meant a higher price because more crops could be harvested, while fewer years meant a lower price. This law ensured that people conducted business fairly, without taking advantage of one another. The Israelites were reminded to fear God, as their ethical behavior reflected their reverence for Him.

Leviticus 25:18-19 (NKJV)
18 So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety.
19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.

By following God's statutes and commandments, the Israelites were promised security and prosperity in the land. Obedience to His laws, especially concerning rest and care for the land, would ensure that the land remained productive and that they could enjoy its abundance. This highlighted the connection between faithful obedience to God and His blessings of provision and protection.

Leviticus 25:20-22 (NKJV)
20 And if you say, “What shall we eat in the seventh year, since we shall not sow nor gather in our produce?”
21 Then I will command My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it will bring forth produce enough for three years.
22 And you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest.

God anticipates the concern of the people about what they will eat during the seventh year when they are not allowed to plant or harvest. He promises that in the sixth year, He will bless the land to produce enough for three years, providing during the sabbath year, the following year when sowing begins again, and until the new harvest comes in. This reinforces their reliance on God’s provision and trust in His care.

Leviticus 25:23-24 (NKJV)
23 The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.
24 And in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land.

The land could not be sold permanently because it belonged to God. The Israelites were merely tenants, or sojourners, living in God’s land. This law ensured that no family could lose their inheritance forever. If land was sold, there was always the possibility of redemption, where the original owner or a relative could buy it back, thus preserving their ancestral heritage and preventing permanent displacement.

Leviticus 25:25-28 (NKJV)
25 If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold.
26 Or if the man has no one to redeem it, but he himself becomes able to redeem it,
27 then let him count the years since its sale, and restore the remainder to the man to whom he sold it, that he may return to his possession.
28 But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.

If an Israelite fell into poverty and had to sell part of his property, a close relative, called a “redeemer,” had the right to buy it back. If there was no redeemer, but the man later gained enough wealth, he could repurchase it by calculating the value based on the time remaining until the next Jubilee. If neither option was possible, the land would automatically return to its original owner in the Year of Jubilee. This system ensured that land would not be permanently lost and prevented generational poverty.

Leviticus 25:29-31 (NKJV)
29 If a man sells a house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year he may redeem it.
30 But if it is not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not be released in the Jubilee.
31 However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.

Houses within walled cities had different rules from the land or homes in villages. A house in a walled city could be redeemed within a year of sale. If not redeemed, the sale became permanent, and the house would not be restored during the Jubilee. In contrast, houses in villages without walls were treated like fields and could be redeemed at any time, reverting back to the original owner during Jubilee. This distinction recognized the economic difference between urban and rural property.

Leviticus 25:32-34 (NKJV)
32 Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, and the houses in the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time.
33 And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.
34 But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

The Levites, who were given no land inheritance but only cities and surrounding fields, were given special privileges regarding property redemption. Their houses in the cities could be redeemed at any time and would return to them during Jubilee. The fields around their cities could never be sold because these fields were their perpetual inheritance. This law safeguarded the Levites' role and sustenance, as they depended on their unique inheritance for survival.

Leviticus 25:35-38 (NKJV)
35 If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.
36 Take no usury or interest from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.
37 You shall not lend him your money for usury, nor lend him your food at a profit.
38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

The Israelites were commanded to help their fellow countrymen who fell into poverty, treating them with compassion as they would a foreigner in need. They were forbidden from charging interest on loans or making a profit from lending food. God reminded them of their deliverance from Egypt, emphasizing that their experience as former slaves should inspire generosity and fairness, not exploitation. This was a reflection of God’s justice and mercy in their community.

Leviticus 25:39-43 (NKJV)
39 And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave.
40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.
41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers.
42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves.
43 You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God.

If a fellow Israelite became so poor that they had to sell themselves into service, they were not to be treated as slaves but as hired servants. They were to work only until the Year of Jubilee, at which time they and their family were to be freed and restored to their ancestral property. God reminded the Israelites that they were all His servants, redeemed from Egypt, and should therefore not be treated harshly. This law emphasized dignity and compassion for the vulnerable.

Leviticus 25:44-46 (NKJV)
44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves.
45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property.
46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor.

Foreign slaves, from nations around Israel or from strangers living among them, could be purchased and passed down as an inheritance. However, the Israelites were prohibited from treating their fellow Israelites as permanent slaves or ruling over them harshly. This law allowed for the ownership of foreign slaves while ensuring that Israelites were not permanently enslaved, underscoring the difference in treatment between Israelites and foreigners.

Leviticus 25:47-49 (NKJV)
47 Now if a sojourner or stranger close to you becomes rich, and one of your brethren who dwells by him becomes poor, and sells himself to the stranger or sojourner close to you, or to a member of the stranger’s family,
48 after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him;
49 or his uncle or his uncle’s son may redeem him; or anyone who is near of kin to him in his family may redeem him; or if he is able he may redeem himself.

If an Israelite sold himself to a foreigner living among them, he could still be redeemed by a close relative or by himself if he later gained enough wealth. This provision ensured that an Israelite would not remain indefinitely under the service of a foreigner. The close family bonds were to provide a safety net for the poor, showing how God's laws protected family inheritance and dignity.

Leviticus 25:50-52 (NKJV)
50 Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him.
51 If there are still many years remaining, according to them he shall repay the price of his redemption from the money with which he was bought.
52 And if there remain but a few years until the Year of Jubilee, then he shall reckon with him, and according to his years he shall repay him the price of his redemption.

When an Israelite was sold to a foreigner, the price for his redemption was based on the number of years remaining until the Year of Jubilee. The closer to Jubilee, the less expensive the redemption cost. This rule ensured fairness in the redemption process and allowed the Israelite to regain freedom without unjust financial burden, demonstrating God’s justice and compassion.

Leviticus 25:53-55 (NKJV)
53 He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight.
54 And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee—he and his children with him.
55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

Even if an Israelite could not be redeemed before the Year of Jubilee, he and his children would be set free at that time. The foreigner was forbidden from ruling harshly over the Israelite, reminding everyone that the children of Israel were ultimately God’s servants, not slaves to men. God’s deliverance from Egypt was the foundation for their freedom and dignity, and His laws ensured that no Israelite would remain in bondage forever.