Leviticus 25:54 kjv
And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, both he, and his children with him.
Leviticus 25:54 nkjv
And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee?he and his children with him.
Leviticus 25:54 niv
"?'Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee,
Leviticus 25:54 esv
And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him shall be released in the year of jubilee.
Leviticus 25:54 nlt
If any Israelites have not been bought back by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, they and their children must be set free at that time.
Leviticus 25 54 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 25:23 | "The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine..." | God's ownership of land and people; all land sales are temporary leases until Jubilee. |
| Lev 25:42 | "For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt..." | Basis for Israelite freedom: they are God's servants, not perpetually others'. |
| Ex 21:2 | "When you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years..." | Earlier law providing freedom for Hebrew servants after six years, highlighting the limited nature of their servitude. |
| Deut 15:1 | "At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release." | Sabbatical year provisions for debt release and freedom of servants after six years. |
| Deut 15:12 | "If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you... in the seventh year you shall let him go free." | Confirms release in the seventh year, reinforced by Jubilee for special cases. |
| Isa 61:1 | "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me... to proclaim liberty to the captives..." | Prophetic promise of spiritual and physical liberation, fulfilled in Christ, echoing Jubilee themes. |
| Jer 34:8 | "King Zedekiah made a covenant... to proclaim liberty... everyone to his Hebrew slave..." | Broken covenant leading to judgment shows the importance of adhering to these laws of freedom. |
| Neh 5:1-12 | Accounts of Nehemiah addressing injustice regarding debt and demanding release and return of land. | Illustrates the ongoing struggle to uphold God's economic and social justice laws. |
| Ps 24:1 | "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." | Universal statement of God's sovereignty and ownership, underpinning the Jubilee laws. |
| Lk 4:18-19 | "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to proclaim liberty to the captives... to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." | Jesus quoting Isa 61:1, equating His ministry with a spiritual "Jubilee." |
| Rom 6:18 | "and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." | Spiritual parallel to freedom from physical bondage: freedom from sin leading to new service to God. |
| Gal 5:1 | "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." | Spiritual liberation in Christ, reinforcing the value of freedom from bondage. |
| Col 1:13-14 | "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption..." | Spiritual redemption through Christ as the ultimate kinsman-redeemer. |
| Eph 1:7 | "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses..." | The cost and means of spiritual redemption through Christ, the greater "going out." |
| Tit 2:14 | "...who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness..." | Christ's self-sacrifice for redemption, drawing on the concept of 'ga'al'. |
| 1 Cor 6:19-20 | "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price." | New Testament perspective of believers being "redeemed" and belonging to God. |
| Lev 25:10 | "You shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land..." | The core command of the Jubilee: liberty and return of property. |
| Heb 2:14-15 | "...that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death... and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery." | Christ's work as the ultimate deliverer from spiritual and ultimate bondage. |
| 2 Cor 3:17 | "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." | Spiritual liberty found in the presence of the Lord. |
| Isa 58:6 | "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free..." | Emphasizes God's desire for justice, release, and freedom for the downtrodden. |
| Prov 14:31 | "Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him." | Ethical principle underlining the treatment of the poor and enslaved. |
Leviticus 25 verses
Leviticus 25 54 Meaning
Leviticus 25:54 outlines the ultimate guarantee of freedom for an Israelite who had sold himself into temporary servitude due to poverty. It ensures that even if all other means of redemption, whether by a kinsman-redeemer or by the individual's own financial recovery, fail, this person, along with their children, would certainly regain their liberty in the year of Jubilee. This divine provision underscores the foundational principle that no Israelite could be permanently enslaved, affirming God's ownership over both the land and His people.
Leviticus 25 54 Context
Leviticus Chapter 25 is dedicated to the divine laws concerning the Sabbatical Year (every seventh year) and the Year of Jubilee (every fiftieth year). These laws governed the rhythm of life in ancient Israel, ensuring regular rest for the land and, crucially, social and economic equity among the people. The Sabbatical Year mandated that the land lay fallow, and debts were remitted. The Jubilee, occurring after seven cycles of Sabbatical years, was an even more profound year of restoration, requiring the return of all ancestral lands to their original families and the release of all Israelite bondservants.
Verse 54 specifically addresses the most vulnerable scenario within this system: an Israelite who had sold himself into servitude (or whose family did) due to poverty and could not be redeemed earlier. Even if the various kinsman-redeemer provisions (Lev 25:48-53) did not apply or could not be exercised, this verse provides a definitive, unconditional freedom. It is the ultimate failsafe for liberty, affirming that no Israelite would remain in perpetual servitude or be permanently cut off from their family land and inheritance, thus preventing the formation of a permanent underclass or aristocracy based solely on inherited wealth or poverty. This stands in stark contrast to surrounding ancient Near Eastern societies where slavery could be permanent and hereditary.
Leviticus 25 54 Word analysis
- And if (wĕʾim): This introductory conjunction highlights a conditional clause. It marks a contingency – the possibility that the redemption prescribed earlier in verses 47-53 has not occurred. It indicates that the Jubilee law acts as a final safety net for the unredeemed.
- he be not redeemed (loʾ yiḡḡāʾēl): The verb is the Niph'al stem of ga'al (גאל), meaning "to redeem," "to reclaim," or "to act as a kinsman-redeemer." The Niph'al voice suggests a passive or reflexive action – he himself is not redeemed by others, or he cannot redeem himself. This word "ga'al" is rich with meaning, pointing to a covenant responsibility to deliver or release what is held by another, often by payment of a price. Its use here implies that even when the community or family fails in their role as 'goel', God ensures the redemption through the Jubilee.
- by these means (bəʾēlleh): This phrase refers directly to the various avenues for redemption detailed in the preceding verses (Lev 25:48-53): redemption by a kinsman (uncle, cousin, etc.), or self-redemption if the servant prospered and acquired enough means. It signifies that all human-initiated and community-supported attempts have failed.
- then he shall go out (wəyāṣāʾ): The verb is yatsa (יָצָא), meaning "to go out," "come forth," "depart." It is a strong, declarative statement, an assured liberation. It emphasizes a definitive and automatic release from bondage at the divinely appointed time. This isn't merely permission; it's a guaranteed expulsion from servitude.
- in the year of Jubilee (bišnaṯ hayyōḇēl): This specifies the exact and ultimate timeframe for liberation.
- Yovel (יוֹבֵל) itself refers to the "jubilee," named after the ram's horn (shofar) blown to proclaim its arrival (Lev 25:9). This word symbolizes liberty, restoration, and returning to a foundational order. The Jubilee year was not merely an economic release but a spiritual recalibration for the entire nation, reminding them of God's sovereign control over the land and their lives.
- This aspect of Jubilee served as a powerful counter-cultural message, directly challenging the permanence of human transactions and class systems prevalent in surrounding nations.
- he and his children with him (hūʾ wûḇānāw ʿimmô): This crucial phrase highlights the corporate nature of liberation. It's not just the individual but their entire immediate family unit (children, including future generations born in servitude) that is set free. This prevented the perpetuation of servitude through hereditary status, which was common elsewhere. It reinforced the covenant ideal that no Israelite lineage should become permanently indentured or separated from their ancestral land, emphasizing generational freedom and integrity of the family unit within Israel.
Leviticus 25 54 Bonus section
The institution of the Jubilee and specifically verse 54 serves as a strong reminder that for God, justice and mercy are not just ideals but concrete provisions woven into the very fabric of His law. It counters the common human tendency towards accumulation of wealth and power that often leads to oppression of the poor. The Jubilee system also subtly educated Israel about their identity: they were Yahweh's servants, redeemed from Egypt, and thus could not become permanent slaves to fellow humans (Lev 25:42, 55). This principle foreshadows the spiritual redemption from the slavery of sin and the Law through Christ, our ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer, who proclaims and enacts the "year of the Lord's favor" (Lk 4:18-19).
Leviticus 25 54 Commentary
Leviticus 25:54 encapsulates a cornerstone of Israelite social and economic justice. It is the failsafe mechanism that underpins the entire Jubilee system, demonstrating God's unwavering commitment to the dignity and liberty of every individual Israelite. While the law provided for familial redemption and self-redemption, this verse guarantees that, regardless of human inability or failure, divine intervention (via the Jubilee) would secure release. It asserts God's ultimate ownership over the land and His people, overriding any human claim to permanent possession or servitude. This provision ensures that debt slavery could never become a permanent, multi-generational institution among the Israelites. Spiritually, this points to the truth that true, ultimate freedom is secured by God's decree and timing, rather than solely by human effort or ability. The Jubilee, in its comprehensive restoration of liberty and property, served as a profound object lesson and prophetic foreshadowing of the ultimate, holistic redemption and restoration to come through the Messiah.