Leviticus 27
27
Redemption of Vowed People
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When a man makes a special votive offering#tn Cf. the note on Lev 22:21. Some take this as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be remarkable”), cf. Milgrom, Numbers [JPSTC], 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה, palah, “to set aside”). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice is a special gift to God that arose out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper. based on the conversion value of persons to the Lord,#tn Heb “in your valuation, persons to the Lord,” but “in your valuation” is a frozen form and, therefore, the person (“your”) does not figure into the translation (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73). Instead of offering a person to the Lord one could redeem that person with the appropriate amount of money delineated in the following verses (see the note on Lev 5:15 above and the explanation in Hartley, 480-81). 3 the conversion value of the male#tn Heb “your conversion value shall be [for] the male.” from twenty years old up to sixty years old#tn Heb “from a son of twenty years and until a son of sixty years.” is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel.#tn See the note on Lev 5:15. 4 If the person is a female, the conversion value is thirty shekels. 5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the conversion value of the male is twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of the male is five shekels of silver,#tn Heb “five shekels silver.” and for the female the conversion value is three shekels of silver. 7 If the person is from sixty years old and older, if he is a male the conversion value is fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 If he is too poor to pay the conversion value, he must stand the person before the priest and the priest will establish his conversion value;#tn Heb “and the priest shall cause him to be valued.” according to what the man who made the vow can afford,#tn Heb “on the mouth which the hand of the one who vowed reaches.” the priest will establish his conversion value.
Redemption of Vowed Animals
9 “‘If what is vowed is a kind of animal from which an offering may be presented#tn Heb “which they may present from it an offering.” The plural active verb is sometimes best rendered in the passive (GKC 460 §144.f, g). Some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, a ms of the Targum, and the Vulgate all have the singular verb instead (cf. similarly v. 11). to the Lord, anything which he gives to the Lord from this kind of animal#tn Heb “from it.” The masculine suffix “it” here is used for the feminine in the MT, but one medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of Smr, the LXX, and the Syriac have the feminine. The referent (this kind of animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity. will be holy. 10 He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal#tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity. and its substitute will be holy. 11 If what is vowed is an unclean animal from which an offering must not be presented to the Lord, then he must stand the animal before the priest, 12 and the priest will establish its conversion value,#tn Heb “and the priest shall cause it to be valued.” See the note on v. 8 above. whether good or bad. According to the assessed conversion value of the priest, thus it will be. 13 If, however, the person who made the vow redeems the animal,#tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. The referent of “he” (the person who made the vow) and “it” (the animal) have both been specified in the translation for clarity. he must add one fifth to#tn Heb “on,” meaning “on top of, in addition to” (likewise in v. 15). its conversion value.
Redemption of Vowed Houses
14 “‘If a man consecrates his house as holy to the Lord, the priest will establish its conversion value, whether good or bad. Just as the priest establishes its conversion value, thus it will stand.#tn The expression “it shall stand” may be a technical term for “it shall be legally valid”; cf. NLT “assessment will be final.” 15 If the one who consecrates it redeems his house, he must add to it one fifth of its conversion value in silver, and it will belong to him.#tn Heb “and it shall be to him.”
Redemption of Vowed Fields
16 “‘If a man consecrates to the Lord some of his own landed property, the conversion value must be calculated in accordance with the amount of seed needed to sow it,#tn Heb “a conversion value shall be to the mouth of its seed.” a homer of barley seed being priced at fifty shekels of silver.#tn Heb “seed of a homer of barley in fifty shekels of silver.” 17 If he consecrates his field in the jubilee year,#tn Heb “from the year of the jubilee.” For the meaning of “jubilee,” see the note on Lev 25:10 above. the conversion value will stand, 18 but if#tn Heb “And if.” The Hebrew conjunction ו (vav, “and”) can be considered to have adversative force here. he consecrates his field after the jubilee, the priest will calculate the price#tn Heb “the silver.” for him according to the years that are left until the next jubilee year, and it will be deducted from the conversion value. 19 If, however, the one who consecrated the field redeems it,#tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems [finite verb] the field, the one who consecrated it.” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. he must add to it one fifth of the conversion price#tn Heb “the silver of the conversion value.” and it will belong to him.#tn Heb “and it shall rise to him.” See HALOT 1087 s.v. קום 7 for the rendering offered here, but see also the note on the end of v. 14 above (cf. J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 476, 478). 20 If he does not redeem the field, but sells#tn Heb “and if he sells.” the field to someone else, he may never redeem it. 21 When it reverts#tn Heb “When it goes out” (cf. Lev 25:25-34). in the jubilee, the field will be holy to the Lord like a permanently dedicated field;#tn Heb “like the field of the permanent dedication.” The Hebrew word חֵרֶם (kherem) is a much discussed term. In this and the following verses it refers in a general way to the fact that something is permanently devoted to the Lord and therefore cannot be redeemed (cf. v. 20b). See J. A. Naudé, NIDOTTE 2:276-77; N. Lohfink, TDOT 5:180-99, esp. pp. 184, 188, and 198-99; and the numerous explanations in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 483-85. it will become the priest’s property.#tn Heb “to the priest it shall be his property.”
22 “‘If he consecrates to the Lord a field he has purchased,#tn Heb “his field of purchase,” which is to be distinguished from his own ancestral “landed property” (cf. v. 16 above). which is not part of his own landed property, 23 the priest will calculate for him the amount of its conversion value until the jubilee year, and he must pay#tn Heb “give” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NLT). the conversion value on that jubilee day as something that is holy to the Lord. 24 In the jubilee year the field will return to the one from whom he bought it, the one to whom it belongs as landed property. 25 Every conversion value must be calculated by the standard of the sanctuary shekel;#tn See the note on Lev 5:15. twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Redemption of the Firstborn
26 “‘Surely no man may consecrate a firstborn that already belongs to the Lord as a firstborn among the animals; whether it is an ox or a sheep, it belongs to the Lord.#tn Heb “to the Lord it is.” 27 If, however,#tn Heb “And if.” it is among the unclean animals, he may ransom it according to#tn Heb “in” or “by.” its conversion value and must add one fifth to it, but if it is not redeemed it must be sold according to its conversion value.
Things Permanently Dedicated to the Lord
28 “‘Surely anything which a man permanently dedicates to the Lord#tn Heb “Surely, any permanently dedicated [thing] which a man shall permanently dedicate to the Lord.” The Hebrew term חֵרֶם (kherem) refers to things that are devoted permanently to the Lord (see the note on v. 21 above). from all that belongs to him, whether from people, animals, or his landed property, must be neither sold nor redeemed; anything permanently dedicated is most holy to the Lord. 29 Any human being who is permanently dedicated#tn Heb “permanently dedicated from among men.” must not be ransomed; such a person must be put to death.
Redemption of the Tithe
30 “‘Any tithe#tn On the “tithe” system in Israel, see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:1035-55 and esp. pp. 1041-42 on Lev 27:30-33. of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If a man redeems#tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] a man redeems [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it.#tn Heb “its one fifth on it.” 32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord.#sn The tithed animal was the tenth one that passed under the shepherd’s rod or staff as they were being counted (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 485, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 200). 33 The owner#tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity. must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it,#tn Heb “And if exchanging [infinitive absolute] he exchanges it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p. both the original animal#tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity. and its substitute will be holy.#tn Heb “it shall be and its substitute shall be holy.” It must not be redeemed.’”
Final Colophon
34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites#tn Most of the commentaries and English versions translate, “which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel.” The preposition אֶל (’el), however, does not usually mean “for.” In this book it is commonly used when the Lord commands Moses “to speak [un]to” a person or group of persons (see, e.g., Lev 1:2; 4:2, etc.). The translation “to tell” here reflects this pattern in the book of Leviticus. at Mount Sinai.
Currently Selected:
Leviticus 27: NET
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC
Leviticus 27
27
Instructions About Vows
1Then#Or “And” Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the Israelites,#Literally “sons/children of Israel” and say#Or “and you shall say” to them, ‘When a man makes a vow according to your#Singular when modifying “proper value” throughout the entire chapter proper value of persons to Yahweh, 3if#Or “and” your proper value is for a male#Hebrew “the male” from twenty years of age#Literally “a son of twenty years” up to#Or “and up to” sixty years of age,#Literally “a son of sixty years” then#Or “and” your proper value shall be fifty shekels of money according to the sanctuary’s shekel. 4But#Or “And” if it is for a female, then#Or “and” your proper value shall be thirty shekels. 5And if from five years of age#Literally “a son of five years” up to#Or “and up to” twenty years of age,#Literally “a son of twenty years” then#Or “and” your proper value shall be twenty shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female. 6And if from a month of age#Literally “a son of a month” up to#Or “and up to” five years of age,#Literally “a son of five years” then#Or “and” your proper value shall be five shekels of money for the male, and your proper value for the female shall be three shekels of money. 7And if from sixty years of age#Literally “a son of sixty years” and above: if a male, then#Or “and” your proper value shall be fifteen shekels; and for the female, ten shekels. 8But#Or “And” if he is poorer than your proper value, then#Or “and” he shall present himself before#Literally “to the faces of” the priest, and the priest shall set a value on him; the priest shall value him according to#Literally “on a mouth of” what the person who made a vow can afford.#Literally “his hand produces”
9“ ‘And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object. 10He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then#Or “and” it and its substitution shall be a holy object.#Literally “it shall be and its substitution shall be holy” 11But#Or “And” if it is any unclean animal from which they may not present an offering for Yahweh, then#Or “and” he shall present the animal before#Literally “to the faces of” the priest. 12And the priest shall set a value on it, either good or bad;#Literally “between good and between bad” as the priest sets your proper value, so it shall be. 13And if he indeed wants to redeem it, then#Or “and” he shall add a fifth of it onto your proper value.
14“ ‘And if a man consecrates his house as a holy object for Yahweh, then#Or “and” the priest shall set a value on it, either good or bad;#Literally “between good and between bad” just as the priest sets a value on it, so it shall remain. 15But#Or “And” if the one who consecrates it wants to redeem his house, then#Or “and” he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall be his.
16“ ‘And if a man consecrates some of#Literally “from” his property’s fields#Collective singular; Hebrew “field” for Yahweh, then#Or “and” your proper value shall be in accordance with its seed requirements:#Literally “to the number of its seed” a homer of barley seed for fifty shekels of money. 17If he consecrates his field from the Year of Jubilee, it shall stand as your proper value. 18But#Or “And” if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, then#Or “and” the priest shall calculate the money for him according to the number of years#Literally “on the mouth of the years” that are left over until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your proper value. 19And if he indeed redeems the field that is consecrated, then#Or “and” he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall stand for#Or “remain for” or “belong to” him. 20And if he does not redeem the field and if he sells the field to another man, it may not be redeemed again, 21and the field shall be a holy object for Yahweh when it goes out#Or “is released” or “reverts” in the Jubilee, like a devoted#Or “permanently set apart”; a different Hebrew word than previously translated “consecrated” in this chapter field; it shall be the priest’s property.#Literally “to/for the priest it shall be his property”
22“ ‘And if he consecrates for Yahweh his acquired#Or “purchased” field that is not the field of his inherited possession, 23then#Or “and” the priest shall calculate for him the amount#Literally “number” of your proper value until the year of the Jubilee, and he shall give your proper value on that day as a holy object for Yahweh. 24In the Year of the Jubilee the field shall return to the one who bought it from him, to the one whose property the land is. 25And every proper value of yours shall be in the sanctuary’s shekel—the shekel shall be twenty gerahs.
26“ ‘However, a man shall not consecrate a firstborn among livestock, which belongs as firstborn to Yahweh; whether an ox or#Literally “whether” or “if” small livestock, it is for Yahweh. 27And if it is among the unclean animals, then#Or “and” he shall ransom it according to your proper value, and he shall add a fifth of its value onto it; and if it is not redeemed, then#Or “and” it shall be sold according to your proper value. 28However, anything devoted#Or “permanently set apart”; a different Hebrew word than previously translated “consecrated” in this chapter that a man has devoted to Yahweh from all that he has,#Literally “from all that is for him” from human or#Or “and” animal, or#Or “and” from the field of his property, may not be sold, and it may not be redeemed; anything devoted is a most holy thing#Literally “a holy thing of holy things” for Yahweh. 29Anyone devoted who is devoted from human beings#Literally “the human” cannot be ransomed—he shall surely be put to death.
30“ ‘And any tithe of the land from the land’s seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh. 31And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it. 32As for#Or “And” every tithe of cattle or#Or “and” of the flock,#The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals) all which crosses under the rod, the tenth shall be a holy object for Yahweh. 33He shall not inspect between the good and the bad, and he shall not exchange it; but#Or “and” if he indeed exchanges it, then#Or “and” it and its substitution shall be#Literally “it shall be and its substitution shall be” a holy object—it shall not be redeemed.’ ”
34These are the commands that Yahweh commanded Moses for the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” on Mount Sinai.#Literally “the mountain of Sinai”
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
2010 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software