Leviticus chapter 27

Things that can be dedicated to the LORD God. Things that cannot be dedicated to the LORD God.

 


 

THINGS THAT CAN BE DEDICATED TO THE LORD GOD

 

VERSE 1. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

 

VERSE 2. “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to the LORD in a vow, according to your valuation,

When. This does not mandate anything. It merely tells what to do when it happens.

We imagine people were already dedicating things to the LORD God. This chapter adds legislation about that practice.

a man consecrates a person to the LORD. You could dedicate someone to the LORD.

You did it by paying money into the sanctuary treasury, according to the set pricing indicated in the verses that follow.

Hannah dedicated her son Samuel to the LORD. She did it a different way. She offering his service in the sanctuary:

1 Samuel 1:11. She vowed a vow, and said, “The LORD of Hosts, if you will indeed look at the affliction of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a boy, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head.”

according to your valuation. The verses that follow specify the cash values of a human life. Perhaps the prices were drawn from the prevailing slave market.

The prices are not cheap. In broad terms, a shekel was worth about a month’s wages. Thus a 20 year old male carried the value of 50 months wages.

In every case, a male has a higher cash value than a female. This is very counter to the biblical notion that all people are precious creations of the LORD God and equal.

Here are the stated cash values of a human life, in shekels, by age and gender:

1 month to 5 years:

  • Male: 5 shekels
  • Female: 3 shekels

5 to 20 years:

  • Male: 20 shekels
  • Female: 10 shekels

20 to 60 years:

  • Male: 50 shekels
  • Female: 30 shekels

60 years and up:

  • Male: 15 shekels
  • Female: 10 shekels

 

VERSE 3. your valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

the shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

 

VERSE 4. If she is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

 

VERSE 5. If the person is from five years old to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

 

VERSE 6. If the person is from a month old 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.

 

VERSE 7. If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if he is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

 

VERSE 8. But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall assign a value to him. The priest shall assign a value according to his ability to pay.

if he is poorer than your valuation. The LORD God is always making allowances for poor people.

 

VERSE 9. “ ‘If it is an animal of which men offer an offering to the LORD, all that any man gives of such to the LORD becomes holy.

 

VERSE 10. He shall not alter it, nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good. If he shall at all exchange animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy.

 

VERSE 11. If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to the LORD, then he shall set the animal before the priest;

 

VERSE 12. and the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall be.

 

VERSE 13. But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.

 

VERSE 14. “ ‘When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall stand.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 16. “ ‘If a man dedicates to the LORD 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.

a homer. One homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels

fifty shekels of silver. One shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

 

VERSE 17. If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.

This might possibly have been what Barnabas did:

Acts 4:37. having a field, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 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;

 

VERSE 21. but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field. It shall be owned by the priests.

a devoted field. Instead of the word “devoted,” some translations use the word “doomed.”

 

VERSE 22. “ ‘If he dedicates a field to the LORD which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession,

 

VERSE 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 the LORD.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 25. All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.

the shekel of the sanctuary. A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.

twenty gerahs. One gerah is about 0.5 grams or about 7.7 grains.

 

THINGS THAT CANNOT BE DEDICATED TO THE LORD GOD

 

VERSE 26. “ ‘However the firstborn among animals, which belongs to the LORD as a firstborn, no man may dedicate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is the LORD’s.

 

VERSE 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.

 

VERSE 28. “ ‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Everything that is permanently devoted is most holy to the LORD.

 

VERSE 29. “ ‘No one devoted to destruction, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed. He shall surely be put to death.

 

VERSE 30. “ ‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.

 

VERSE 31. If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it.

 

VERSE 32. All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.

 

VERSE 33. He shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’ ”

 

VERSE 34. These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

 


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LEVITICUS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, The Scapegoat, Female Sacrificial Animals

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.