Leviticus 25
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to Yahweh. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in its fruits; 4 but in the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to Yahweh. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 That which grows of itself of your harvest you shall not reap, and the grapes of your undressed vine you shall not gather. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.
6 “‘The Sabbath of the land shall be for food for you: for you, and for your servant, and for your maid, and for your hired servant, and for your stranger who lives as a foreigner with you; 7 and for your livestock, and for the animals that are in your land, all its increase shall be for food.
8 “‘You shall count seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10 You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you. Each one of you shall return to his own possession, and each one of you shall return to his family.
11 “‘That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee to you. In it you shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself, nor gather from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You shall eat of its increase out of the field.
13 “‘In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his possession. 14 If you sell anything to your neighbor, or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not wrong one another. 15 According to the number of years after the jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor. According to the number of years of the crops he shall sell to you. 16 According to the length of the years you shall increase its price, and according to the shortness of the years you shall diminish its price; for he is selling the number of the crops to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another; but you shall fear your God; for I am Yahweh your God.
18 “‘Therefore you shall do my statutes, and keep my ordinances and do them; and you shall dwell in the land in safety. 19 The land shall yield its fruit, and you shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety. 20 If you shall say, “What shall we eat the seventh year? Behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase”; 21 then I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for the three years. 22 You shall sow the eighth year, and eat of the old fruit until the ninth year. Until its fruits come in, you shall eat the old store.
23 “‘The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and live as foreigners with me. 24 In all the land of your possession you shall grant a redemption for the land.
25 “‘If your brother has become poor, and sells some of his possession, then his near kinsman shall come and redeem that which his brother has sold. 26 If a man has no one to redeem it, and he becomes prosperous and finds sufficient means to redeem it; 27 then let him reckon the years of its sale, and restore the surplus to the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return to his possession. 28 But if he isn’t able to get it back for himself, then that which he has sold shall remain in the hand of him who has bought it until the year of jubilee. In the jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.
29 “‘If a man sells a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it has been sold. For a full year he shall have the right of redemption. 30 If it isn’t redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations. It shall not go out in the jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall around them shall be accounted as the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.
32 “‘Nevertheless the cities of the Levites, the houses of the cities of their possession, the Levites may redeem at any time. 33 The Levites may redeem the house that was sold, and the city of his possession shall go out in the jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
35 “‘If your brother has become poor, and his hand can’t support himself among you, then you shall uphold him, as a foreigner and a temporary resident, that he may live with you. 36 Take no interest nor profit from him; but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. 37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.
38 “‘I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39 “‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant, and as a temporary resident, he shall be with you. He shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. 41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own family, and to the possession of his fathers shall he return. 42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. They shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
44 “‘As for your male and female slaves, whom you may have: from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover from the children of the foreigners who live as foreigners among you, from them you may buy, and from their families who are with you, which they have conceived in your land; and they shall be your possession. 46 You may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession. Of them you may make slaves forever; but over your brothers the children of Israel you shall not rule, one over another, with harshness.
47 “‘If a stranger or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him has grown poor, and sells himself to the stranger or foreigner living among you, or to a member of the stranger’s family; 48 after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him; 49 or his uncle, or his uncle’s son, may redeem him, or any who is near of kin to him of his family may redeem him; or if he has grown rich, he may redeem himself. 50 He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the year of jubilee. The price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. 51 If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. 52 If there remain but few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. 53 As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him. He shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight. 54 If he isn’t redeemed by these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he and his children with him. 55 For to me the children of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God.’”
Leviticus 25 Commentary
Overview
Leviticus 25 applies holiness to Israel’s use of land, wealth, property, debt, and labor. The chapter establishes a Sabbath year every seventh year and a Jubilee after seven cycles of seven years. It then explains how fields, houses, loans, poverty, and service are to be handled within that rhythm. The central truth is stated plainly: the land belongs to Yahweh, and the Israelites belong to Him because He redeemed them from Egypt. Ownership and power are therefore never absolute.
Verses 1–7 command the land to keep a Sabbath to Yahweh. Israel may sow and harvest for six years, but the seventh year is a solemn rest in which fields are not planted and vineyards are not pruned for commercial production. Whatever grows naturally remains available as food for owners, servants, hired workers, foreigners, livestock, and wild animals. The land’s rest is therefore not barrenness; it interrupts controlled production and turns the year’s spontaneous yield into shared provision.
Verses 8–12 introduce the Jubilee. After forty-nine years, a trumpet is sounded throughout the land on the Day of Atonement, and the fiftieth year is made holy. Liberty is proclaimed, ancestral property is restored, and Israelites who have entered debt service return to their families. The timing joins social release to atonement: the nation that receives mercy from God must not preserve every economic loss and personal dependency forever.
Because land returns at Jubilee, verses 13–17 require property prices to reflect the number of harvests remaining before the next release. A sale is therefore closer to transferring a limited number of crop years than permanently surrendering the family inheritance. Buyer and seller must not wrong one another. Fair commerce is grounded not merely in market advantage but in the fear of God, who sees calculations hidden from human courts.
Verses 18–22 address the fear that obedience will leave Israel without food. Yahweh promises special provision in the sixth year sufficient to carry the people through the fallow period until a new harvest arrives. The promise belongs to Israel’s covenant life in the land and should not be turned into a universal guarantee of agricultural abundance. Its enduring lesson is that obedience may require costly trust and that God’s commands are not detached from His care.
Verses 23–34 explain the redemption of property. The land cannot be sold permanently because it is Yahweh’s; Israel lives with Him as strangers and temporary residents. A near relative may redeem family land, and an owner who later gains sufficient means may buy it back at an adjusted price. Walled-city houses follow a different rule, while village property and Levitical holdings remain more closely tied to the Jubilee pattern. The distinctions protect both ordered commerce and enduring inheritance.
Verses 35–43 turn from property loss to personal poverty. An impoverished Israelite is to be upheld before destitution becomes complete. Fellow Israelites must not profit from his need through interest on money or inflated prices for food. If he enters service, he is not to be treated as a chattel slave but as a hired worker until Jubilee. The reason is theological: Yahweh brought Israel out of Egypt, so one redeemed Israelite must not recreate Egypt’s harsh domination over another.
Verses 44–55 address foreign slaves and Israelites who sell themselves to prosperous resident foreigners. The chapter distinguishes Israelite debt service from the permanent status permitted for slaves acquired from surrounding peoples. This is a difficult feature of ancient Israel’s law and should not be softened into something it does not say. The passage regulates an existing slaveholding world and limits harsh treatment of Israelites, but it does not state the full Christian ethic of equal dignity later illuminated by creation, Christ’s lordship, and the unity of believers. It cannot rightly be used to defend racial slavery, trafficking, coercion, or the ownership of human beings today.
Key Themes
The land belongs to God. Israel receives a real inheritance, yet remains a tenant under Yahweh’s authority. Property rights are meaningful but not unlimited.
Rest extends beyond individual workers. Fields, vineyards, servants, foreigners, livestock, and wild animals all share the Sabbath year’s provision. God’s order considers the whole community and the land itself.
Jubilee interrupts permanent loss. Debt and misfortune may have serious consequences, but they are not allowed to erase every family inheritance without end.
Liberty is connected with atonement. The Jubilee trumpet sounds on the Day of Atonement. A people reconciled to God is called to practice release, restoration, and mercy toward others.
Fair pricing reflects truth. The value of land is calculated by the harvests remaining before Jubilee. Neither buyer nor seller may exploit ignorance, urgency, or unequal power.
God addresses anxiety about obedience. Israel may ask what it will eat during the Sabbath year. Yahweh does not shame the question; He answers with a promise of covenant provision.
Redemption is a family responsibility. A near relative may recover land or redeem a person from service. Kinship carries practical duties toward those who have become vulnerable.
Poverty must not become an opportunity for profit. Interest and food-price gain are forbidden when a brother needs help simply to live. Compassion takes priority over extracting advantage from desperation.
Power must not become harsh rule. Masters are repeatedly warned against severity. The fear of God places every human authority under judgment, especially where another person has little power to resist.
Israel belongs to Yahweh. The chapter ends where its social vision begins: God redeemed the people from Egypt, and they are His servants. No Israelite may claim the absolute ownership that belongs to God alone.
Notable Verses
Leviticus 25:4 — “A Sabbath of solemn rest for the land.” The command places agricultural production under God’s rhythm. Fruitfulness is not permission to demand uninterrupted output from land or labor.
Leviticus 25:10 — “Proclaim liberty throughout the land.” Jubilee announces release, return, and restored belonging. Its liberty is concrete, touching families, property, and service rather than remaining only an inward idea.
Leviticus 25:17 — “You shall not wrong one another.” Economic transactions are moral acts before God. A contract may be technically possible and still violate the command when it depends on deception or exploitation.
Leviticus 25:21 — “I will command my blessing on you.” Yahweh answers Israel’s fear about the fallow year with promised provision. Covenant obedience rests on trust in the God who gives the land and its harvest.
Leviticus 25:23 — “The land is mine.” This sentence limits every human claim of possession. Israel may use, inherit, sell, and redeem land only as a people living on God’s property.
Leviticus 25:35 — “Then you shall uphold him.” The command begins before the poor person disappears from community life. God’s people are to strengthen the vulnerable, not wait until collapse makes assistance more difficult.
Leviticus 25:42 — “They are my servants, whom I brought out.” Redemption from Egypt governs Israelite labor relationships. A person delivered by Yahweh must not be treated as though another Israelite owns him absolutely.
Leviticus 25:55 — “To me the children of Israel are servants.” The closing declaration places the nation under one Lord. Human authority is temporary and accountable because God alone holds the final claim over His redeemed people.
Reflection and Application
The Sabbath year challenges the belief that maximum production is always the highest good. Christians are not commanded to reproduce Israel’s agricultural calendar, but they should examine habits that exhaust workers, families, animals, and the land. Rest can express trust, restraint, and gratitude rather than laziness.
“The land is mine” gives a foundation for stewardship. Homes, farms, businesses, savings, and natural resources are genuine responsibilities, yet none grants unlimited moral permission. Owners remain accountable for how possessions affect neighbors, employees, future generations, and creation.
Jubilee should not be reduced to a simple blueprint for a modern tax or economic system. Israel’s tribal land structure and covenant government were unique. Nevertheless, the chapter confronts systems in which temporary hardship becomes permanent exclusion and asks whether laws, institutions, churches, and families create realistic paths toward restoration.
The pricing rules speak directly to business integrity. Honest people do not hide defects, manipulate urgency, invent fees, or use another person’s lack of options to demand an unjust return. Fear of God should shape negotiations even when exploitation would remain legal or unnoticed.
The command to uphold an impoverished brother encourages early, practical help. Assistance may include food, housing, employment, training, counseling, advocacy, or a fair loan. Wise mercy seeks both immediate survival and renewed stability, while respecting the person receiving help rather than treating him as a project.
The prohibition of interest addresses profit extracted from a poor Israelite’s basic need. It does not answer every question about modern banking, investment, inflation, or commercial lending. Yet it clearly condemns predatory arrangements that trap vulnerable people through impossible rates, hidden terms, or repeated fees.
The warnings against harsh rule apply wherever power is unequal. Employers, landlords, lenders, parents, ministry leaders, and public officials should ask whether those under their authority are treated as neighbors made in God’s image. Efficiency or legal ownership never excuses humiliation, threats, unsafe conditions, or coercion.
The chapter’s permission concerning foreign slaves must be read honestly and not imitated. Scripture records God working within ancient societies whose institutions were far from the final renewal revealed in Christ. The gospel’s affirmation of shared creation, one Lord, reciprocal responsibility, and unity across ethnicity undermines claims that one people may own another. Christians should oppose slavery, trafficking, forced labor, and every system that turns persons into property.
Leviticus 25 ultimately points beyond an economic reset to the redeeming work of God. Jesus announces good news to the poor and liberty to captives, pays the cost of redemption, and gathers a people who belong to Him. Christians should not claim that faith guarantees immediate recovery of land or wealth, but those redeemed by Christ are called to become communities of truthful commerce, generous help, restrained power, dignified work, restorative mercy, and hope for final freedom.