Leviticus, Chapter 27

Leviticus Chapter 27

Verses 1-34: Laws Concerning Vows

1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2. “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When a man makes a special vow to the LORD involving the value of persons,
3. then the valuation of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty years shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
4. If it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.
5. If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, then your valuation for a male shall be twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
6. If the person is from one month old up to five years old, then your valuation for a male shall be five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
7. If the person is sixty years old or over, if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
8. But if he is too poor to pay your valuation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall set a value for him; according to what the man who made the vow can afford, the priest shall value him.
9. “If the vow is of animals that may be offered to the LORD, all such shall be holy.
10. He shall not alter it nor exchange it, good for bad, or bad for good; and if he does exchange animal for animal, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy.
11. If any unclean animal, of which they do not offer a sacrifice to the LORD, then he shall present the animal before the priest,
12. and the priest shall value it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.
13. But if he wants to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth to your valuation.
14. “When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad; as the priest evaluates it, so it shall stand.
15. If he who dedicates it wants to redeem his house, then he must add one-fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his.
16. If a man dedicates to the LORD part of a field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
17. If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.
18. But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall calculate the money according to the years that remain until the Year of Jubilee, and it shall be deducted from your valuation.
19. If he who dedicates the field wishes to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall belong to him.
20. But if he does not want to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore;
21. but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field; it shall be the possession of the priest.
22. “If a man dedicates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not part of his possession,
23. then the priest shall calculate the amount of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man shall give your valuation on that day as a holy thing to the LORD.
24. In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, to him to whom the possession of the land belongs.
25. All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
26. But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the LORD’s firstborn, no man shall dedicate; whether an ox or sheep, it is the LORD’s.
27. And if it is of an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation, and shall add one-fifth to it; or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
28. Nevertheless, no devoted thing that a man may devote to the LORD of all that he has, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the LORD.
29. No person under the ban, who may become devoted to destruction from among men, shall be redeemed; he shall surely be put to death.
30. All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s; it is holy to the LORD.
31. If a man wants to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.
32. And concerning the tithe of the herd or of the flock, even of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.
33. He shall not search whether it is good or bad, nor shall he exchange it; and if he does exchange it, then both it and the one exchanged for it shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”
34. These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Interpretation: Leviticus 27 provides laws concerning vows made to the LORD, detailing how individuals can dedicate people, animals, houses, and fields to God, and the conditions under which these items can be redeemed. This chapter emphasizes the seriousness of making vows to God, indicating that once something is dedicated, it becomes holy and belongs to the LORD. The detailed regulations ensure fairness and consideration for the economic status of the person making the vow, while also maintaining the sanctity of the dedications. The chapter closes the book of Leviticus by reinforcing the concept that everything ultimately belongs to God, and the practices of dedication and tithing are expressions of gratitude and acknowledgment of God’s sovereignty over all aspects of life.