Leviticus 27:14-34
What Belongs to the LORD
Read the passage
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
Read aloud
A house dedicated to the LORD is valued by the priest. Its owner may redeem it by paying that value plus one-fifth. An inherited field is valued according to the seed it requires and the years remaining until Jubilee. Its owner may also redeem it with the added fifth. If it is not redeemed, or has been sold to another, it becomes the priests' property when released at Jubilee.
A purchased field follows a different rule. The person dedicating it pays the value of the remaining years, and at Jubilee the land returns to its original owner. The dedication cannot give away another family's permanent inheritance.
Firstborn livestock already belong to the LORD and cannot be presented as a new dedication. The passage also distinguishes things irrevocably devoted to God, which cannot be sold or redeemed. A person set apart for destruction cannot be ransomed. This severe clause is not a command to make human sacrifices; Leviticus has already forbidden giving children to Molech.
The tithe of crops and fruit belongs to the LORD. A person may redeem part of it with an added fifth. Every tenth animal passing under the shepherd's rod is holy, without selecting whether it is good or bad. Substituting another animal makes both holy, and neither may be redeemed. Leviticus ends by locating these commands at Sinai, where God gave them to Moses for Israel.
Questions
1 What happened to an inherited field dedicated but not redeemed?
AnswerAt Jubilee it became the priests' property. This differs from a purchased field, which returned to its original owner at Jubilee.
2 Why could firstborn livestock not be presented as a new dedication?
AnswerThey already belonged to the LORD. A person could not offer as a new gift what God had already claimed.
3 Could every kind of dedication be redeemed?
AnswerNo. A house and certain other gifts could be redeemed under the stated terms, but an irrevocably devoted thing could not. The law distinguishes these commitments.
4 How was the animal tithe selected?
AnswerEvery tenth animal passing under the rod belonged to the LORD. The owner could not choose by quality or substitute another animal.
What This Means for Us
God's instructions give a promise real terms. Some dedications can be redeemed, others cannot, and a purchased field must eventually return to its rightful family. Sincerity does not let a giver ignore those distinctions.
Before promising a gift, consider what you can give and what belongs to someone else. Then be clear and dependable. Generosity honors God when it is truthful; it does not buy His favor or excuse carelessness with another person's rights.
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.