Leviticus 25:15 · Bible study
Leviticus 25:15 Commentary: Study: Jubilee Land Pricing and Justice
Hebrew · 8 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Leviticus 25:15's Jubilee land pricing: God's ownership, economic justice, and the principle of leasing harvests.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Land transactions are measured by years remaining until Jubilee, making them leases of harvests rather than permanent sales.
- Key words: mispar (number), shanah (year), yobel (Jubilee), tevuah (produce).
- Main debate: Whether sabbatical years should be counted in the price (Gill says no, others assume only fruitful years).
- Theological theme: God's exclusive ownership of the land and His command for economic justice among His people.
- Best use: Teaching God's concern for societal structures that prevent permanent poverty.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You are to buy from your neighbor according to the number of years since the last Jubilee; he is to sell to you according to the number of harvest years remaining.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
According to the number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years of the crops he shall sell unto thee.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
by the number of years after the jubilee thou dost buy from thy fellow; by the number of the years of increase he doth sell to thee;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
According to the number of years since the jubilee, thou shalt buy of thy neighbour; according to the number of years of the produce, he shall sell unto thee.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he shall sell to thee according to the computation of the fruits.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Conforme al número de los años después del jubileo comprarás de tu prójimo; conforme al número de los años de los frutos te venderá él á ti.
Conforme o número dos anos depois do jubileu comprarás de teu próximo; conforme o número dos anos dos frutos te venderá ele a ti.
Tu achèteras de ton prochain, en comptant les années depuis le jubilé; et il te vendra, en comptant les années de rapport.
sondern nach der Zahl der Jahre vom Halljahr an sollst du es von ihm kaufen; und was die Jahre hernach tragen mögen, so hoch soll er dir's verkaufen.
Naar het getal der jaren, van het jubeljaar af, zult gij van uw naaste kopen, en naar het getal van de jaren der inkomsten zal hij het aan u verkopen.
Regolerai la compra che farai dal tuo prossimo, sul numero degli anni passati dall’ultimo giubileo, e quegli venderà a te in ragione degli anni di rendita.
Według liczby lat po miłościwym roku kupisz od bliźniego twego; i według liczby lat dochody sprzeda tobie.
по расчислению лет после юбилея ты должен покупать у ближнего твоего, и по расчислению лет дохода он должен продавать тебе;
你要按禧年 以後 的年 數 向 鄰舍 買；他也要按年 數 的收成 賣 給你。
Let your exchange of goods with your neighbours have relation to the number of years after the year of Jubilee, and the number of times the earth has given her produce.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 25:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse establishes a unique economic principle: land in Israel is not truly sold, but leased until the next Jubilee. Adam Clarke compares it to "buying the unexpired term of a lease." The purchase price is determined by the number of harvests remaining. Barnes specifies that "the average value of a yearly crop might be estimated, and the sabbatical years were to be deducted from the series." Gill adds that only "fruitful years" count, not sabbatical years when the land lay fallow. Matthew Henry situates this in the command not to oppress one another (v.14). The price therefore reflects not the land's permanent worth but the remaining productive years. This system safeguards against permanent poverty and reminds Israel that Yahweh alone is the ultimate owner.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The pricing method is based on remaining harvest years until the next Jubilee, reflecting that the land is not permanently sold but leased from God, who retains ultimate ownership.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Land ownership | Christians across traditions agree that the land belongs to God (Lev. 25:23) and that Jubilee laws highlight divine ownership. | Some traditions see this as a literal theocratic institution for ancient Israel; others understand it as a permanent moral principle for all societies. |
| Pricing method | The price of land is proportional to the number of harvest years remaining until the next Jubilee, effectively a lease for the unredeemed term. | Rabbinic tradition (cited by Gill) specifies that sabbatical years are deducted, and that the transaction cannot be for less than two years. Not all Christian commentators treat these specifics as binding. |
| Applicability today | The underlying values, justice, preventing oppression, trust in God's provision, remain relevant for Christian ethics and social concern. | Some Christians advocate for literal debt or land release programs based on Jubilee; others view the economic structures as culturally specific and apply the principles more broadly through tithing, almsgiving, and advocacy. |
| Fulfillment in Christ | Many traditions read the Jubilee as a type of the spiritual redemption and freedom Christ brings (Luke 4:19). | The degree to which the social-economic particulars of the Jubilee are normative for the church varies; some teach a direct application, others a purely spiritualized fulfillment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Jubilee system (Leviticus 25:8, 55) is one of the most remarkable social institutions in the Old Testament. Every fiftieth year, on the Day of Atonement, a trumpet of ram's horn (yobel) was sounded, proclaiming liberty throughout the land (v.10). Land that had been sold returned to its original family; every Israelite returned to his clan (v.13). Verse 15 gives the rule for pricing land transactions in the intervening years. The price is not for the land itself, since it must revert at Jubilee, but for the use of the land over a limited period. Poole's annotations emphasize that the land belongs to God; the Israelites are "strangers and sojourners" (v.23). The price is calculated by the number of years remaining until the next Jubilee, and only the harvest years count. Sabbatical years, when the land rested (v.4, 7), were deducted because they produced no crop for the buyer. Ellicott's Commentary describes this as comparable to "buying the unexpired term of a lease."
This pricing rule appears within a broader ethical framework. Verse 14 forbids cheating one another. Verse 17 repeats the command and grounds it in the fear of God. The promise follows that obedience brings safety and abundance (v.18, 19). The Jubilee laws are not merely economic policy; they are an expression of covenant relationship. Yahweh delivered Israel from Egypt and gave them the land; they are to reflect His character by ensuring that no Israelite is permanently dispossessed. The pricing formula of v.15 is a concrete mechanism for this justice. By tying the price to the number of harvests remaining, the law makes the transaction transparent and fair. It also reminds buyer and seller that the land's ultimate yield, and the Jubilee itself, are in God's hands.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, the Jubilee laws were elaborated in the Mishnah and Talmud, especially tractate Arakhin, which details the calculations of land prices based on years remaining. Christian interpreters from the patristic period onward have read the Jubilee as a foreshadowing of the spiritual liberty brought by Christ, often linking it to the acceptable year of the Lord in Luke 4:19. Reformation-era commentators such as Calvin and Luther discussed the passage as a model for social justice, though most recognized that the literal land-reversion aspect ceased with the end of the theocratic state. In modern times, Leviticus 25 has been invoked in movements for debt forgiveness and land reform, with Pope Francis citing the Jubilee as a biblical basis for economic justice. The verse remains a touchstone for conversations about God's ultimate ownership and the human call to steward resources faithfully.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God owns the land. The Jubilee teaches that ultimate ownership rests with Yahweh. Transactions are temporary.
- Price matches remaining time. The buyer pays only for the harvest years left until Jubilee. It is a lease, not a sale.
- Justice guides every deal. The law prohibits oppression and calls for the fear of God in all economic dealings.
Five-point outline
- Jubilee resets the clock. Every 50 years, land returns to its original family.
- No permanent land sales. What looks like a sale is really a lease limited to the remaining years.
- Price depends on productive years. Sabbatical years are subtracted; only harvest years count.
- No room for exploitation. Both buyer and seller are commanded not to take advantage of each other.
- Trust in God's provision. The law is given with promises of safety and food (v.18, 22).
Illustration hooks
- Rent-to-own. A person pays for a property with the understanding that ownership is temporary unless the full price is paid by a certain date.
- Seasonal farm share. A customer pays upfront for a summer's worth of produce, not for the field itself.
- Car lease. Monthly payments reflect the vehicle's depreciation over the lease term, not its full purchase price.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean Christians today should not own land permanently?
- What does a "Jubilee ethic" look like in a modern economy with mortgages and property rights?
- How can the principle of "not oppressing one another" shape our lending or renting practices?
Leading a Discussion
This passage challenges our assumptions about ownership. At the heart of the Jubilee law is a simple truth: the land belongs to God. Every transaction is a lease from Him. As your group reflects on Leviticus 25:15, consider how this ancient rule might shape the way you think about money, possessions, and community.
Discussion questions
- What surprised you about the pricing rule in this verse?
- Why is the number of years counted, but only the "years of the crops"?
- How does the command "you shall not wrong one another" (v.14) connect to the pricing formula?
- In what ways does the Jubilee system show God's concern for the poor?
- How does knowing that the land ultimately belongs to God affect your view of private property?
- What would it look like to apply a "Jubilee mindset" to your finances or your attitude toward debt?
- How does the promise of safety (v.18) depend on trusting God's provision (v.21)?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 27:18 | 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. |
| Leviticus 27:23 | 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. |
| Philippians 4:5 | Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke compares land purchases under the Jubilee system to buying an unexpired lease. The price was determined by how many years remained until the next Jubilee, not by the land's permanent value, since ownership would return at that time.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that "the number of years of the fruits" refers to counting actual harvests, not calendar years. When estimating the value of crops over a series of years, the sabbatical years, during which no harvest was gathered, must be deducted from the total.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary notes that in the Year of Jubilee all landed property returns to its original owner, so the price of land during any sale is calculated strictly by the number of years remaining until that return. This rule, it observes, reflects the guiding motive of the Holiness Code.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators note that the price of land in Israel was not arbitrary but tied directly to the number of harvests remaining until the next Jubilee. Both buyer and seller were to calculate the value based on the years of produce the land would yield before reverting to its original owner.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that land value between jubilees was calculated only by the number of fruitful years remaining, with sabbatical years deducted since the buyer could not profit from fallow land. He also notes Jewish tradition inferred from this that a sold field could not be redeemed in less than two years, the smallest number the law recognizes.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the Sabbatical and Jubilee years as part of a single divine design: God is the absolute Lord of the land, and Israel are only tenants and sojourners with Him. These institutions keep the land, inheritances, and even social relations holy by periodically restoring every family to its original place under God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry ties the Jubilee directly to the Day of Atonement, noting that the same day that brought pardon also proclaimed liberty, restoring every person to their family and property. This design, he argues, prevented lasting inequality and enforced the command not to oppress, since the land and its inhabitants belonged to God.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that "years of fruits" means years of actual harvest, a term that makes sense only because some other years were unfruitful. In those unfruitful years, the people were forbidden to sow or reap at all.