Leviticus - 27:1-34



Vows, First-Fruits, Dedications, the Tithe

      1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'When a man makes a vow, the persons shall be for Yahweh by your valuation. 3 Your valuation shall be of a male from twenty years old even to sixty years old, even your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 If it is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5 If the person is from five years old even to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 6 If the person is from a month old even to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver. 7 If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if it is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels. 8 But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him who vowed shall the priest value him. 9 "'If it is an animal, of which men offer an offering to Yahweh, all that any man gives of such to Yahweh becomes holy. 10 He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. 11 If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to Yahweh, then he shall set the animal before the priest; 12 and the priest shall value it, whether it is good or bad. As you the priest values it, so shall it be. 13 But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation. 14 "'When a man dedicates his house to be holy to Yahweh, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad: as the priest shall evaluate it, so shall it stand. 15 If he who dedicates it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his. 16 "'If a man dedicates to Yahweh part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand. 18 But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation. 19 If he who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain his. 20 If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more; 21 but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to Yahweh, as a field devoted; it shall be owned by the priests. 22 "'If he dedicates to Yahweh a field which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession, 23 then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to Yahweh. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs. 25 All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel. 26 "'Only the firstborn among animals, which is made a firstborn to Yahweh, no man may dedicate it; whether an ox or sheep, it is Yahweh's. 27 If it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it: or if it isn't redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation. 28 "'Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a man shall devote to Yahweh of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to Yahweh. 29 "'No one devoted, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death. 30 "'All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh. 31 If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it. 32 All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to Yahweh. 33 He shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.'" 34 These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.


Chapter In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Leviticus 27.

Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Laws concerning vows, Leviticus 27:1, Leviticus 27:2. Of males and females from twenty to sixty years of age, and their valuation, Leviticus 27:3, Leviticus 27:4. Of the same from five to twenty years, Leviticus 27:5. Of the same from a month to five years of age, Leviticus 27:6. Of males and females from sixty years old and upwards, and their valuation, Leviticus 27:7. The priest shall value the poor according to his ability, Leviticus 27:8. Concerning beasts that are vowed, and their valuation, Leviticus 27:9-13. Concerning the sanctification of a house, Leviticus 27:14, Leviticus 27:15. Concerning the field that is sanctified or consecrated to the Lord, to the year of jubilee, Leviticus 27:16-24. Every estimation shall be made in shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, Leviticus 27:25. The firstlings of clean beasts, being already the Lord's, cannot be vowed, Leviticus 27:26. That of an unclean beast may be redeemed, Leviticus 27:27. Every thing devoted to God shall be unalienable and unredeemable, and continue the Lord's property till death, Leviticus 27:28, Leviticus 27:29. All the tithe of the land is the Lord's, Leviticus 27:30; but it may be redeemed by adding a fifth part, Leviticus 27:31. The tithe of the herd and the flock is also his, Leviticus 27:32. The tenth that passes under the rod shall not be changed, Leviticus 27:33. The conclusion of the book, Leviticus 27:34.

INTRODUCTION TO LEVEITICUS 27
This chapter contains various laws concerning vows made unto the Lord, whether of persons whose estimation was to be made by the priest, according to their age, sex, and condition, Leviticus 26:1; or of beasts, clean and unclean, good or bad, Leviticus 26:9; or of houses, fields, and lands, the estimation of which was to be according to its seed, and the time of its being set apart, whether from or after the year of jubilee, and the number of years to it, Leviticus 26:14; with this exception to the above laws, that no firstling of the Lord's might be sanctified, and if an unclean beast it might be redeemed, but nothing devoted to the Lord, whether of man, beast, or field, might be sold or redeemed, Leviticus 26:26; and the chapter is concluded with some laws concerning the redemption or change of tithes, what might or what might not be redeemed or changed, Leviticus 26:30;.

(Leviticus 27:1-13) The law concerning vows, Of persons and animals.
(Leviticus 27:14-25) Vows concerning houses and land.
(Leviticus 27:26-33) Devoted things not to be redeemed.
(Leviticus 27:34) Conclusion.

*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.


Discussion on Leviticus Chapter 27

User discussion about the chapter.






*By clicking Submit, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms of Use.