Leviticus 25 31

Leviticus 25:31 kjv

But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.

Leviticus 25:31 nkjv

However the houses of villages which have no wall around them shall be counted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:31 niv

But houses in villages without walls around them are to be considered as belonging to the open country. They can be redeemed, and they are to be returned in the Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:31 esv

But the houses of the villages that have no wall around them shall be classified with the fields of the land. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the jubilee.

Leviticus 25:31 nlt

But a house in a village ? a settlement without fortified walls ? will be treated like property in the countryside. Such a house may be bought back at any time, and it must be returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25 verses

Leviticus 25 31 Meaning

Leviticus 25:31 specifies that houses located in unwalled villages are treated the same as open country (agricultural land) regarding their sale and redemption. This means they are subject to continuous redemption and must be returned to their original owners in the Year of Jubilee. This stands in contrast to houses in walled cities, which have a limited one-year redemption period before becoming permanently alienable property.

Leviticus 25 31 Context

Leviticus chapter 25 details the divinely ordained laws for the Sabbath Year and the Jubilee Year. These laws regulated Israel's relationship with the land and with one another, establishing principles of economic equity, social justice, and trust in God's provision. The Sabbath Year commanded the land to lie fallow every seventh year. The Jubilee Year, observed every fiftieth year, was a momentous time when all leased or sold land reverted to its original tribal and family inheritance, and all Hebrew slaves were set free. These laws prevented the permanent accumulation of wealth and land in the hands of a few, aiming to preserve the original tribal allotments God had given to Israel upon their entry into Canaan.

Verses 29-34 specifically address the rules for selling and redeeming houses, differentiating them from land. Verses 29-30 outline the rule for houses within "walled cities" (אֲשֶׁר לוֹ חוֹמָה - asher lo chomah). These could be permanently sold if not redeemed within one year, reflecting perhaps their commercial nature or less direct connection to ancestral agricultural inheritance. Leviticus 25:31 then contrasts this, defining the status of houses in villages that lack such defensive walls, placing them under the same regulations as agricultural land due to their close association with farming life and inherited plots.

Leviticus 25 31 Word analysis

• But: (אַךְ - ach) - A strong adversative conjunction, indicating a sharp contrast or exception to the preceding rule about houses in walled cities.
• houses: (בָּתִּים - battim) - Plural of bayit (בַּיִת), a general term for a house or dwelling place.
• in villages: (חֲצֵרִים - hatzerim) - Plural of hatzer (חָצֵר), which literally means "courts" or "settlements." These refer to unwalled settlements, often agricultural communities outside the protection and structure of walled cities. Their nature implies a closer link to farming and inherited land.
• which have no wall around them: (אֲשֶׁר לוֹ חֹמָה אֵין סָבִיב לוֹ - asher lo chomah ein saviv lo) - This phrase is crucial. Chomah (חוֹמָה) specifically denotes a defensive wall, like a city wall. The absence of such a wall signifies that these dwellings are not part of a fortified, perhaps more urban and commercially focused, settlement.
• shall be counted as: (יֵחָשֵׁב - yechashev) - From the root hashav (חָשַׁב), meaning "to count, consider, reckon." It indicates a legal categorization.
• the open country: (שְׂדֵה הָאָרֶץ - sadeh ha'aretz) - Literally "field of the land." This categorization is key; it means these houses are treated under the general laws for the sale and redemption of agricultural land, rather than the special rule for city houses.
• they may be redeemed: (גְּאֻלָּה יִהְיֶה לּוֹ - ge'ulah yihyeh lo) - "Redemption will be for it." Ge'ulah (גְּאֻלָּה) refers to the act of buying back what was sold. The wording here implies perpetual redeemability without time limits.
• and they are released in the Jubilee: (וּבַיּוֹבֵל יֵצֵא - uvayovel yetzei) - "And in the Jubilee it will go out/be released." Yovel (יוֹבֵל) is the "Jubilee." This phrase confirms that even if not redeemed, the property automatically reverts to the original owner during the Jubilee year.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "But houses in villages which have no wall around them": This phrase precisely defines the property type under discussion, setting it apart from walled city houses (Lev 25:29-30). The lack of a wall is the decisive criterion for its legal status, indicating its less secure, more rural, and fundamentally agricultural context.
• "shall be counted as the open country": This is a critical legal declaration. By equating these dwellings with "open country" (agricultural land), they are brought under the general land laws of the Jubilee (Lev 25:23-28), ensuring their ultimate reversion and preventing their permanent alienation from the tribal inheritance.
• "they may be redeemed, and they are released in the Jubilee": This duo confirms the principle of non-permanent transfer. It emphasizes continuous redeemability, meaning the original owner or kinsman-redeemer always has the right to buy it back. If no redemption occurs before the Jubilee, the divine mandate for reversion ensures it returns anyway, highlighting God's ultimate sovereignty over the land and His provision for maintaining equitable distribution and family inheritance.

Leviticus 25 31 Bonus section

• The practical implications of the "no wall" distinction extend beyond just security; it also implies a lesser degree of established, urban infrastructure and economy. A walled city property might represent an investment, whereas an unwalled village property remains inherently agricultural and ancestral.
• This verse, like many Jubilee laws, provided an economic safety net, preventing extreme poverty and long-term land disenfranchisement. It speaks to a theology of social justice inherent in God's covenant with Israel.
• The system of Jubilee laws, including the nuanced treatment of properties, reveals a deep theological understanding of stewardship—that the land belongs to God, and humans are temporary residents, not ultimate owners. This spiritual perspective guided the practical regulations.
• The challenges of enforcing these laws in later Israelite history underscore humanity's propensity to deviate from divine commands for personal gain, highlighting the ideal yet often unfulfilled vision of a just society under God.

Leviticus 25 31 Commentary

Leviticus 25:31 unveils the nuanced and merciful nature of the Jubilee law. It establishes a clear distinction between houses in walled cities and those in unwalled villages. This distinction highlights divine wisdom in catering to the differing socio-economic structures within Israel. Houses in walled cities were often associated with commerce, urban living, and possibly less directly tied to the foundational tribal land inheritances. Their limited redemption period (one year) suggested a greater freedom in permanent transaction, perhaps mirroring a more fluid urban economy.

In stark contrast, houses in unwalled villages were considered intrinsically linked to agricultural life and the inherited land (the "open country"). Their owners were primarily farmers. To allow permanent alienation of such a house would often mean disconnecting a family from their means of livelihood and ancestral land, undermining the very purpose of tribal allotments. By making these houses fully redeemable and automatically reverting in the Jubilee, the law protected the integrity of family estates and ensured that families would always have a place to live that was directly connected to their inherited land and their agricultural sustenance.

This divine ordinance served as a bulwark against the permanent impoverishment and displacement of families, reinforcing the principle that all land ultimately belonged to God (Lev 25:23) and was temporarily stewarded by His people. The Jubilee, especially through rules like this one, ensured a cyclical return to a more equitable distribution of resources, fostering social cohesion and preventing the emergence of a perpetually landless and dispossessed class. It provided a powerful legal and spiritual framework for a just society under God's sovereignty.