Leviticus 27:5 kjv
And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.
Leviticus 27:5 nkjv
and if from five years old up to twenty years old, then your valuation for a male shall be twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels;
Leviticus 27:5 niv
for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels;
Leviticus 27:5 esv
If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
Leviticus 27:5 nlt
A boy between the ages of five and twenty is valued at twenty shekels of silver; a girl of that age is valued at ten shekels of silver.
Leviticus 27 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 27:2-3 | Speak to the children of Israel... your valuation... for the male from twenty years old even to sixty years old... fifty shekels of silver... | Valuation for adults (older age bracket). |
| Lev 27:6 | And if from a month old even to five years old, your valuation... for the male five shekels... and for the female three shekels. | Valuation for infants and toddlers. |
| Lev 27:7 | And if from sixty years old and above... for the male fifteen shekels... for the female ten shekels. | Valuation for the elderly. |
| Num 30:2 | If a man makes a vow to the Lord... he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. | General principle of fulfilling vows. |
| Deut 23:21 | When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it. | Importance of promptly fulfilling vows. |
| Psa 50:14 | Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. | Encouragement to pay vows as worship. |
| Eccl 5:4-5 | When you vow a vow to God, do not delay to pay it... Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. | Caution regarding vows and their solemnity. |
| Exod 30:13 | Every one who is numbered, from twenty years old and above... half a shekel... a contribution to the Lord. | Shekel as a unit of redemption/contribution. |
| Num 3:46-48 | For the redemption of the 273 firstborn of the children of Israel... you shall take five shekels apiece... | Fixed redemption price for firstborn males. |
| Num 18:15-16 | ...redemption price... you shall redeem him from a month old, according to your valuation, five shekels... | Redemption of firstborn and specific value. |
| 1 Sam 1:11 | She made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You... will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life." | Example of dedicating a child (Samuel). |
| Judges 11:30-31 | Jephthah made a vow to the Lord... whoever comes out from the doors of my house... shall be the Lord’s, and I will offer him up as a burnt offering. | Example of a difficult vow (human sacrifice forbidden, Lev 18:21, Deut 18:10). |
| Mark 7:10-13 | For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother"... But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift dedicated to God)..." | Jesus' rebuke of twisting dedication for personal gain. |
| Rom 12:1 | I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. | New Covenant concept of spiritual dedication. |
| 1 Cor 6:20 | For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. | Believer's redemption at a higher price (Christ's blood). |
| Psa 49:7-9 | None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— for the redemption of their souls is costly. | Human inability to redeem oneself or others. |
| Gal 3:13 | Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. | Christ's ultimate redemption, transcending monetary value. |
| Heb 9:12 | Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. | Christ's sacrifice as the ultimate, non-monetary redemption. |
| Mal 3:8-9 | Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, "In what way have we robbed You?" In tithes and offerings. | God's claim on what is due Him, including vows/offerings. |
| Prov 20:25 | It is a snare for a man to devote rashly something as holy, and afterward to reconsider his vows. | Wisdom concerning rash vows. |
| Jer 1:5 | Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. | God's prior knowledge and dedication of individuals. |
Leviticus 27 verses
Leviticus 27 5 Meaning
Leviticus 27:5 details the fixed monetary valuation for the redemption of individuals who have been vowed or consecrated to the Lord within a specific age range. For those aged between five and twenty years old, the prescribed redemption price for a male was twenty shekels of silver, while for a female it was ten shekels. This law provided a standardized system for fulfilling a vow of consecration with a financial payment, reflecting the Meticulousness of the Mosaic Law in dealing with sacred dedications.
Leviticus 27 5 Context
Leviticus 27 forms the concluding chapter of the Book of Leviticus, serving as an appendix to the laws concerning offerings, feasts, and priestly duties. This chapter outlines specific rules for redeeming or valuing things or persons that have been consecrated to the Lord by a vow. Vows were a voluntary act, allowing an Israelite to dedicate a person, animal, house, or land to God, often as an act of devotion, gratitude, or seeking divine favor. However, the chapter provides mechanisms for "redeeming" these vowed items or persons with an equivalent monetary payment. This ensured that such dedications did not permanently deprive individuals of their property or liberties, while still upholding the sacredness of what was vowed. The valuation for individuals, as seen in verse 5, varied by age and gender, establishing fixed rates to avoid subjective bargaining and maintain the integrity of sacred transactions. Historically and culturally, vows were common in the ancient Near East, but Israel's laws provided specific divine guidelines, ensuring fairness, preventing exploitation, and underscoring the holiness expected in all dealings with God.
Leviticus 27 5 Word analysis
- וּמֵבִּן (ū-mibbēn): "And from the son of / from between." This Hebrew construct precisely indicates "from the age of." It denotes the beginning of the age bracket.
- חֲמֵשׁ שָׁנִים (chamesh shanim): "five years." This marks a specific age, likely chosen because children by this age are past infancy and become more active and somewhat more aware, transitioning into early childhood.
- וְעַד (və-ʿad): "even to / up to." This conjunction sets the upper limit of the age range, indicating inclusion up to but not including the next category.
- עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה (esrîm shana): "twenty years." This age was significant in Israelite society. Individuals at twenty years and older were generally considered full adults for military service (Num 1:3), taking a census (Exod 30:14), and full participation in community affairs. This age bracket thus covers adolescents and young adults who are nearing or just reaching full adulthood.
- יִהְיֶה עֶרְכְּךָ (yihyeh ʿerkəkā): "your valuation shall be."
ערך(ʻerekh) means "value," "estimation," or "assessment." It's a legally determined, fixed price for redemption, not an inherent worth or market value. This standardized valuation prevented haggling or subjective pricing, ensuring fairness and upholding the sanctity of the vow. It emphasizes that this is a divine statute for redemption, not a commercial transaction. - לַזָּכָר (la-zākār): "for the male."
זָכָר(zakhar) specifically denotes a male. The Law meticulously differentiates valuations based on gender. - עֶשְׂרִים שְׁקָלִים (esrîm shəqālîm): "twenty shekels." A shekel was a common unit of weight (typically silver, around 11-14 grams) used as currency. Twenty shekels was a significant sum in ancient Israel, indicating the seriousness of dedicating a person and their value to the Lord, but it was not prohibitive for redemption by ordinary people.
- וְלַנְּקֵבָה (və-la-nəqēḇāh): "and for the female."
נְקֵבָה(neqevah) specifies a female. This again highlights the gender distinction in the valuations. - עֶשֶׂר שְׁקָלִים (ʿeser shəqālîm): "ten shekels." This amount is exactly half of the male valuation for the same age group. This differentiation reflects the societal and economic roles and perceived contribution levels within a patriarchal agricultural society, where males generally held greater economic earning potential. It does not reflect inherent human worth, which is equal before God, but rather a structured legal framework for communal contributions and redemption payments.
Leviticus 27 5 Bonus section
The specific age ranges and corresponding valuations across Leviticus 27 (e.g., v.3-7) highlight a fascinating aspect of Israelite social and legal understanding of human development. These fixed valuations are distinct from commercial market values, emphasizing that items vowed to the Lord held a sacred value determined by God, not by human bargaining or individual status. The underlying principle is that whatever is "holy to the Lord" (Lev 27:2) must be treated with utmost respect and handled according to His prescribed standards. These valuations ensured a consistent framework across all social strata for engaging in dedications and their redemption. While these laws applied to physical redemption in the Old Covenant, they prefigure the deeper spiritual truth that genuine devotion involves presenting oneself wholly to God (Rom 12:1). Ultimately, humans were valued so infinitely by God that He Himself paid the ultimate price, not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem those vowed by sin (1 Pet 1:18-19).
Leviticus 27 5 Commentary
Leviticus 27:5 precisely defines a part of Israel's legal framework for managing personal vows made to God. This specific verse deals with the redemption values for children and young adults (aged five to twenty). The valuations are fixed, not fluctuating, highlighting divine order and impartiality in sacred matters. The differing values for males and females (twenty shekels for a male, ten for a female) for this age bracket were a reflection of the societal and economic structures of ancient Israel. While modern perspectives might question such differentiation, within their historical context, it represented an estimation based on anticipated labor or societal contribution. This detailed regulation shows that while voluntary vows were permitted, they were still strictly regulated by the Law of God. The intention was to prevent rash vows and to provide a consistent and equitable system for reversing a dedication while upholding the seriousness of any commitment made to the Lord. This structured approach to valuation under the Mosaic Law underscores that every aspect of Israelite life, even personal vows, was to be conducted with a commitment to order and holiness before God.