Leviticus 25:16 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Leviticus 25:16 kjv
According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
Leviticus 25:16 nkjv
According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops.
Leviticus 25:16 niv
When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops.
Leviticus 25:16 esv
If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.
Leviticus 25:16 nlt
The more years until the next jubilee, the higher the price; the fewer years, the lower the price. After all, the person selling the land is actually selling you a certain number of harvests.
Leviticus 25 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 25:1 | The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, | Introduction to Sabbath/Jubilee laws. |
| Lev 25:2 | "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'When you come into the land that I give you...'" | Entering the land of inheritance. |
| Lev 25:8 | "You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-nine years." | Calculation of Jubilee cycle. |
| Lev 25:10 | "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you..." | Purpose: Liberty and restoration. |
| Lev 25:13 | "In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property." | Principle: Land reversion. |
| Lev 25:15 | "According to the number of years after the jubilee you shall buy from him, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you." | Prior verse, identical principle. |
| Lev 25:23 | "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me." | God's ultimate land ownership. |
| Lev 25:24 | "And in all the country of your possession, you shall grant a redemption of the land." | Principle of redemption. |
| Lev 27:17 | "If he dedicates his field from the year of jubilee, then according to your valuation it shall stand." | Valuation of dedicated land. |
| Num 36:7 | "So no inheritance in the people of Israel shall be transferred from one tribe to another, for each of the people of Israel shall hold the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers." | Preventing permanent land transfer. |
| Deut 10:14 | "Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it." | God's universal sovereignty. |
| Psa 24:1 | "The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." | God owns everything. |
| Psa 50:10 | "For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills." | God owns all creation. |
| Ezek 46:17 | "If he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty; then it shall return to the prince..." | Application of Jubilee in future temple. |
| Isa 61:1 | "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor..." | Prophecy of spiritual "Jubilee." |
| Lk 4:18-19 | "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." | Jesus fulfills the spiritual Jubilee. |
| Mic 2:2 | "They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance." | Condemnation of unjust land grabbing. |
| Prov 11:1 | "A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight." | Principle of just dealings. |
| 1 Cor 7:23 | "You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." | Christ's redemption, spiritual freedom. |
| Eph 1:11 | "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will..." | Spiritual inheritance in Christ. |
| Col 2:10 | "And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." | Fullness in Christ, spiritual rest. |
| Heb 4:9 | "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God..." | Heavenly rest, foreshadowed by Sabbath/Jubilee. |
Leviticus 25 verses
Leviticus 25 16 meaning
Leviticus 25:16 details the economic principle governing the sale of land between Jubilee years. The price of a piece of land was to be determined by the number of annual harvests remaining until the next Jubilee. If many years remained, the price would be higher because more productive years could be obtained from the land. Conversely, if few years remained until the Jubilee, the price would be lower as fewer harvests could be gathered before the land reverted to its original owners. This regulation established a system of valuing the usufruct (right to use the land and its produce) rather than the permanent ownership, aligning with God's ultimate claim over all land.
Leviticus 25 16 Context
Leviticus chapter 25 establishes God’s laws regarding the Sabbath years for the land and the Jubilee year. The preceding verses (Lev 25:1-7) outline the seventh year of rest for the land (Sabbath for the land), emphasizing God’s provision. The subsequent verses (Lev 25:8-12) introduce the Jubilee year, occurring every fiftieth year (after seven Sabbath cycles), which was to be a time of universal liberty, proclaiming release from debts and servitude, and mandating the return of all alienated land to its original family. Leviticus 25:16, alongside verse 15, directly governs the transactions of land during this 50-year cycle.Historically and culturally, land was intrinsically linked to identity, security, and the family's future in ancient Israel. The system ensured that no family could be permanently dispossessed of their tribal inheritance, preventing the accumulation of vast landholdings by a few and protecting against systemic poverty. It underscored the theological truth that the land ultimately belongs to God (Lev 25:23), and the Israelites were merely tenants or sojourners. This stood in stark contrast to surrounding nations where land could be permanently alienated, leading to entrenched social inequality and perpetual slavery, thus asserting YHWH's distinct and righteous social order.
Leviticus 25 16 Word analysis
- According to the number (מִסְפַּר, mispar): This signifies a precise, calculated quantity, indicating that the pricing was not arbitrary but based on a quantifiable measure – the count of years.
- of years (שָׁנִים, shanim): Refers to a full annual cycle, emphasizing time as the determining factor. The valuation changes with each passing year.
- after the jubilee (יוֹבֵל, yovel): The yovel is the Jubilee year, marked by the sounding of the ram's horn (shofar). This term defines the start and end points of the pricing calculation. The years "after the Jubilee" are the years remaining until the next Jubilee, which directly influences the value of the land.
- you shall increase (תַּרְבּוּ, tarbu): From the root רָבָה (ravah), meaning to multiply, to make great or much. It indicates a direct proportional relationship: more years equal a higher price.
- the price (מִקְנָתָהּ, miqnatah): Refers to the acquired item's cost, the valuation, or the purchase price. In this context, it's the agreed-upon value based on remaining utility.
- and according to the number of years for crops (שְׁנֵי תְבוּאֹת, shenei tevuo't): Tevuo't means "produce" or "yield." This phrase explicitly links the land's value to its agricultural output. The price reflects the expected number of future harvests the buyer will gain before the Jubilee.
- you shall diminish (תַּמְעִיטוּ, tam'iṭu): From the root מָעַט (ma'at), meaning to make small, lessen, or decrease. It conveys an inverse proportionality: fewer years (and thus fewer crops) result in a lower price.
- "According to the number of years after the jubilee you shall increase the price...": This phrase signifies that the longer the period from the most recent Jubilee, the higher the remaining number of years until the next Jubilee. Consequently, the buyer gets to use the land for more cycles, making its temporary possession more valuable, thus "increasing the price." The valuation is effectively the sum of anticipated annual harvests over the remaining term.
- "...and according to the number of years for crops you shall diminish the price.": This parallel phrase clarifies the same principle from the inverse perspective. "Years for crops" directly translates to the potential income from the land. As the number of remaining productive years lessens (as the Jubilee approaches), the total potential yield from the land for the buyer decreases, hence the need to "diminish the price." The land is not being sold, only the right to its produce for a finite term.
Leviticus 25 16 Bonus section
The concept of the Jubilee in Leviticus, particularly how land valuation operates in verse 16, serves as a powerful foreshadowing of spiritual principles. The return of property signifies God's intention for full restoration and liberation from bondage. The "redemption" of land (Lev 25:24) by a kinsman-redeemer also mirrors Christ's work as our Kinsman-Redeemer, buying back humanity from the bondage of sin and restoring us to our spiritual inheritance in Him (Eph 1:11). The ultimate "rest" promised in the New Testament (Heb 4:9-11) echoes the Jubilee's call to release and restoration, pointing to a permanent dwelling in God's presence, where all things are made new. The meticulous calculation of time for the land also subtly teaches divine order and precision in God's dealings, implying that spiritual restoration also operates within a divine timeline and plan.
Leviticus 25 16 Commentary
Leviticus 25:16 elucidates the economic mechanics of the Jubilee year system concerning land transactions. It is a precise instruction on how to determine the "value" of land, which was not its permanent market price, but rather its rentable worth for the duration until the next Jubilee. This legislation profoundly impacts economic behavior and social stability. It mandates a flexible pricing model tied to remaining productivity, preventing speculative land pricing or permanent land sales.The theological underpinnings are crucial: "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me" (Lev 25:23). This divine declaration fundamentally reshaped the Israelite understanding of property. It fostered a consciousness of dependence on God as the true owner and discouraged unchecked accumulation of wealth, protecting the vulnerable from perpetual indebtedness and ensuring generational land distribution. It also acted as a mechanism of social justice, providing periodic reset, debt forgiveness, and opportunity for those who had lost their inheritance due to misfortune.