Focused Passage

Leviticus 25:29-34

Sabbath for the Land, Jubilee Release, and the LORD's Ownership of Israel

The LORD speaks to Moses at Mount Sinai and commands that the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD every seventh year. After seven Sabbath years, the fiftieth year is consecrated as Jubilee, announced with the trumpet on the Day of Atonement. Property is returned, liberty is proclaimed, and economic transactions are governed by the number of harvest years remaining until Jubilee. The chapter then provides laws for trusting the LORD's provision during the Sabbath year, redeeming land, selling houses, protecting Levitical towns, helping poor Israelites, prohibiting interest exploitation, regulating Israelite servitude, and redeeming Israelites sold to resident foreigners. The chapter closes by grounding everything in the exodus: Israelites belong to the LORD as His servants.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

29 If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains his right of redemption until a full year after its sale; during that year it may be redeemed.

30 If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city is permanently transferred to its buyer and his descendants. It is not to be released in the Jubilee.

31 But houses in villages with no walls around them are to be considered as open fields. They may be redeemed, and they shall be released in the Jubilee.

32 As for the cities of the Levites, the Levites always have the right to redeem their houses in the cities they possess.

33 So whatever belongs to the Levites may be redeemed—a house sold in a city they possess—and must be released in the Jubilee, because the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the Israelites.

34 But the open pastureland around their cities may not be sold, for this is their permanent possession.

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 29

Original words

If כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction a man וְאִ֗ישׁ H376 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular sells יִמְכֹּ֤ר H4376 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular a house בֵּית־ H1004 Noun - masculine singular construct . . . מוֹשַׁב֙ H4186 Noun - masculine singular construct in a walled חוֹמָ֔ה H2346 Noun - feminine singular city עִ֣יר H5892 Noun - feminine singular he retains וְהָיְתָה֙ H1961 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular his right of redemption גְּאֻלָּת֔וֹ H1353 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular until עַד־ H5704 Preposition a full תֹּ֖ם H8552 Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct year שְׁנַ֣ת H8141 Noun - feminine singular construct after its sale מִמְכָּר֑וֹ H4465 Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular during that year יָמִ֖ים H3117 Noun - masculine plural it may be תִּהְיֶ֥ה H1961 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular redeemed גְאֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ H1353 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Verse 30

Original words

If וְאִ֣ם H518 Conjunction it is not לֹֽא־ H3808 Adverb - Negative particle redeemed יִגָּאֵ֗ל H1350 Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular by the end עַד־ H5704 Preposition . . . מְלֹ֣את H4390 Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct of לוֹ֮ Preposition | third person masculine singular a full תְמִימָה֒ H8549 Adjective - feminine singular . . . וְ֠קָם H6965 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular year שָׁנָ֣ה H8141 Noun - feminine singular then the house הַבַּ֨יִת H1004 Article | Noun - masculine singular - אֲשֶׁר־ H834 Pronoun - relative in the walled חֹמָ֗ה H2346 Noun - feminine singular city בָּעִ֜יר H5892 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular - אֲשֶׁר־ H834 Pronoun - relative - לֹא H3808 Preposition | third person masculine singular is permanently לַצְּמִיתֻ֛ת H6783 Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular transferred to its buyer לַקֹּנֶ֥ה H7069 Preposition-l, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular - אֹת֖וֹ H853 Direct object marker | third person masculine singular and his descendants לְדֹרֹתָ֑יו H1755 Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular It is not לֹ֥א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle to be released יֵצֵ֖א H3318 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular in the Jubilee בַּיֹּבֵֽל׃ H3104 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 31

Original words

But houses וּבָתֵּ֣י H1004 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct in villages הַחֲצֵרִ֗ים H2691 Article | Noun - common plural with אֲשֶׁ֨ר H834 Pronoun - relative no אֵין־ H369 Adverb . . . לָהֶ֤ם Preposition-l | Pronoun - third person masculine plural walls חֹמָה֙ H2346 Noun - feminine singular around them סָבִ֔יב H5439 Adverb . . . עַל־ H5921 Preposition are to be considered יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב H2803 Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular as open fields שְׂדֵ֥ה H7704 Noun - masculine singular construct . . . הָאָ֖רֶץ H776 Article | Noun - feminine singular They may be redeemed גְּאֻלָּה֙ H1353 Noun - feminine singular and they shall be תִּהְיֶה־ H1961 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular released יֵצֵֽא׃ H3318 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular in the Jubilee וּבַיֹּבֵ֖ל H3104 Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Verse 32

Original words

As for the cities וְעָרֵי֙ H5892 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct of the Levites הַלְוִיִּ֔ם H3881 Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural the Levites לַלְוִיִּֽם׃ H3881 Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine plural always עוֹלָ֖ם H5769 Noun - masculine singular have תִּהְיֶ֥ה H1961 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular the right to redeem גְּאֻלַּ֥ת H1353 Noun - feminine singular construct their houses בָּתֵּ֖י H1004 Noun - masculine plural construct in the cities עָרֵ֣י H5892 Noun - feminine plural construct they possess אֲחֻזָּתָ֑ם H272 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Verse 33

Original words

So whatever וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר H834 Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - relative belongs to מִן־ H4480 Preposition the Levites הַלְוִיִּ֔ם H3881 Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural may be redeemed יִגְאַל֙ H1350 Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular a house בַּ֛יִת H1004 Noun - masculine singular sold מִמְכַּר־ H4465 Noun - masculine singular construct in a city וְעִ֥יר H5892 Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct they possess אֲחֻזָּת֖וֹ H272 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular and must be released וְיָצָ֧א H3318 Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular in the Jubilee בַּיֹּבֵ֑ל H3104 Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular because כִּ֣י H3588 Conjunction the houses בָתֵּ֞י H1004 Noun - masculine plural construct . . . הִ֚וא H1931 Pronoun - third person feminine singular in the cities עָרֵ֣י H5892 Noun - feminine plural construct of the Levites הַלְוִיִּ֗ם H3881 Article | Noun - proper - masculine plural are their possession אֲחֻזָּתָ֔ם H272 Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural among בְּת֖וֹךְ H8432 Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct the Israelites בְּנֵ֥י H1121 Noun - masculine plural construct . . . יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ H3478 Noun - proper - masculine singular
Verse 34

Original words

But the open וּֽשְׂדֵ֛ה H7704 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct pastureland מִגְרַ֥שׁ H4054 Noun - masculine singular construct around their cities עָרֵיהֶ֖ם H5892 Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural may not לֹ֣א H3808 Adverb - Negative particle be sold יִמָּכֵ֑ר H4376 Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular for כִּֽי־ H3588 Conjunction this ה֖וּא H1931 Pronoun - third person masculine singular is their לָהֶֽם׃ס Preposition | third person masculine plural permanent עוֹלָ֛ם H5769 Noun - masculine singular possession אֲחֻזַּ֥ת H272 Noun - feminine singular construct

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.