Leviticus 27:14-34
What Belongs to the LORD
14Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the LORD, then the priest shall value it either as good or bad. The price will stand just as the priest values it.
15But if he who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will belong to him.
16If a man consecrates to the LORD a parcel of his land, then your valuation shall be proportional to the seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver for every homer of barley seed.
17If he consecrates his field during the Year of Jubilee, the price will stand according to your valuation.
18But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the priest is to calculate the price in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so that your valuation will be reduced.
19And if the one who consecrated the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it shall belong to him.
20If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to another man, it may no longer be redeemed.
21When the field is released in the Jubilee, it will become holy, like a field devoted to the LORD; it becomes the property of the priests.
22Now if a man consecrates to the LORD a field he has purchased, which is not a part of his own property,
23then the priest shall calculate for him the value up to the Year of Jubilee, and the man shall pay the assessed value on that day as a sacred offering to the LORD.
24In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought—the original owner of the land.
25Every valuation will be according to the sanctuary shekel, twenty gerahs to the shekel.
26But no one may consecrate a firstborn of the livestock, because a firstborn belongs to the LORD. Whether it is an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s.
27But if it is among the unclean animals, then he may redeem it according to your valuation and add a fifth of its value. If it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
28Nothing that a man sets apart to the LORD from all he owns—whether a man, an animal, or his inherited land—can be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD.
29No person set apart for destruction may be ransomed; he must surely be put to death.
30Thus any tithe from the land, whether from the seed of the land or the fruit of the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
31If a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value.
32Every tenth animal from the herd or flock that passes under the shepherd’s rod will be holy to the LORD.
33He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”
34These are the commandments that the LORD gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.
Berean Standard Bible
If someone dedicates a house to the LORD, the priest values it, and the person may redeem it by adding one-fifth. A field dedicated to the LORD is valued according to the amount of seed required and the distance to the Jubilee. A field received from an ancestor returns to its family at Jubilee.
A field bought by its current owner is dedicated and becomes the priest's property at Jubilee. The firstborn of animals already belongs to the LORD, so it cannot be dedicated as though it were newly given. An unclean firstborn may be redeemed by adding one-fifth.
Anything devoted to destruction cannot be sold or redeemed. A person, animal, or possession devoted in this way belongs entirely to the LORD. The law is solemn because a vow is not a way to bargain with God and later reclaim everything whenever the promise becomes inconvenient.
A tithe of the land's seed and fruit is holy to the LORD. Every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod is holy, and it cannot be exchanged. The chapter closes where it began: with Moses receiving the commands at Sinai and Israel's worship governed by God's word.
Questions
1 What happened to a field at Jubilee?
AnswerA field dedicated from an ancestral inheritance returned to its family at the Jubilee.
2 Who already owned the firstborn animals?
AnswerThe LORD already owned the firstborn animals, so they could not be dedicated as new gifts.
3 Could something devoted to destruction be redeemed?
AnswerNo, something devoted to destruction could not be sold or redeemed.
4 What portion of the land was holy?
AnswerA tenth of the land's seed and fruit was holy to the LORD.
What This Means for Us
Leviticus closes by refusing to make devotion a transaction we control. What is given to God is not a temporary gesture that can be reclaimed whenever it becomes costly.
Christians should not copy every valuation or vow mechanically, but we should hear the call to integrity. Give thoughtfully, keep commitments honestly, and remember that generosity is not a way to purchase God's favor.
Prayer
God, make us trustworthy with promises and generous with possessions. Keep our giving free from bargaining, our commitments honest, and our lives mindful that everything we have ultimately belongs to you. Amen.