Leviticus 25:50 kjv
And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.
Leviticus 25:50 nkjv
Thus he shall reckon with him who bought him: The price of his release shall be according to the number of years, from the year that he was sold to him until the Year of Jubilee; it shall be according to the time of a hired servant for him.
Leviticus 25:50 niv
They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker for that number of years.
Leviticus 25:50 esv
He shall calculate with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of jubilee, and the price of his sale shall vary with the number of years. The time he was with his owner shall be rated as the time of a hired worker.
Leviticus 25:50 nlt
They will negotiate the price of their freedom with the person who bought them. The price will be based on the number of years from the time they were sold until the next Year of Jubilee ? whatever it would cost to hire a worker for that period of time.
Leviticus 25 50 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 25:8-12 | You shall count seven weeks of years... a jubilee... | Jubilee cycle and its significance. |
| Lev 25:13 | In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his property. | Land restoration in Jubilee. |
| Lev 25:16 | If there are many years left, you shall increase the price... | Price proportionality based on years remaining. |
| Lev 25:23 | The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is mine... | God's ultimate ownership of land. |
| Lev 25:24 | And in all the country of your possession, you shall grant a redemption. | Principle of redemption for property. |
| Lev 25:39-40 | If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you... not rule over him... | Rules for Israelite servitude, treating as hired hand. |
| Lev 25:42 | For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in the manner of slaves. | Israelite's ultimate belonging to God. |
| Lev 25:47-49 | If a sojourner... gains wealth... your brother beside him sells himself... his kinsman may redeem him... | Provision for kinsman-redeemer (goel). |
| Lev 25:51-52 | If there are still many years, he shall refund out of the purchase price... | Further details on redemption calculation. |
| Lev 25:54-55 | Even if he is not redeemed in these ways, he and his children with him shall be free... For they are My servants. | Mandatory release in Jubilee; God's ownership. |
| Exod 21:2 | When you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free. | Earlier law for 6-year servitude, similar spirit. |
| Deut 15:12 | If your brother... is sold to you, you shall let him go free in the seventh year. | Command for releasing Hebrew servants. |
| Deut 15:18 | It shall not seem hard to you... double the service of a hired worker. | Generosity towards freed servants. |
| Isa 61:1-2 | The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me... to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison... the year of the LORD's favor. | Prophecy of spiritual Jubilee/liberation by Messiah. |
| Jer 34:8-17 | Denunciation of Israel for re-enslaving freed servants after covenant. | Condemnation for violating release laws. |
| Neh 5:1-11 | A great outcry of the people... against their brothers the Jews. We have had to mortgage... and sell our daughters into slavery. | Example of social injustice regarding debt. |
| Luke 4:18-19 | He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives... to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. | Jesus's ministry as the fulfillment of Isaiah's spiritual Jubilee. |
| 1 Cor 7:23 | You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. | Believers bought by Christ, ultimate freedom. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. | Christ's redemptive work from legal bondage. |
| Gal 4:4-5 | God sent forth his Son... to redeem those who were under the law. | Divine plan of spiritual redemption. |
| Eph 1:7 | In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses. | Redemption by Christ's sacrifice. |
| Col 1:13-14 | He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us... in whom we have redemption. | Redemption from spiritual bondage. |
| Titus 2:14 | He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness... | Christ's redemptive purpose for sanctification. |
| Rom 6:18 | Having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. | Freedom from sin through Christ. |
| Rev 5:9 | Worthy are you... for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people. | Christ's universal redemption. |
Leviticus 25 verses
Leviticus 25 50 Meaning
Leviticus 25:50 details the calculation for the redemption price of an Israelite who has sold himself into temporary servitude due to poverty. The value for buying back their freedom is determined by counting the remaining years from the time of their sale until the upcoming Year of Jubilee. The price diminishes as the Jubilee approaches, reflecting the diminishing period of service left, as if calculating the value of a hired worker's remaining labor.
Leviticus 25 50 Context
Leviticus chapter 25 provides an elaborate legal framework for the "Sabbath Years" and the "Year of Jubilee" (also known as the "Year of Liberty"). These laws governed Israel's agricultural cycle, land ownership, and social economy. The core principle of the chapter is God's sovereign ownership over the land and its people ("The land is mine," Lev 25:23; "You are My servants," Lev 25:55). The Jubilee year, occurring every fifty years, served as a divine mechanism for restoring societal equilibrium by mandating the return of all sold land to its original families and the release of all Israelite bondservants, thus preventing perpetual debt and permanent poverty. Leviticus 25:50 specifically details the financial calculation for redeeming an Israelite servant before the Jubilee, reinforcing that their servitude was temporary and had a quantifiable value linked to the ultimate Jubilee release. This unique system stood in stark contrast to the permanent chattel slavery common in ancient Near Eastern societies, highlighting God's compassion and justice within His covenant with Israel.
Leviticus 25 50 Word Analysis
- and he shall reckon with him: (וְחִשַּׁב, weḥishav). This phrase puts the responsibility for the calculation squarely on the buyer or temporary master. The verb "reckon" or "calculate" implies a precise, objective, mathematical computation, not a subjective valuation based on perceived worth. It highlights the divine emphasis on fair and transparent financial dealings.
- that bought him: Refers to the current temporary owner, the Israelite who took a fellow Israelite into servitude.
- from the year that he was sold to him: This marks the starting point for the calculation. The period of servitude already completed is effectively "paid for" by the labor provided.
- unto the year of the jubilee: (עַד שְׁנַת הַיּוֹבֵל, ʻad shnat hayovel). This signifies the ultimate deadline for all servitude, reinforcing the temporary nature of the arrangement. The "Jubilee" (יוֹבֵל, yovel) literally means "ram's horn" or "trumpet," which was blown to declare this year of release. Its pervasive mention here underlines that freedom is not dependent on human whim but on a divine calendar.
- and the price of his sale shall be: (וְהָיָה סְחָרוֹ, wehayah secharo). This phrase refers to the commercial value or his selling price as a form of "merchandise" for the duration of his labor. It's about calculating the economic value of his remaining service.
- according unto the number of years: The central formula: the cost is directly proportional to the years left until the Jubilee. This ensured fairness to both the seller (who would get a higher price if Jubilee was far off) and the redeemer (who would pay less if Jubilee was near). It's a precise economic principle tied to time.
- according to the time of a hired servant shall it be with him: (כִּימֵי שְׂכִיר יִהְיֶה עִמּוֹ, keyime sakhir yihyeh ʻimmo). This analogy clarifies the status and valuation. An Israelite in servitude was not chattel property but functioned as a hired worker or laborer whose service had a quantifiable monetary value. This emphasized that they retained their human dignity and were due the wages of their labor, conceptually speaking. The price calculation subtracts the value of past service (already rendered for board/debt) and charges only for the remaining future service, much like a contracted employee. It distinguished their temporary service from permanent enslavement.
Leviticus 25 50 Bonus section
The careful "reckoning" or calculation commanded in this verse illustrates God's meticulousness and fairness in economic justice, contrasting with the often arbitrary valuations in human transactions. This principle echoes throughout the Bible where God's judgment and grace are not capricious but perfectly measured and just. The "hired servant" analogy not only impacts the price but fundamentally redefines the relationship: the bondservant is not fully owned, but rather his labor is temporarily purchased, with full rights and dignity retained. This distinction prevents perpetual human bondage among God's people. This law effectively put a cap on how long anyone could be enslaved and prevented the rise of a permanent landless and disenfranchised class within Israel.
Leviticus 25 50 Commentary
Leviticus 25:50 establishes a clear, equitable mechanism for redemption, underscoring the temporary nature of Israelite servitude under the Mosaic Law. It's a financial regulation based on the time remaining until the Year of Jubilee, where the cost of freedom decreases proportionally with the approaching Jubilee. This not only provided an economic pathway to liberation but also reinforced the foundational theological truth that all Israelites were ultimately God's servants, not human property. This precise calculation prevented exploitation and highlighted the covenant commitment to mercy and justice within the community, providing a perpetual fresh start. This principle prefigured the ultimate spiritual redemption in Christ, who, by paying the full price, releases humanity from the bondage of sin and spiritual debt, setting us free as God's redeemed people.