Leviticus 27
Vows and Valuations
1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to the LORD in a vow, according to your valuation,
3your valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
4If she is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.
5If the person is from five years old to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
6If the person is from a month old to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
7If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if he is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
8But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall assign a value to him. The priest shall assign a value according to his ability to pay.
9“‘If it is an animal of which men offer an offering to the LORD, all that any man gives of such to the LORD becomes holy.
10He shall not alter it, nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good. If he shall at all exchange animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy.
11If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to the LORD, then he shall set the animal before the priest;
12and the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall be.
13But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its 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.
15If he who dedicates it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his.
16“‘If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. The sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
17If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.
18But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation.
19If he who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain his.
20If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more;
21but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field. It shall be owned by the priests.
22“‘If he dedicates a field to the LORD which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession,
23then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to the LORD.
24In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs.
25All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Things That Cannot Be Vowed
26“‘However the firstborn among animals, which belongs to the LORD as a firstborn, no man may dedicate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is the LORD’s.
27If it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it; or if it isn’t redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
28“‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Everything that is permanently devoted is most holy to the LORD.
29“‘No one devoted to destruction, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed. 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.
31If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it.
32All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.
33He shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”
34These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
Leviticus 27 concludes the book with detailed regulations governing vows and dedications made to the LORD. The chapter establishes monetary valuations for people, animals, houses, and fields that have been consecrated through vows, providing a systematic framework for either fulfilling these commitments or redeeming them through payment. These laws ensure that voluntary acts of devotion are treated with proper reverence while offering practical means for their completion.
Context
This chapter serves as the concluding section of Leviticus, providing practical applications of holiness principles established throughout the book.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-8Valuation of PersonsEstablishes monetary values for people dedicated to the LORD based on age and gender, with provisions for the poor.
- 9-13Dedication of AnimalsRules for consecrating clean and unclean animals, prohibiting substitution and requiring additional payment for redemption.
- 14-15Dedication of HousesProcedures for consecrating houses to the LORD and the terms for redeeming them.
- 16-25Dedication of FieldsComplex regulations for dedicating inherited and purchased land, accounting for Jubilee year cycles.
- 26-29Things That Cannot Be VowedIdentifies items already belonging to God that cannot be dedicated, including firstborn animals and devoted things.
- 30-34Tithes and ConclusionFinal regulations on tithing produce and animals, concluding with a statement affirming these as God's commands.
Vows and Valuations
27:1–27:25God establishes regulations for vows and valuations, specifying monetary values for people, animals, and property dedicated to the Lord. The passage details how consecrated items can be redeemed and the priest's role in determining valuations.
person_contrast
Moses receives the only comprehensive monetary valuation system in Scripture, establishing fixed silver prices for human consecration that range from 3 to 50 shekels based on age and gender.
Things That Cannot Be Vowed
27:26–27:34God specifies items that cannot be vowed or redeemed, including firstborn animals, devoted things, and tithes. These regulations establish what belongs permanently to the Lord and cannot be altered or exchanged.
person_contrast
Moses concludes Leviticus by establishing three categories of divine ownership—firstborn animals, devoted things, and tithes—that remain permanently beyond human negotiation or redemption.
Leviticus 27:3
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Leviticus 5:15lexical“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding the LORD’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass o…
Numbers 3:50lexicalfrom the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according…
Exodus 38:26lexicala beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those w…
2 Samuel 24:24lexicalThe king said to Araunah, “No, but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings t…
Leviticus 27:5
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Ezekiel 45:12lexicalThe shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
Numbers 7:86lexicalthe twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all th…
Numbers 3:47lexicalyou shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the sheke…
Exodus 38:26lexicala beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those w…
Leviticus 27:6
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Numbers 3:50lexicalfrom the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according…
Leviticus 5:15lexical“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding the LORD’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass o…
Numbers 3:22lexicalThose who were counted of them, according to the number of all the males from a month old and upward, even those who wer…
Exodus 38:25lexicalThe silver of those who were counted of the congregation was one hundred talents and one thousand seven hundred seventy-…
Leviticus 27:7
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Numbers 3:50lexicalfrom the firstborn of the children of Israel he took the money, one thousand three hundred sixty-five shekels, according…
Exodus 38:26lexicala beka a head, that is, half a shekel, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for everyone who passed over to those w…
Ezekiel 45:12lexicalThe shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
Numbers 7:86lexicalthe twelve golden ladles, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, according to the shekel of the sanctuary; all th…
Leviticus 27:9
Leviticus 1:2lexical“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When anyone of you offers an offering to the LORD, you shall offer you…
Numbers 7:19lexicalHe offered for his offering: one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred thirty shekels, one silver bowl of…
Leviticus 27:11
Numbers 9:7lexicalThose men said to him, “We are unclean because of the dead body of a man. Why are we kept back, that we may not offer th…
Leviticus 1:2lexical“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘When anyone of you offers an offering to the LORD, you shall offer you…
Numbers 18:15lexicalEverything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Never…
Leviticus 27:16
Hosea 3:2lexicalSo I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and a homer and a half of barley.
Leviticus 5:15lexical“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding the LORD’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass o…
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Leviticus 25:10lexicalYou shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a ju…
Joshua 7:21lexicalWhen I saw among the plunder a beautiful Babylonian robe, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fi…
Leviticus 27:18
Leviticus 25:31lexicalBut the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be accounted for with the fields of the country: the…
Leviticus 25:50lexicalHe shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee. The price of h…
Leviticus 27:20
Ruth 4:3lexicalHe said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which…
Leviticus 27:21
Leviticus 25:12lexicalFor it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.
Leviticus 27:24
Leviticus 25:28lexicalBut if he isn’t able to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it…
Genesis 50:13lexicalfor his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bo…
Genesis 49:30lexicalin the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with t…
Leviticus 27:25
Numbers 18:16lexicalYou shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels o…
Exodus 30:13lexicalThey shall give this, everyone who passes over to those who are counted, half a shekel according to the shekel of the sa…
Numbers 3:47lexicalyou shall take five shekels apiece for each one; according to the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them (the sheke…
Ezekiel 45:12lexicalThe shekel shall be twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.
Leviticus 5:15lexical“If anyone commits a trespass, and sins unwittingly regarding the LORD’s holy things, then he shall bring his trespass o…
Leviticus 27:26
Deuteronomy 14:4lexicalThese are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
Numbers 18:17lexical“But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy…
Deuteronomy 15:19lexicalYou shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to the LORD your God. You shall…
Numbers 18:15lexicalEverything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to the LORD, both of man and animal, shall be yours. Never…
Numbers 3:13lexicalfor all the firstborn are mine. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I made holy to me a…
Leviticus 27:28
Leviticus 25:25lexical“‘If your brother becomes poor, and sells some of his possessions, then his kinsman who is next to him shall come, and r…
Leviticus 25:34lexicalBut the field of the pasture lands of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.
Ruth 4:3lexicalHe said to the near kinsman, “Naomi, who has come back out of the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land, which…
Leviticus 27:30
Genesis 1:12lexicalThe earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after th…
Genesis 1:29lexicalGod said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree,…
Genesis 1:11lexicalGod said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their s…
Leviticus 27:32
2 Chronicles 31:6lexicalThe children of Israel and Judah, who lived in the cities of Judah, also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and t…
Deuteronomy 12:17lexicalYou may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your…
Deuteronomy 14:23lexicalYou shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grai…
Deuteronomy 12:6lexicalYou shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, your vows, your free…
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