Leviticus 25:16 · Bible study
Leviticus 25:16 Commentary: Land Value and the Jubilee Principle
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why land price depended on years until Jubilee. This verse reveals God's ownership and economic fairness in ancient Israel.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Land price equals remaining harvests until Jubilee, preventing permanent loss of ancestral property.
- Key words: “multitude/fewness of years” (rov/me‘ot shanim), “purchase price” (miqnah), “number of crops” (mispar tevu‘ot).
- Main debate: None significant; the plain meaning is agreed. Minor point: whether sabbatical years are deducted (Barnes and Gill say yes; others imply it).
- Theological theme: God’s ownership of the land and the economic justice of the Jubilee system.
- Best use: Preaching/teaching on biblical economics, stewardship, and social justice.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You shall increase the price in proportion to a greater number of years, or decrease it in proportion to a lesser number of years; for he is selling you a given number of harvests.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
According to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for the number of the crops doth he sell unto thee.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
according to the multitude of the years thou dost multiply its price, and according to the fewness of the years thou dost diminish its price; for a number of increases he is selling to thee;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
According to the greater number of the years, thou shalt increase the price thereof; and according to the fewness of years, thou shalt diminish the price of it; for it is the number of crops that he selleth unto thee.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
The more years remain after the jubilee, the more shall the price increase: and the less time is counted, so much the less shall the purchase cost. For he shall sell to thee the time of the fruits.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Conforme á la multitud de los años aumentarás el precio, y conforme á la disminución de los años disminuirás el precio; porque según el número de los rendimientos te ha de vender él.
Conforme a abundância dos anos aumentarás o preço, e conforme a diminuição dos anos diminuirás o preço; porque segundo o número dos rendimentos te há de vender ele.
Plus il y aura d’ années, plus tu élèveras le prix; et moins il y aura d’ années, plus tu le réduiras; car c’ est le nombre des récoltes qu’ il te vend.
Nach der Menge der Jahre sollst du den Kauf steigern, und nach der wenigen der Jahre sollst du den Kauf verringern; denn er soll dir's, nach dem es tragen mag, verkaufen.
Naar de veelheid der jaren zult gij zijn koop vermeerderen, en naar de weinigheid der jaren zult gij zijn koop verminderen; want hij verkoopt aan u het getal der inkomsten.
Quanti più anni resteranno, tanto più aumenterai il prezzo; e quanto minore sarà il tempo, tanto calerai il prezzo; poiché quegli ti vende il numero delle raccolte.
Jeźli więcej będzie lat, tem drożej oszacujesz kupno ono; a jeźli mniej będzie lat, tedy też taniej oszacujesz kupno ono, ponieważ tylko liczba dochodów sprzedawa się tobie.
если много остается лет, умножь цену; а если мало лет остается, уменьши цену, ибо известное число лет жатв он продает тебе.
年歲 若多，要照數 加添 價值；年歲 若少，要照數 減去 價值，因為 他 照收成 的數目 賣 給你。
If the number of years is great, the price will be increased, and if the number of years is small, the price will be less, for it is the produce of a certain number of years which the man is giving you.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Leviticus 25:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that Leviticus 25:16 establishes a simple principle: the price of land is directly tied to the number of harvests remaining until the next Year of Jubilee. Matthew Henry notes that the land is not sold permanently, but its use is leased for a set term. John Wesley states plainly: “he selleth not the land, but only the fruits thereof, and that for a certain time.” Barnes adds that sabbatical years, when the land lies fallow, must be deducted from the count, since no harvest occurs then. Gill expands on the valuation method: both the number of years and the number of fertile growing seasons factor into the price. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges summarizes that “the price to be paid … shall be estimated in accordance with the distance of the transaction from that year.” All agree: the transaction is not a permanent sale but a temporary transfer of cropping rights, limited by the Jubilee.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The land's sale price is directly tied to the number of remaining harvests before the Jubilee, reflecting that only the use of the land is transferred, not the land itself, since God is the true owner.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Land pricing principle | All commentators hold that price is proportional to the number of harvests before Jubilee. | None; the text is unambiguous. |
| Deduction of sabbatical years | The crop count excludes God-mandated fallow years. | Barnes and Gill explicitly mention this deduction; others assume it without comment. |
| Application to New Covenant | The Jubilee prefigures Christ’s redemption (forgiveness, restoration). | Christians differ on whether the economic laws of Jubilee are directly applicable to modern society or are typologically fulfilled and thus not binding as civil law. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The Jubilee (Hebrew yobel, likely from the ram’s horn that proclaimed it) was the fiftieth year following seven sabbatical cycles of seven years each (Leviticus 25:8, 10). In that year, land reverted to its original tribal family, slaves were freed, and the land rested. This system operated on a foundational theological claim: “The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23). Because Yahweh is the ultimate owner, Israelites were mere tenants. What looked like a sale was in fact a lease running until the next Jubilee.
Verse 15 sets the rule: “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.” The buyer calculates how many harvests remain and pays accordingly. Verse 16 makes it vivid: if many years remain, the price rises; if few, it falls. The seller is selling “the number of crops”, the produce, not the soil itself.
Land in ancient Israel was the primary means of livelihood and family identity. Permanent alienation would create a landless class and destroy the traditional clan structure. The Jubilee prevented the rich from accumulating estates forever. It also kept prices fair: the buyer received exactly what he paid for, and the seller got a value determined by objective criteria rather than haggling or exploitation.
The surrounding passage (vv. 17, 22) reinforces this by commanding mutual honesty, fear of God, and trust in divine provision, since the land might not yield in the sabbatical year, God promised to bless the sixth year to provide for three years (v. 21). The Jubilee laws thus embedded economic justice within Israel’s identity as a covenant community dependent on God.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is consistent across manuscripts, and the ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate) reflect the same reading.
Reception History
The early church read the Jubilee as a type of Christ’s deliverance and the forgiveness of sins. Origen and Augustine saw in the trumpet of the Jubilee a proclamation of Gospel liberty. Medieval commentators like Thomas Aquinas integrated these laws into ethical discussions on justice in property and fair dealing. Reformation figures (Luther, Calvin) emphasized God’s sovereignty and the duty of mutual charity. In modern times, Leviticus 25 has become a key resource for Christian social ethics, especially regarding land rights, economic inequality, and the call for periodic restoration. The Jubilee Year has inspired movements advocating debt relief and jubilee economics, rooted in this chapter’s vision of God’s ultimate ownership of the earth.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God Owns the Land. The pricing law assumes God is the true owner; we are tenants. This sets all economic activity under divine authority.
- Counting the Cost. Price reflects the remaining years of harvests. Honest calculation replaces exploitation.
- Hope in the Jubilee. The land returns, debts are forgiven, God provides. It points to eventual restoration in Christ.
Five-point outline
- The foundation: God’s ownership of the land (v. 23).
- The calculation: years multiplied by harvests, deducting sabbatical fallow years.
- The limitation: no permanent sale, land reverts at Jubilee.
- The ethical command: do not oppress one another (v. 17).
- The promise: God will provide for the sabbatical year (vv. 20, 22).
Illustration hooks
- Buying a leasehold apartment with a known expiry date; you pay for what is left on the lease.
- A farmer contracts to sell the fruit of his orchard for the next ten years, the sale is of the crop, not the trees.
- A family loans a plot for a community garden for a set term; the user does not own the land.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why didn’t they simply sell the land permanently? What problem was Jubilee meant to solve?
- How does this apply to Christians today, since the Jubilee is no longer observed as a civil law?
- What does this say about our attitude toward money, possessions, and a short-term lease on the earth?
Leading a Discussion
The Jubilee laws were designed to prevent permanent economic inequality and to remind Israel that God is the true owner of the land. This verse gives a concrete rule for fair pricing. As you study together, consider what it means to value things in light of God’s ultimate ownership and the limited time we have on earth.
Discussion questions
- What does the phrase “the number of the crops” tell you about what is actually being sold?
- Why do you think the price depended on the years until Jubilee? What does that reveal about God’s priorities?
- How does the principle that “the land is mine” (v. 23) change the way we think about property today?
- In what ways do we “sell” things without recognizing God’s ultimate ownership, our time, talents, or resources?
- The command “you shall not wrong one another” (v. 17) brackets this pricing law. Why is fairness so important in financial transactions, and how can it be practiced in daily life?
- How might the promise of God’s provision in years six through nine (vv. 21, 22) encourage trust in God’s timing and care?
- What does the Jubilee teach us about God’s character, his justice, mercy, and desire for restoration?
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 25:27 | then let him reckon the years since its sale, and restore the surplus to the man to whom he sold it; and he shall return to his property. |
| Leviticus 25:51 | 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. |
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
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
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 Bible note explains that the price of land in Israel is set according to how many harvests remain until the Jubilee year. More years mean a higher price, fewer years mean a lower price, because the seller is really selling the future crops, not the land itself.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill explains that the price of land sold in Israel was tied directly to how many years remained until the Jubilee. The more productive years left, the higher the price; fewer years meant a lower price. He also notes that sabbatical years were deducted, so only actual fruit-bearing years were counted in the valuation.
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 clarifies that the transaction involves only the harvests or produce, not the actual land itself, and that this arrangement lasts for a fixed period rather than permanently.