16 And if a man H376 shall sanctify H6942 unto the LORD H3068 some part of a field H7704 of his possession, H272 then thy estimation H6187 shall be according H6310 to the seed H2233 thereof: an homer H2563 of barley H8184 seed H2233 shall be valued at fifty H2572 shekels H8255 of silver. H3701
The ephah H374 and the bath H1324 shall be of one H259 measure, H8506 that the bath H1324 may contain H5375 the tenth part H4643 of an homer, H2563 and the ephah H374 the tenth part H6224 of an homer: H2563 the measure H4971 thereof shall be after the homer. H2563 And the shekel H8255 shall be twenty H6242 gerahs: H1626 twenty H6242 shekels, H8255 five H2568 and twenty H6242 shekels, H8255 fifteen H2568 H6235 shekels, H8255 shall be your maneh. H4488 This is the oblation H8641 that ye shall offer; H7311 the sixth part H8345 of an ephah H374 of an homer H2563 of wheat, H2406 and ye shall give the sixth part H8341 of an ephah H374 of an homer H2563 of barley: H8184 Concerning the ordinance H2706 of oil, H8081 the bath H1324 of oil, H8081 ye shall offer the tenth part H4643 of a bath H1324 out of the cor, H3734 which is an homer H2563 of ten H6235 baths; H1324 for ten H6235 baths H1324 are an homer: H2563
Neither G3761 G1063 was G5225 there any G5100 among G1722 them G846 that lacked: G1729 for G1063 as many as G3745 were G5225 possessors G2935 of lands G5564 or G2228 houses G3614 sold them, G4453 and brought G5342 the prices G5092 of the things that were sold, G4097 And G2532 laid them down G5087 at G3844 the apostles' G652 feet: G4228 and G1161 distribution was made G1239 unto every man G1538 according G2530 as G302 he had G2192 need. G5100 G5532 And G1161 Joses, G2500 who G3588 by G5259 the apostles G652 was surnamed G1941 Barnabas, G921 (which G3739 is, G2076 being interpreted, G3177 The son G5207 of consolation,) G3874 a Levite, G3019 and of the country G1085 of Cyprus, G2953 Having G5225 G846 land, G68 sold G4453 it, and brought G5342 the money, G5536 and G2532 laid G5087 it at G3844 the apostles' G652 feet. G4228
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Leviticus 27
Commentary on Leviticus 27 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 27
Le 27:1-18. Concerning Vows.
2-8. When a man shall make a singular vow, &c.—Persons have, at all times and in all places, been accustomed to present votive offerings, either from gratitude for benefits received, or in the event of deliverance from apprehended evil. And Moses was empowered, by divine authority, to prescribe the conditions of this voluntary duty.
the persons shall be for the Lord, &c.—better rendered thus:—"According to thy estimation, the persons shall be for the Lord." Persons might consecrate themselves or their children to the divine service, in some inferior or servile kind of work about the sanctuary (1Sa 3:1). In the event of any change, the persons so devoted had the privilege in their power of redeeming themselves; and this chapter specifies the amount of the redemption money, which the priest had the discretionary power of reducing, as circumstances might seem to require. Those of mature age, between twenty and sixty, being capable of the greatest service, were rated highest; young people, from five till twenty, less, because not so serviceable; infants, though devotable by their parents before birth (1Sa 1:11), could not be offered nor redeemed till a month after birth; old people were valued below the young, but above children; and the poor—in no case freed from payment, in order to prevent the rash formation of vows—were rated according to their means.
9-13. if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the Lord—a clean beast. After it had been vowed, it could neither be employed in common purposes nor exchanged for an equivalent—it must be sacrificed—or if, through some discovered blemish, it was unsuitable for the altar, it might be sold, and the money applied for the sacred service. If an unclean beast—such as an ass or camel, for instance, had been vowed, it was to be appropriated to the use of the priest at the estimated value, or it might be redeemed by the person vowing on payment of that value, and the additional fine of a fifth more.
14, 15. when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the Lord, &c.—In this case, the house having been valued by the priest and sold, the proceeds of the sale were to be dedicated to the sanctuary. But if the owner wished, on second thought, to redeem it, he might have it by adding a fifth part to the price.
16-24. if a man shall sanctify unto the Lord some aprt of a field of his possession, &c.—In the case of acquired property in land, if not redeemed, it returned to the donor at the Jubilee; whereas the part of a hereditary estate, which had been vowed, did not revert to the owner, but remained attached in perpetuity to the sanctuary. The reason for this remarkable difference was to lay every man under an obligation to redeem the property, or stimulate his nearest kinsman to do it, in order to prevent a patrimonial inheritance going out from any family in Israel.
26, 27. Only the firstling of the beasts—These, in the case of clean beasts, being consecrated to God by a universal and standing law (Ex 13:12; 34:19), could not be devoted; and in that of unclean beasts, were subject to the rule mentioned (Le 27:11, 12).
28, 29. no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the Lord of all that he hath, … shall be sold or redeemed—This relates to vows of the most solemn kind—the devotee accompanying his vow with a solemn imprecation on himself not to fail in accomplishing his declared purpose.
29. shall surely be put to death—This announcement imported not that the person was to be sacrificed or doomed to a violent death; but only that he should remain till death unalterably in the devoted condition. The preceding regulations were evidently designed to prevent rashness in vowing (Ec 5:4) and to encourage serious and considerate reflection in all matters between God and the soul (Lu 21:4).
30-33. all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land—This law gave the sanction of divine authority to an ancient usage (Ge 14:20; 28:22). The whole produce of the land was subjected to the tithe tribute—it was a yearly rent which the Israelites, as tenants, paid to God, the owner of the land, and a thank offering they rendered to Him for the bounties of His providence. (See Pr 3:9; 1Co 9:11; Ga 6:6).
32. whatsoever passeth under the rod, &c.—This alludes to the mode of taking the tithe of cattle, which were made to pass singly through a narrow gateway, where a person with a rod, dipped in ochre, stood, and counting them, marked the back of every tenth beast, whether male or female, sound or unsound.
34. These are the commandments, &c.—The laws contained in this book, for the most part ceremonial, had an important spiritual bearing, the study of which is highly instructive (Ro 10:4; Heb 4:2; 12:18). They imposed a burdensome yoke (Ac 15:10), but yet in the infantine age of the Church formed the necessary discipline of "a schoolmaster to Christ" [Ga 3:24].