Levítico 25
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Levítico 25
MacArthur - "God owns the earth and all that is in it (cf. Ps 24:1). The people of Israel were, in fact, only tenants on the land by the Lord’s grace. Therefore ownership of property was temporary, not permanent." (See context in The NASB, MacArthur Study Bible:) for you are but aliens: Alien, sojourner, stranger, referring to someone who did not enjoy the rights usually possessed by the resident. The clearest sense of the noun ger is seen when used of Israel in their sojourn in Egypt (Ex 23:9 Ge 15:13). Moses named his son Gershom in memory of his stay in Midian (Ex 18:3), for he had been exiled from both Egypt and Canaan. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived as strangers in Canaan (Ex 6:4) meaning that they had no property rights there. and sojourners with Me: refers to the temporary, landless wage earner who could not eat the Passover, and whose children were not exempt from being sold as slaves (Lev 25:45). However sojourners could seek the protection of the cities of refuge (Nu 35:15) but in general his freedom was not as great as that of the alien even though he shared some of his privileges. Leviticus 25:24 'Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land. redemption: Lev 25:27,31,51-53 Ro 8:23 1Co 1:30 Eph 1:7,14 Eph 4:30 Related Passages: Romans 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 1 Corinthians 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, Ephesians 1:7; In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. PROVISION FOR REDEMPTION OF LAND 'Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land - BBE = "Wherever there is property in land, the owner is to have the right of getting it back." Rooker notes that "Since the land was God’s, it was to be used in accordance with his plan and policy. The Israelites do not possess the land because of their military prowess, neither may they dispose of the land at their own discretion. Land sales in Israel were thus not final but were more like leases. The various scenarios are introduced by the phrase “If one of your countrymen becomes poor” (Lev 25:25; see also Lev 25:35, 39, 47). (See context in Leviticus: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition ) REDEMPTION in this verse is the Hebrew word = geullah is often translated the right of redemption and is used in regard to deliverance of persons or property that had been sold for debt. The law required that the "right of redemption" of land and of persons be protected (Lev 25:24, 48). The redemption price was determined by the number of years remaining until the release of debts in the year of jubilee (Lev 25:27-28). The word geullah also occurs in Jeremiah 32 where God gives an unusual instruction to Jeremiah to buy land even though the Babylonian invasion was imminent! ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy [it.] “Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy [it] for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. ”’ (Jeremiah 32:7, 8-note) W E Vine writes that geullah (01353) is used in regard to deliverance of persons or property that had been sold for debt. The law required that the “right of redemption” of land and of persons be protected (Lev. 25:24, 48). The redemption price was determined by the number of years remaining until the release of debts in the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:27-28). The word ge˒ullah also occurs in Jer. 32:7: “Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.” Geullah is used 9 times in Leviticus 25 - Lev 25:24, 26, 29, 31, 32, 48, 49, 51, 52. There are 2 uses of geullah in Ruth (Ru 4:6,7-note) and 2 in Jeremiah (Jer 32:7, 8). Leviticus 25:25 'If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. Ru 2:20 3:2,9,12 4:4-6 Jer 32:7,8 2 Co 8:9 Heb 2:13,14 Rev 5:9 Related Study - Kinsman-Redeemer - The Goel NLT If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and are forced to sell some inherited land, then a close relative, a kinsman redeemer, may buy it back for them. THE CONCEPT OF THE KINSMAN-REDEEMER ESV Study Note summarizes Lev 25:25-28 - If an Israelite is forced to sell his land temporarily, he and his family retain the right of redemption. The land may be redeemed in one of three ways: (1) a kinsman-redeemer buys back the land; (2) the seller himself is able to buy it back; or (3) it is restored to the rightful owner at the jubilee. (See context in ESV Study Bible) If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest (qarob) kinsman (goel/ga'al) is to come and buy back (goel/ga'al; lutroo ) what his relative has sold: The nearest kinsman is the goel who had the obligation to buy or redeem the property of his poor relative. The book of Ruth illustrates the role of the Kinsman-Redeemer (Nearest Kinsman) where Boaz served as Ruth and Naomi's "nearest kinsman." Ruth 2:20+ Naomi said to her daughter-in-law (Ruth), “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead.” Again Naomi said to her, “The man (Boaz) is our relative (qarob), he is one of our closest relatives (goel NAS marginal note = "redeemers").” Kinsman...Buy back are both the same Hebrew word goel and the Septuagint translations help bring out the slight difference in sense of the two uses of this word... Kinsman is translated in the Septuagint with the Greek verb agchisteuo (not found in NT) which means to be next of kin, to exercise the rights and responsibilities of a kinsman, to redeem. Buy it back is translated in the Septuagint with the verb = lutroo which refers to the releasing of someone held captive (e.g., a prisoner or a slave) on receipt of the ransom payment. The go'el is a kinsman who did for his relative what that relative could not do for himself. The OT Go'el is a beautiful foreshadowing of our Lord Jesus Who redeemed us from our sins, accomplishing that which we could never accomplish for ourselves. Believers have been redeemed (past tense - the moment we believed in our Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ Jesus), but our redemption awaits a yet future fulfillment, one that will occur that moment we are glorified. Paul alludes to this glorious day of "future redemption" in Eph 4:30 commanding us "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption ( = 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Cor 15:51-54)." Redeem (gaal)—The nearest relative is specified in Lev 25:49 as an uncle, a cousin, or any [male] blood relative in his clan. The noun gra is derived from the verb gaal, which has the primary meaning of redeeming one's relative from difficulty or danger. This verb, together with its derivatives, is used 117x. In Leviticus it occurs throughout Lev 25:25, 26, 30, 33, 48, 49, 54 and Lev 27:13, 15, 19, 20, 27, 28, 31, 33. The duty of the nearest relative in Lev. 25:25-28 concerns the redemption of land sold in a time of financial need while in Lev. 25:47-53 it concerns the redemption of the Israelite himself who sold himself as a hired hand. The Hebrew verb padah, also translated "redeem," is different in that there is no concept of family relationship when it is used (see Lev. 27:27). In Lev. 27:31 gaal is again the word used, this time to describe a redemption by a relative (see Lev. 25:25). Here, however, the redemption is by the owner himself since the redemption was not due to an inability to pay but a choice on the part of the Israelite worshiper. To prevent a redemption that could favor the Israelite, an added-value "tax" was required. A redemption, in this context, of the fruit of the land, might be necessary for the purposes of transportation, but since everyone lived within a small land mass, once the Promised Land was occupied, redemption was obviously discouraged. C H
Levítico 25
MacArthur comments that pasture fields "were fields that the village/city-at-large used to grow crops." (Study Bible) Leviticus 25:35 'Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. thy brother (KJV): Lev 25:25 De 15:7,8 Pr 14:20,21 17:5 19:17 Mk 14:7 Joh 12:8 2Co 8:9 Jas 2:5,6 fallen in decay (KJV): Heb. his hand faileth then (KJV): Ps 37:26 41:1 112:5,9 Pr 14:31 Lu 6:35 Ac 11:29 Ro 12:13,18,20 2Co 9:1,12-15 Ga 2:10 1Jn 3:17 relieve (KJV): Heb. strengthen a stranger (KJV): Lev 19:34 Ex 23:9 De 10:18,19 Mt 25:35 Heb 13:2 NET If your brother becomes impoverished and is indebted to you (Literally "and his hand slips with you."), you must support him; he must live with you like a foreign resident NLT "If any of your Israelite relatives fall into poverty and cannot support themselves, support them as you would a resident foreigner and allow them to live with you. INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEALING WITH POOR Leviticus 25:35–38 One might subtitle this section "God's welfare program." The idea of "poor" is desperate, life-threatening poverty. James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose - Forgiveness. "If thy brother be poor, thou shalt relieve him" (Lev 25:35). Even the debt and poverty of a man did not hinder him from enjoying the grace of the jubilee, but made him just the more a fit subject for it. To the poor the Gospel is preached. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us, He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, Matthew
Levítico 25
MacArthur - The law required gleanings (leftovers after harvest) for the Israelite as well as the stranger (cf. Lev 19:9, 10; 23:22; Dt 24:19–21). You are to sustain him - Sustain is the Hebrew word hazaq which means to strengthen someone. It is the word used in the famous charge to Joshua to "Be strong (hazaq - 02388) and of good courage!" (Joshua 1:9) Jehovah rebuked Israel for not helping the poor (Ezek 16:49 "she did not help the poor and needy.") Stranger (01616)(ger from gur = to live among people not one's blood relatives) is a masculine noun meaning sojourner, alien, stranger. It describes someone who did not enjoy rights usually possessed by residents. It describes a person who does not belong to the nation of Israel by ancestry. Baker adds that ger "indicates in general anyone who is not native to a given land or among a given people (Ex. 12:19). The word is used most often to describe strangers or sojourners in Israel who were not native-born Israelites and were temporary dwellers or newcomers. A person, family, or group might leave their homeland and people to go elsewhere because of war or immediate danger as Moses had done (Ex. 2:22; cf. 2 Sam. 4:3); Naomi and her family were forced to travel to Moab to sojourn because of a famine in Israel (Ruth 1:1). God’s call to Abraham to leave his own land of Ur of the Chaldees and made him a sojourner and an alien in the land of Canaan (Gen. 12:1). Israel’s divinely orchestrated descent into Egypt resulted in their becoming an alien people in a foreign land for four hundred years (Gen. 15:13). Abraham considered himself an alien, although he was in the land of Canaan, the land of promise, because he was living among the Hittites at Hebron (Gen. 23:4). This evidence indicates that strangers or aliens were those living in a strange land among strange people. Their stay was temporary or they did not identify with the group among whom they were living, no matter how long they stayed. The transitory nature of aliens’ status is indicated in passages that describe them as seeking overnight lodging or accommodations (Job 31:32; Jer. 14:8). Sojourners or strangers in Israel were not to be oppressed but were to receive special consideration for several reasons: Israel knew about being aliens, for they had been aliens in Egypt (Ex. 23:9); aliens had a right to rest and cessation from labor just as the native Israelites did (Ex. 20:10); aliens were to be loved, for God loved them (Deut. 10:18) just as He loved widows and orphans; aliens had a right to food to satisfy their needs just as orphans and widows did (Deut. 14:29). In Ezekiel’s vision of a new temple and temple area, the children of aliens and sojourners were given an allotment of land (Ezek. 47:22), for they were to be considered as native children of Israel. However, this shows that sojourners had to receive special concessions because they did not have all the rights of native Israelites. Aliens could eat the Lord’s Passover only if they and their entire household submitted to circumcision (Ex. 12:48, 49). They were then not allowed to eat anything with yeast in it during the celebration of the Passover, just like native Israelites (Ex. 12:19, 20). However, major distinctions did exist between sojourners or aliens and native Israelites. Unclean food could be given to aliens to eat, but the Israelites were prohibited from eating the same food. To have done so would violate their holiness and consecration to the Lord God. Unfortunately, David himself laid forced labor on the shoulders of aliens in Israel to prepare to build the temple (1 Chr. 22:2; cf. 2 Chr. 8:7–9). (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament) "[God] said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years." Does this Psalm describe you? Ps 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth; Do not hide Your commandments from me. What is the Lord's heart regarding strangers? Ps 146:9 The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked. Here are all the uses of ger in Leviticus... Leviticus 16:29 “[This] shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; Leviticus 17:8 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, Leviticus 17:10 ‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. Leviticus 17:12 “Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.’ Leviticus 17:13 “So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. Leviticus 17:15 “When any person eats [an animal] which dies or is torn [by beasts,] whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean. Leviticus 18:26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, [neither] the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you Leviticus 19:10 ‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:33 ‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. Leviticus 19:34 ‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 20:2 “You shall also say to the sons of Israel: ‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. Leviticus 22:18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the LORD for a burnt offering– Leviticus 23:22 ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’” Leviticus 24:16 ‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. Leviticus 24:22 ‘There shall be one standard for you; it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the LORD your God.’” Leviticus 25:23 ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are [but] aliens and sojourners with Me. Leviticus 25:35 ‘Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Leviticus 25:47 ‘Now if the means of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a stranger’s family, Ger - 92x in 83v - Usage: alien(40), aliens(11), foreigners(1), immigrants(1), sojourner(5), sojourners(2), stranger(25), stranger's(1), strangers(6). Ge 15:13; Gen. 23:4; Ex. 2:22; Ex 12:19; Ex 12:48; Ex 12:49; Ex 18:3; Ex 20:10; Ex 22:21; Ex 23:9; Ex 23:12; Lev. 16:29; Lev. 17:8; Lev. 17:10; Lev. 17:12; Lev. 17:13; Lev. 17:15; Lev. 18:26; Lev. 19:10; Lev. 19:33; Lev. 19:34; Lev. 20:2; Lev. 22:18; Lev. 23:22; Lev. 24:16; Lev. 24:22; Lev. 25:23; Lev. 25:35; Lev. 25:47; Num. 9:14; Num. 15:14; Num. 15:15; Num. 15:16; Num. 15:26; Num. 15:29; Num. 15:30; Num. 19:10; Num. 35:15; Deut. 1:16; Deut. 5:14; Deut. 10:18; Deut. 10:19; Deut. 14:21; Deut. 14:29; Deut. 16:11; Deut. 16:14; Deut. 23:7; Deut. 24:14; Deut. 24:17; Deut. 24:19; Deut. 24:20; Deut. 24:21; Deut. 26:11; Deut. 26:12; Deut. 26:13; Deut. 27:19; Deut. 28:43; Deut. 29:11; Deut. 31:12; Jos. 8:33; Jos. 8:35; Jos. 20:9; 2 Sam. 1:13; 1 Chr. 22:2; 1 Chr. 29:15; 2 Chr. 2:17; 2 Chr. 30:25; Job 31:32; Ps. 39:12; Ps. 94:6; Ps. 119:19; Ps. 146:9; Isa. 14:1; Jer. 7:6; Jer. 14:8; Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 14:7; Ezek. 22:7; Ezek. 22:29; Ezek. 47:22; Ezek. 47:23; Zech. 7:10; Mal. 3:5 W E Vine - ger (גֵּר, 1616), “client; stranger.” Ger occurs about 92 times and in every period of biblical Hebrew. A “client” was not simply a foreigner (nakri) or a stranger (zar). He was a permanent resident, once a citizen of another land, who had moved into his new residence. Frequently he left his homeland under some distress, as when Moses fled to Midian (Exod. 2:22). Whether the reason for his journey was to escape some difficulty or merely to seek a new place to dwell, he was one who sought acceptance and refuge. Consequently he might also call himself a toshab, a settler. Neither the settler nor the “client” could possess land. In the land of Canaan the possession of land was limited to members or descendants of the original tribal members. Only they were full citizens who enjoyed all the rights of citizenry, which meant sharing fully in the inheritance of the gods and forefathers—the feudal privileges and responsibilities (cf. Ezek. 47:22). In Israel a ger, like a priest, could possess no land and enjoyed the special privileges of the third tithe. Every third year the tithe of the harvest was to be deposited at the city gate with the elders and distributed among “the Levite, (became he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates …” (Deut. 14:29). In the eschaton such “clients” were to be treated as full citizens: “And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it [the land] by lot for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel” (Ezek. 47:22). Under the Mosaic law aliens were not slaves but were usually in the service of some Israelite whose protection they enjoyed (Deut. 24:14). This, however, was not always the case. Sometimes a “client” was rich and an Israelite would be in his service (Lev. 25:47). The ger was to be treated (except for feudal privileges and responsibilities) as an Israelite, being responsible to and protected by the law: “Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him” (Deut. 1:16); “ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you” (Lev. 18:26); “ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 24:22). The ger also enjoyed the Sabbath rest (Lev. 25:6) and divine protection (Deut. 10:18). God commanded Israel to love the “client” as himself (Lev. 19:34). The ger could also be circumcised (Exod. 12:48) and enjoy all the privileges of the true religion: the Passover (Exod. 12:48-49), the Atonement feast (Lev. 16:29), presenting offerings (Lev. 17:8), and all the feasts (Deut. 16:11). He was also obligated to keep the purity laws (Lev. 17:15). Israel is told that God is the true owner of all the land and its people are but “clients” owing Him feudal obedience (Lev. 19:34; Deut. 10:19). They are admonished to treat the client with justice, righteousness, and love because like Abraham (Gen. 23:4) they were “clients” in Egypt (Exod. 22:21). In legal cases the “client” could appeal directly to God the great feudal Lord (Lev. 24:22). Two other nouns related to gur are megurim and gerut. Megurim occurs 11 times and refers to the “status or condition of being a client” (Gen. 17:8) and to a “dwelling where one is a client” (Job 18:19). Gerut appears once to refer to a “place where clients dwell” (Jer. 41:17). Some scholars think this word is a proper name, a part of a place name. (Vine's Expository Dictionary online) Brown-Driver-Briggs Expanded Definition - ger גֵּר noun masculine Exodus 12:48 sojourner (Arabic , Ethiopic Aramaic , גִּיּוֺר, prostelyte, גַּיֵּר proselytize, Phoenician גר in proper name, & plural גרם) — גֵּרGenesis 15:16 74t.; suffix גֵּרְךָ Exodus 20:10 4t., גֵּרוֺ Deuteronomy 1:16; plural גֵּרִים Exodus 22:20 9t., גֵּירִים 2 Chronicles 2:16; — 1 sojourner, temporary dweller, new-comer (no inherited rights), compare Exodus 12:19; Leviticus 24:16; Numbers 15:30; Joshua 8:33 (opposed to homeborn); of Abraham at Hebron Genesis 23:4 (P; "" תּוֺשָׁב); Moses in desert Exodus 2:22 (J) Exodus 18:3 (E; here explanation of name Gershom, Moses' son); as claiming hospitality Job 31:32; perhaps in above cases, and certainly in General, with technical sense; figurative of Yahweh Jeremiah 14:8; of Israel in Egypt Genesis 15:13; Exodus 22:20; Exodus 23:9 (all J E) Leviticus 19:34 (H) Deuteronomy 10:19; Deuteronomy 23:8; גֵּרִים with Yahweh Leviticus 25:23 (H) 1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalm 39:13 (in all "" תּוֺשָׁב) compare Psalm 119:19. 2 usually of גֵּרים in Israel 2 Samuel 1:13 (Amalekite) compare Joshua 8:33,35 (E) Joshua 20:9 (P) Isaiah 14:1; dwellers in Israel with certain conceded, not inherited right (compare RS OTJC 434; 2nd ed. 342. n.; K 42; Sem 75f. Sta Geschichte.i.400). The גֵּר is to share in Sabbath rest Exodus 20:10; Exodus 23:12 (both J E) Deuteronomy 5:14; otherwise he is have like obligations with Israel Exodus 12:19,48,49; Leviticus 16:29 (all P) Leviticus 17:8,10,12,13,15; Leviticus 18:26; Leviticus 20:2; Leviticus 22:18; Leviticus 24:16,22 (all H) Numbers 9:14 (twice in verse); Numbers 15:14,15 (twice in verse); Numbers 15:16,26,29,30; Numbers 19:10; Numbers 35:15 (all P) Ezekiel 14:7; similar rights Deuteronomy 1:16; Ezekiel 47:22,23; and like privileges Deuteronomy 16:11,14; Deuteronomy 26:11; Deuteronomy 29:10; Deuteronomy 31:12 compare 2 Chronicles 30:25; very rarely any distinction made, in obligation Leviticus 25:47 (3t. in verse) (H), in permissible food Deuteronomy 14:21; in future success Deuteronomy 28:43; kindness to גֵּר frequently enjoined: Leviticus 19:10 ("" עָנִי), Leviticus 23:22 ("" id.) Leviticus 19:34 (all H); Deuteronomy 10:18,19; Deuteronomy 14:29; Deuteronomy 24:19,20,21; Deuteronomy 26:12,13 (all "" יָתוֺם וְאַלְמָנָה); oppression prohibited Leviticus 19:33 (H) Deuteronomy 24:14; Exodus 22:20; Exodus 23:9 (twice in verse) (JE) Deuteronomy 24:17; Deuteronomy 27:19; Jeremiah 7:6; Jeremiah 22:3; Zechariah 7:10 (these eight "" יָתוֺם וְאַלְמָנָה); object of care to ׳י Psalm 146:9 ("" id.); charge that גֵּר has been oppressed Ezekiel 22:7; Malachi 3:5 (both "" id.); also Ezekiel 22:29 ("" עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֺן), Psalm 94:6; compare also command that a poor brother be treated like גֵּר i.e. kindly, Leviticus 25:35 (H). Latest conception somewhat different: 1 Chronicles 22:2; 2 Chronicles 2:16 (הַגֵּירִים) gathered for hard service; yet compare 2 Chronicles 30:25. (Often with verbal cognate Exodus 12:48,49; Leviticus 16:29; Leviticus 17:8,10,12,13; Leviticus 18:26; Leviticus 19:33; Leviticus 20:2; Numbers 9:14; Numbers 15:14,15,16,26,29; Numbers 19:10; Joshua 20:9; Ezekiel 47:22,23; oft "" תּוֺשָׁב Genesis 23:4; Leviticus 25:23,35,47; 1 Chronicles 29:15; Psalm 39:13). [גֵּיר] noun masculine 2 Chronicles 2:16 see גֵּר below I. גור. Holman's Bible Dictionary on alien - A foreigner living in a community without relatives. People fleeing famine became aliens among the people where they settled. Thus Elijah was an alien in the home of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:20 ; “to sojourn” is to be an alien). Isaac was an alien with Abimelech, the Philistine king (Genesis 26:3 ). War leaves refugees who become aliens (Isaiah 16:4 ). Compare 2 Samuel 4:3 . Levites, priests not given inheritance, are aliens (Deuteronomy 18:6 ). Accidents or crime could cause a person to leave home and become an alien. An alien stood between a person born in the community and a foreigner without any ties to the community. The alien could become a soldier, as did the Amalekite who killed Saul (2 Samuel 1:13 ). David gathered aliens to build God's house (1 Chronicles 22:2 ). As an alien in Sodom, Lot owned a house (Genesis 19:9 ). The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) were aliens in Canaan, but owned large material resources (Genesis 20:1 ; Genesis 26:3 ; Genesis 32:5 ). The alien could worship God and was supposed to keep the Sabbath (Exodus 23:12 ;Deuteronomy 31:12 ). Israel had a special place for aliens, because Israel began history in Egypt as aliens (Exodus 23:9 ). Special laws provided food and clothing for aliens (Deuteronomy 24:19-20 ; Deuteronomy 26:12 ). Aliens had rights in the courtroom (Deuteronomy 24:17 ; Deuteronomy 27:19 ). The ritual expectations of the alien are not always clear (Deuteronomy 14:21 ; Leviticus 17:15 ). God loves aliens (Deuteronomy 10:19 ). They may observe Passover just as any Israelite (Numbers 9:14 ) and offer sacrifices (Leviticus 17:8 ). They should obey sexual laws (Leviticus 18:26 ). Unexpectedly, the prophets have little to say about aliens. See Jeremiah 7:6 ; Jeremiah 22:3 ; Ezekiel 22:7 ,Ezekiel 22:7,22:29 . Jeremiah does lament that God appears to be an alien (Jeremiah 14:8 ). The psalmist saw all people as aliens on earth (Psalm 39:13 ; Psalm 119:19 ). God owns the land (Leviticus 25:23 ). See Stranger . Resources Related to Alien: Baker Evangelical Dictionary Alien Easton's Bible Dictionary Alien Holman Bible Dictionary Alien Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Alien Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Alien 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica Alien International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Alien McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Alien The Jewish Encyclopedia Aliens Sojourner (08453)(toshab) describes a temporary resident, sojourner, stranger, an alien living in an area that is not one’s normal country as a class of people with less social rights (Lev 25:6, 23, 35, 40, 45, 47). Toshab is sometimes synonymous with gēr (Gen. 23:4), but at other times designates a less assimilated person (Ex 12:45; KJV “foreigner”). All the uses in Leviticus 25 are translated in the Septuagint with the Greek word - paroikos - literally a noncitizen or resident alien (Acts 7:29 "MOSES FLED AND BECAME AN ALIEN IN THE LAND OF MIDIAN") and used metaphorically of a Christian whose real home is in heaven stranger, one who lives for awhile on earth (1 Peter 2:11-note) and of a Gentile not yet belonging to God's covenant people (Eph 2:19-note). Fanny Crosby beautifully pictures our redemption in this old hymn: Redeemed, and with the price of blood, Which Thou hast shed for me, I stand, a monument of grace, A witness, Lord, for Thee. Refrain Redeemed, and made by simple faith An heir of Heaven above! Oh, love surpassing human thought! Oh, vast, unmeasured love! Redeemed, no longer dead in sin, But raised by pow’r divine, My tongue, rejoicing, cries aloud, All glory, Lord, be Thine. Refrain Redeemed, my heart is filled with praise, My soul true comfort knows, And daily feels the calm of peace That like a river flows. Refrain Redeemed, I’ll tell it o’er and o’er; Redeemed my song shall be, My watchword through the vale of death, My passport home to Thee. Refrain Toshab - 14x in 13v - Usage: foreign resident(1), settlers(1), sojourner(8), sojourners(2), sojourning(1), tenants(1). Genesis 23:4 "(Abraham testified) I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight." Exodus 12:45 "A sojourner or a hired servant shall not eat of it. Leviticus 22:10 'No layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. Leviticus 25:6 'All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. Leviticus 25:23 'The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. Leviticus 25:35 'Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Leviticus 25:40 'He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. Leviticus 25:45 'Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. Leviticus 25:47 'Now if the means of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a stranger's family, Numbers 35:15 'These six cities shall be for refuge for the sons of Israel, and for the alien and for the sojourner among them; that anyone who kills a person unintentionally may flee there. 1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, surely there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 1 Chronicles 29:15 "For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. Psalm 39:12 "Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner like all my fathers. See C H Spurgeon's sermon - Strangers and Sojourners - Psalm 39:12 (#3234) - "A stranger is a person who is away from his home. And a sojourner is one who only stays in a certain place for a short time and then must be up and away. Such is a true Christian.....Further, we are in our hearts, strangers to the world. Wherever a true Englishman wanders, his heart always turns towards his native land and he says— England, with all your faults, I love you still— and when once again he sees the hoary cliffs of old Albion, his heart leaps within him, for he is glad to be back in the dear homeland! I have traveled through many lands and I can appreciate their beauties, but, after all, “there’s no place like home!” So is it with the Christian. He has various interests and occupations here and he seeks to be a blessing in the land where he is for a while, a sojourner, but his heart is with Christ in heaven—and he can never be fully satisfied until he is there, too! An Englishman abroad is often hard to please. He thinks sometimes very foolishly, that there is nothing as good as what he has in his fair island home! But a Christian knows that heavenly things are infinitely preferable to the things of earth! He has long since learned that there is nothing here to satisfy his immortal spirit and his heart is always anticipating the time when he shall be at home with his Lord and find in Him all that his capacious soul can wish." (Read his entire wonderful sermon). ISBE article - THE TOSHABH. Of the toshabh we know very little. It is possible that the word is practically synonymous with ger, but perhaps it is used of less permanent sojourning. Thus in Lev 22:10 it appears to cover anybody residing with a priest. A toshabh could not eat the Passover or the “holy” things of a priest (Ex 12:45; Lev 22:10). His children could be purchased as perpetual slaves, and the law of the Jubilee did not apply to them as to Israelites (Lev 25:45). He is expressly mentioned in the law of homicide (Nu 35:15), but otherwise we have no information as to his legal position. Probably it was similar to that of the ger. NEW NAVE'S TOPICAL BIBLE - ALIENS, strangers, heathen. To be treated with justice, Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33, 34; Deut. 1:16; 10:19; 24:14, 17; 27:19; Jer. 7:6; 22:3; Ezek. 22:29; Mal. 3:5. Religious privileges of, Ex. 12:48, 49; Num. 9:14; 15:14, 15. Kindness to Edomites, enjoined, Deut. 23:7. Jews authorized to purchase, as slaves, Lev. 25:44, 45; and to take usury from, Deut. 15:3; 23:20; not permitted to make kings of, Deut. 17:15. Forbidden to eat the passover, Ex. 12:45. Partially exempt from Jewish law, Deut. 14:21. Numerous in times of David and Solomon, 2 Sam. 22:45, 46; 2 Chr. 2:17; 15:9. Oppressed, Ezek. 22:29. Rights of, Num. 35:15; Josh. 20:9; Ezek. 47:22, 23. David’s kindness to, 2 Sam. 15:19, 20. Hospitality to, required by Jesus, Matt. 25:35, 38, 43 Brown-Driver-Briggs Expanded Definition - toshabh - תּוֺשָׁב noun masculine Leviticus 25:45 sojourner, only P (H) and late; absolute ׳ת Genesis 23:4 6t; construct תּוֺשַׁב Leviticus 22:10; suffix תּוֺשָֽׁבְךָ Leviticus 25:6; plural תּוֺשָׁבִים Leviticus 25:6 2t.; construct תּשָׁבֵי 1 Kings 17:1, but read תִּשְׁבֶּה (q. v.) ᵐ5 Ew Th Hi; — sojourner, apparently of a more temporaty and dependent ( Leviticus 22:10; 25:6) kind than the גֵּר (with which it is often joined): "" שָׂכִיר Exodus 12:45 (P), Leviticus 22:10 (כֹּהֵן׳ת apriest's sojourner), Leviticus 25:6,40 (all H); הַתּוֺשָׁבִים הַגָּרִים עִמָּכֶם Leviticus 25:45 (c. participle גָּר also Leviticus 25:6); with עִם, also Leviticus 25:47 (twice in verse) (H); with בְּתוֺךְ Numbers 35:15 (P). Figurative of one enjoying only a temporary tenure, with עִם Genesis 23:4, with ׳י Leviticus 25:23; Psalm 39:13, with לִפְנֵי 1 Chronicles 29:15. — 1 Kings 17:1 see above Leviticus 25:36 'Do not take usurious interest from him, but revere your God, that your countryman may live with you. usury (KJV): Ex 22:25 De 23:19,20 Ne 5:7-10 Ps 15:5 Pr 28:8 Eze 18:8,13,17 Eze 22:12 fear (KJV): Lev 25:17 Ne 5:9,15 NLT Do not demand an advance or charge interest on the money you lend them. Instead, show your fear of God by letting them live with you as your relatives. INSTRUCTIONS ON INTEREST In Deuteronomy there were several prohibitions regarding interest Deuteronomy 23:19 “You shall not charge interest to your countrymen: interest on money, food, [or] anything that may be loaned at interest. 20 “You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge interest, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess. Deuteronomy 24:10-13) “When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not enter his house to take his pledge. 11 “You shall remain outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. 12 “If he is a poor man, you shall not sleep with his pledge. 13 “When the sun goes down you shall surely return the pledge to him, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you; and it will be righteousness for you before the LORD your God. See also Ex 22:25 — "If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest. Eze 22:12 — "In you they have taken bribes to shed blood; you have taken interest and profits, and you have injured your neighbors for gain by oppression, and you have forgotten Me," declares the Lord GOD. Usurious - This refers to the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans. A loan is usurious when one is charged excessive or abusive interest rates. Notice what serves as an impediment to charging excess interest - the fear of God. Genuine reverential of God will serve to motivate one to turn from evil. For example, Pr 3:7 says "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil." Pr 8:13 says "the fear of the LORD is to hate evil." Proverb 16 says "by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil." MacArthur - Usury or excessive interest was prohibited for all (Ps 15:5). Even fair interest was otherwise prohibited in dealing with the poor (see Dt 23:19, 20; 24:10–13). The basics of life were to be given, not loaned, to the poor. Leviticus 25:37 'You shall not give him your silver at interest, nor your food for gain. NLT Remember, do not charge your relatives interest on anything you lend them, whether money or food. The instructions on how to treat the poor continue. This makes me think of those places that give cash to poor folks who have not yet received their wages and charge exorbitant interests! God is definitely not pleased with those businesses for taking advantage of the situation of these poor individuals! Leviticus 25:38 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. which (KJV): Ex 20:2 and to be (KJV): Lev 11:45 22:32,33 Nu 15:41 Jer 31:1,33 32:38 Heb 11:16 NLT I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. OUR GOD IS A GENEROUS GOD Why does God state this in the context of instructions on how to treat the poor in their midst? Clearly He desires all of Israel to remember that they were poor and in bondage in Egypt from which they never could have escaped had He not been "generous" to them in giving deliverance and land in Canaan. Remembering this truth should (like the fear of God mentioned in Lev 25:36) should serve as motivation for the better off in Israel to be generous to those who are not well off. How wonderful would it be if Americans (most of whom are rich relatively speaking) practiced this principle! Those who have received mercy (financially speaking) should be the first to show mercy (financially speaking)!!! Leviticus 25:39 'If a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave's service. be sold (KJV): Ex 21:2 22:3 De 15:12 1Ki 9:22 2Ki 4:1 Ne 5:5 Jer 34:14 compel him to serve as (KJV): Heb. serve thyself with him with the service of, etc. Lev 25:46 *marg: Ex 1:14 Jer 25:14 27:7 30:8 NLT "If any of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to you, do not treat them as slaves. PRINCIPLES REGARDING SLAVERY God is saying that even if a fellow Israelite has become a slave to another Israelite, the latter is not to treat him like he would an ordinary slave! Leviticus 25:40 'He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. Ex 21:2,3 NLT Treat them instead as hired servants or as resident foreigners who live with you, and they will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. In Exodus we see God's laws regarding Hebrew slaves: Exodus 21:2; 3 “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 “If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. So instead of treating them like a common slave they are to be treated like a hired man or a sojourner. Their debt would remit in the year of Jubilee, which means for some serving as a hired man may be for quite a long time if they indentured themselves soon after the previous Jubilee. Then they would have to work for 40 or more years! The Year of Jubilee - see notes on Lev 25:8-10ve C H Spurgeon in "The Interpreter Bible: Spurgeon's Devotional Bible" - Thus by the gospel jubilee we are set free, with the true liberty. Now know we the meaning of the Lord’s words, “the year of my redeemed is come.” Have all in this house kept the jubilee? If not, the Lord grant that we may.) Jesus our great High Priest, Hath full atonement made; Ye weary spirits, rest; Ye mournful souls, be glad! The year of jubilee is come: Return, ye ransom’d sinners, home. Ye who have sold for nought The heritage above, Receive it back unbought, The gift of Jesus’ love; The year, &c. Ye slaves of sin and hell, Your liberty receive; And safe in Jesus dwell, And blest in Jesus live; The year, &c. Leviticus 25:41 'He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to his family, that he may return to the property of his forefathers. then shall (KJV): Ex 21:3 Joh 8:32 Ro 6:14 Tit 2:14 shall return (KJV): Lev 25:10,28 NLT At that time they and their children will no longer be obligated to you, and they will return to their clan and ancestral property. The year of Jubilee results in a clean slate for the hired individual. Leviticus 25:42 'For they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they are not to be sold in a slave sale. NLT The people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, so they must never be sold as slaves. SERVANTS OF THE LIVING GOD They are My servants - Lev 25:55 says "‘For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." And dear reader, if you have been set free from slavery to sin, you are now the bond servant of God, Paul recording "but now having been freed (eleutheroo [word study]) from sin and enslaved (douloo [word study] from doulos) to God, you derive your benefit (fruit - karpos), resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life." (Ro 6:22-note) Paul also wrote "Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. 22For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. 23You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men." (1 Cor 7:21-23) Leviticus 25:43 'You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God. rule (KJV): Lev 25:46,53 Ex 1:13,14 2:23 3:7,9 5:14 Isa 47:6 58:3 Eph 6:9 Col 4:1 but shalt (KJV): Lev 25:17 Ex 1:17,21 De 25:18 Mal 3:5 NLT Show your fear of God by treating them well; never exercise your power over them in a ruthless way. Revere your God - Again we see the how holy fear of God should motivate a god-like treatment of others. (See note on Lev 25:17) How have you treated others this past week (today?)? Have you treated them the way God has treated you? Leviticus 25:44 'As for your male and female slaves whom you may have--you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you. Ex 12:44 Ps 2:8,9 Isa 14:1,2 Rev 2:26,27 NLT "However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SLAVERY You may acquire male and female slaves - This is a difficult passage for many to understand today given the evils that the institution of slavery has wrought throughout history and sadly even in America! The excellent website Gotquestions addresses this question: Question: "Does the Bible condone slavery?" Answer: There is a tendency to look at slavery as something of the past. But it is estimated that there are today over 27 million people in the world who are subject to slavery: forced labor, sex trade, inheritable property, etc. As those who have been redeemed from the slavery of sin, followers of Jesus Christ should be the foremost champions of ending human slavery in the world today. The question arises, though, why does the Bible not speak out strongly against slavery? Why does the Bible, in fact, seem to support the practice of human slavery? The Bible does not specifically condemn the practice of slavery. It gives instructions on how slaves should be treated (Deuteronomy 15:12-15; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1), but does not outlaw slavery altogether. Many see this as the Bible condoning all forms of slavery. What many fail to understand is that slavery in biblical times was very different from the slavery that was practiced in the past few centuries in many parts of the world. The slavery in the Bible was not based exclusively on race. People were not enslaved because of their nationality or the color of their skin. In Bible times, slavery was based more on economics; it was a matter of social status. People sold themselves as slaves when they could not pay their debts or provide for their families. In New Testament times, sometimes doctors, lawyers, and even politicians were slaves of someone else. Some people actually chose to be slaves so as to have all their needs provided for by their masters. The slavery of the past few centuries was often based exclusively on skin color. In the United States, many black people were considered slaves because of their nationality; many slave owners truly believed black people to be inferior human beings. The Bible condemns race-based slavery in that it teaches that all men are created by God and made in His image (Genesis 1:27). At the same time, the Old Testament did allow for economic-based slavery and regulated it. The key issue is that the slavery the Bible allowed for in no way resembled the racial slavery that plagued our world in the past few centuries. In addition, both the Old and New Testaments condemn the practice of “man-stealing,” which is what happened in Africa in the 19th century. Africans were rounded up by slave-hunters, who sold them to slave-traders, who brought them to the New World to work on plantations and farms. This practice is abhorrent to God. In fact, the penalty for such a crime in the Mosaic Law was death: “Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death” (Exodus 21:16). Similarly, in the New Testament, slave-traders are listed among those who are “ungodly and sinful” and are in the same category as those who kill their fathers or mothers, murderers, adulterers and perverts, and liars and perjurers (1 Timothy 1:8–10). Another crucial point is that the purpose of the Bible is to point the way to salvation, not to reform society. The Bible often approaches issues from the inside out. If a person experiences the love, mercy, and grace of God by receiving His salvation, God will reform his soul, changing the way he thinks and acts. A person who has experienced God’s gift of salvation and freedom from the slavery of sin, as God reforms his soul, will realize that enslaving another human being is wrong. He will see, with Paul, that a slave can be “a brother in the Lord” (Philemon 1:16). A person who has truly experienced God’s grace will in turn be gracious towards others. That would be the Bible’s prescription for ending slavery. Why Does the Bible Tolerate Slavery? Dan Vander Lugt The slavery tolerated by the Scriptures must be understood in its historical context. Old Testament laws regulating slavery are troublesome by modern standards, but in their historical context they provided a degree of social recognition and legal protection to slaves that was advanced for its time (Exodus 21:20-27 ; Leviticus 25:44-46). In ancient times, slavery existed in every part of the world. Slaves had no legal status or rights, and they were treated as the property of their owners. Even Plato and Aristotle looked upon slaves as inferior beings. As inhumane as such slavery was, we must keep in mind that on occasion it was an alternative to the massacre of enemy populations in wartime and the starvation of the poor during famine. It was to the people of this harsh age that the Bible was first written. In New Testament times, slave labor was foundational to the economy of the Roman empire. About a third of the population was comprised of slaves. If the writers of the New Testament had attacked the institution of slavery directly, the gospel would have been identified with a radical political cause at a time when the abolition of slavery was unthinkable. To directly appeal for the freeing of slaves would have been inflammatory and a direct threat to the social order. 1 Consequently, the New Testament acknowledged slavery’s existence, instructing both Christian masters and slaves in the way they should behave (Ephesians 6:5-9 ; Colossians 3:2 ; Colossians 4:1 ; 1 Timothy 6:2 ; Philemon 1:10-21). At the same time, it openly declared the spiritual equality of all people (Galatians 3:28 ; 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 ; Colossians 3:11). 2 The gospel first had the practical effect of doing away with slavery within the community of the early church.3 It also carried within it the seeds of the eventual complete abolition of slavery in the Western world. The fact that the Bible never expressly condemned the institution of slavery has been wrongfully used as a rationale for its continuance. In the American South prior to the Civil War, many nominal Christians wrongly interpreted the Bible’s approach to slavery and used their misunderstanding to justify economic interests. The terrible use of African slave labor continued in spite of those who argued from the Scriptures for the spiritual equality of all races.4 Today the Christian message of the spiritual equality of all people under God has spread throughout the world, and it is rapidly becoming the standard by which the human values of all nations are measured. By the time of Christ, there had been several large slave rebellions. The rebellion led by Spartacus in 73 BC terrorized all of southern Italy. His army defeated the Romans in two pitched battles before it was defeated and its survivors crucified. Also in direct contradiction to pagan values, both the Old and New Testaments clearly denied that there is anything demeaning about physical work. Jesus and His disciples were “blue collar” working men, and Paul was a tentmaker by trade (Mark 6:3 ; Acts 18:3 ; Acts 20:33-34 ; 1 Corinthians 4:12 ; 2 Thessalonians 3:8,11). Already by the second century, a former slave named Pius was the Bishop of Rome. William Wilberforce is a prime example of the influence of the gospel. An unlikely candidate for conversion, he was a high-living member of the upper classes and a rising star in English politics. His conversion to Christianity led to his lifelong dedication to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. His dream was fulfilled just before his death in 1833 when the House of Commons passed a law that abolished slavery. Another example is John Newton, the author of the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace.” Newton was a slave trader prior to his conversion. Afterwards, he became a crusader for the abolition of slavery and an important influence in the life of William Wilberforce. Allan Moseley, et al - Exalting Christ in Leviticus Lev 25:44-46 address the servitude of non-Israelites. Rather than limit comments to these three verses, the list below consists of 12 facts about slavery in the Bible. The list, which includes a reference to Leviticus 25, is an attempt to put Leviticus 25 in the context of what the entire Bible says about the issue of slavery. 1. The Bible affirms that all people of all ethnicities are equally created in the image of God and have equal ability to experience salvation in Jesus (Gen 1:27; Acts 10:34; 11:1-18; Gal 3:28). 2. Practices such as the subjugation of a people group and treating people as commodities are wicked and reveal the depth of humanity’s depravity (1 Tim 1:9-10). 3. The Old Testament allows enslavement of non-Israelites, but it was limited to a specific time in history when God used it as His judgment on the people groups who had rejected Him and oppressed Israel (Lev 25:44-46; Isa 14:1-2). God also commanded Israelites to love their neighbors and to treat the weak compassionately, commands that would eventually undermine the institution of slavery (Lev 19:13-18). 4. Old Testament laws regulating slavery recognized the worth of persons and the inviolability of the family and required release in the case of harsh treatment (e.g., Exod 21:7-11). 5. The slavery of fellow Israelites described in the Old Testament was allowed by God only to provide relief from debt and included provisions for the release of slaves (Lev 25:26,29; Deut 15:12-15). 6. In the New Testament slaves are addressed directly, indicating that God sees them as persons who are responsible for their own behavior, not owned by someone else (Col 3:22-24). 7. The kind of slavery practiced in American history is condemned in 1 Timothy 1:9-10 (called “kidnappers,” “enslavers,” or “slave traders”) as “contrary to sound doctrine” along with murder, homosexuality, and lying. 8. The New Testament teaches that if a slave has the opportunity for freedom, he should take advantage of it (1 Cor 7:21-24). 9. The gospel of Jesus Christ equalizes people, since slaves are free in Christ and freemen are slaves to Christ (1 Cor 7:21-24; Philemon 16-17). 10. The New Testament emphasizes that no matter what our status (married, single, divorced, free, or enslaved) we are to use it as an opportunity to serve God and advance the gospel (1 Cor 7:18-24; Eph 6:5-9; Col 3:22-24). 11. The Bible does not advocate bloodshed or rebellion in overturning evil structures of society like slavery. Instead, Christians live with love and grace. As we share the gospel through example and words, people receive Jesus, their hearts are changed, and then societal structures change. Once the gospel is applied by enough people in a society, the elimination of slavery is inevitable. 12. The New Testament teaches that the workplace is a mission field, where both masters and servants live like Jesus and proclaim the gospel. Viewed from this spiritual and eternal perspective, the slave who knows Jesus always has an advantage over the master who does not (Titus 2:7-15). Applying biblical texts about slavery to a contemporary context can be complicated. The slavery mentioned in the Bible is not the same as the phenomenon of slavery in the antebellum southern United States. The context of the slavery mentioned in the Old Testament was the ancient Near East, and the context of the slavery mentioned in the New Testament was the Roman Empire. The institution of slavery was different in each of those contexts, and different in turn from any contemporary context. However, the list above supplies clear principles that we can apply in any context. We should also remember that we are no better than the people who enslaved persons in different periods in history. The impulse to grab power and subjugate people is part of our fallen nature. Also, racism supports slavery, and followers of Jesus should be active in aggressively fighting racism as a virulent evil. Leviticus 25:45 'Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. NLT You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, Possession (0272)(ahuzzah from achaz = to grasp, to take hold, take possession) is a feminine noun meaning something seized or grasped a picture of the root verb achaz we see when Jacob "took hold" of Esau's heel (Gn 25:26); Samson "took hold" of the city gate (Judges 16:3) and Ruth "held" the cloak as Boaz poured six measures of barley into it (Ruth 3:15). Given this meaning of the root (achaz to seize) it is a somewhat ironic wordplay that the land of Canaan (Israel's inalienable possession) was conquered by Israel "seizing" the promised land as ordained by God. In Psalm 2 the Father makes a promise to His Son declaring "Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the [very] ends of the earth as Your possession. " (Ps 2:8). Ahuzzah is usually translated possession (slaves only in Lev 25:45, 46) or property and has the nuances of either "personal property" or more frequently, "landed property." Jehovah rather than giving the Levites land (although they did own houses in the Levitical cities) would be their possession (Nu 18:20; Ezek. 44:28). In regard to property, ahuzzah refers primarily to the possession of Promised Land in Canaan by Israel. While the Promised Land is said to be the possession of Israel, the true Landlord is the Lord Himself ("for the land is Mine" Lev 25:23) Who Alone is strong and sovereign enough to give Abraham and his seed the land as an everlasting possession. (Ge 17:8), this being the first use of ahuzzah. Ahuzzah refers to a burial site in Ge 23:4,9,20. Vine - ˒achuzzah (אֲחֻזָּה, 272), “property; possession.” This word appears 66 times, with most of its appearances being in Genesis-Joshua and Ezekel. Essentially ˒achuzzah is a legal term usually used of land, especially family holdings to be passed down to one’s heirs. In Gen. 17:13 (an early occurrence of the word) Abram is promised the territory of Palestine as a familial or tribal possession until the indiscriminate future. In Gen. 23:20 (cf. vv. 4, 9) the word bears a similar meaning. The difference appears to be that here no feudal responsibilities were attached to this “possession.” However, the rather small lot belonged to Abraham and his descendants as a burial site: “And the field, and the cave that is therein, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying place by the sons of Heth” (Gen. 23:20). In Lev. 25:45-46 non-lsraelites could also be inheritable property, but a fellow Israelite could not. The “inheritable property” of the Levites was not fields but the Lord Himself (Ezek. 44:28). Brown-Driver-Briggs Expanded Definition -ahuzzah - אֲחֻזָּה noun feminine possession — ׳א Genesis 47:11 11t.; construct אֲחֻזַּת Genesis 17:8 21t.; suffix אֲחֻזָּתְךָ Psalm 2:8; — possession, P & late; of landed property Genesis 47:11; Leviticus 14:34; Leviticus 25:10,13,25,27,28,33 (houses); Leviticus 25:41; Leviticus 25:45; Leviticus 21:46; Numbers 27:4; Numbers 32:5,22,29; Numbers 35:8; Deuteronomy 32:49; Joshua 21:12,39; Ezekiel 44:28; Ezekiel 45:5,6,7 (twice in verse); Ezekiel 45:8; Ezekiel 46:18 (3t. in verse); Ezekiel 48:20,21,22 (twice in verse); 1 Chronicles 7:28; 1 Chronicles 9:2; 2 Chronicles 11:14; 31:1; Nehemiah 11:3; with אֶרֶץ, אֲחֻזָּה׳א = land possessed, one's own land Genesis 36:43; Leviticus 14:34; Leviticus 25:24; Numbers 35:28; Joshua 22:4,9,19 (twice in verse), compare אֲחֻזַּת הָאָרֶץ Leviticus 27:24; with שָׂדֶה, אֲחֻזָּה׳שׂ Leviticus 27:16,22,28, compare Leviticus 27:21; with עִיר, אֲתֻּזָּה׳ע Leviticus 25:32,33; אֲחֻזַּת נַחֲלָה = possession by right of inheritance Numbers 27:7; Numbers 32:32, & ׳נַחֲלַת אNumbers 35:2 compare בְּנַחֲלָה׳א Ezekiel 46:16 (but Co as Numbers 27:7 so B); אֲחֻזַּת קֶבֶרGenesis 23:4,9,20; Genesis 49:30; Genesis 50:13; עוֺלם׳א Genesis 17:8; Genesis 48:4; Leviticus 25:34; in promise to Davidic king וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ אַסְפֵיאָֿרֶץ Psalm 2:8 ("" נַחֲלָה); figurative of ׳י as portion of Levitical priests Ezekiel 44:28 ("" נַחֲלָה). Ahuzzah - 66x in 58v - Usage: possession(40), possessions(2), property(19), site(5). Genesis 17:8 "I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Genesis 23:4 "I am a stranger and a sojourner among you; give me a burial site among you that I may bury my dead out of my sight." Genesis 23:9 that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he owns, which is at the end of his field; for the full price let him give it to me in your presence for a burial site." Genesis 23:20 So the field and the cave that is in it, were deeded over to Abraham for a burial site by the sons of Heth. Genesis 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom (that is, Esau, the father of the Edomites), according to their habitations in the land of their possession. Genesis 47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered. Genesis 48:4 and He said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and numerous, and I will make you a company of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you for an everlasting possession.' Genesis 49:30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field from Ephron the Hittite for a burial site. Genesis 50:13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. Leviticus 14:34 "When you enter the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a mark of leprosy on a house in the land of your possession, Leviticus 25:10 'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family. Leviticus 25:13 'On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property. Leviticus 25:24 'Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land. Leviticus 25:25 'If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. Leviticus 25:27 then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property. Leviticus 25:28 'But if he has not found sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee it shall revert, that he may return to his property. Leviticus 25:32 'As for cities of the Levites, the Levites have a permanent right of redemption for the houses of the cities which are their possession. Leviticus 25:33 'What, therefore, belongs to the Levites may be redeemed and a house sale in the city of this possession reverts in the jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the sons of Israel. Leviticus 25:34 'But pasture fields of their cities shall not be sold, for that is their perpetual possession. Leviticus 25:41 'He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall go back to his family, that he may return to the property of his forefathers. Leviticus 25:45 'Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. Leviticus 25:46 'You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another. Leviticus 27:16 'Again, if a man consecrates to the LORD part of the fields of his own property, then your valuation shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it: a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver. Leviticus 27:21 and when it reverts in the jubilee, the field shall be holy to the LORD, like a field set apart; it shall be for the priest as his property. Leviticus 27:22 'Or if he consecrates to the LORD a field which he has bought, which is not a part of the field of his own property, Leviticus 27:24 'In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it, to whom the possession of the land belongs. Leviticus 27:28 'Nevertheless, anything which a man sets apart to the LORD out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the fields of his own property, shall not be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to the LORD. Numbers 27:4 "Why should the name of our father be withdrawn from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers." Numbers 27:7 "The daughters of Zelophehad are right in their statements. You shall surely give them a hereditary possession among their father's brothers, and you shall transfer the inheritance of their father to them. Numbers 32:5 They said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan." Numbers 32:22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the LORD and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the LORD. Numbers 32:29 Moses said to them, "If the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, everyone who is armed for battle, will cross with you over the Jordan in the presence of the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession; Numbers 32:32 "We ourselves will cross over armed in the presence of the LORD into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us across the Jordan." Numbers 35:2 "Command the sons of Israel that they give to the Levites from the inheritance of their possession cities to live in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands around the cities. Numbers 35:8 "As for the cities which you shall give from the possession of the sons of Israel, you shall take more from the larger and you shall take less from the smaller; each shall give some of his cities to the Levites in proportion to his possession which he inherits." Numbers 35:28 because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession. Deuteronomy 32:49 "Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. Joshua 21:12 But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as his possession. Joshua 21:41 All the cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the sons of Israel were forty-eight cities with their pasture lands. Joshua 22:4 "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan. Joshua 22:9 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home and departed from the sons of Israel at Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession which they had possessed, according to the command of the LORD through Moses. Joshua 22:19 'If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD'S tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God. 1 Chronicles 7:28 Their possessions and settlements were Bethel with its towns, and to the east Naaran, and to the west Gezer with its towns, and Shechem with its towns as far as Ayyah with its towns, 1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first who lived in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites and the temple servants. 2 Chronicles 11:14 For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD. 2 Chronicles 31:1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout all Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the sons of Israel returned to their cities, each to his possession. Nehemiah 11:3 Now these are the heads of the provinces who lived in Jerusalem, but in the cities of Judah each lived on his own property in their cities-- the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants and the descendants of Solomon's servants. Psalm 2:8 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. Ezekiel 44:28 "And it shall be with regard to an inheritance for them, that I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel-- I am their possession. Ezekiel 45:5 "An area 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width shall be for the Levites, the ministers of the house, and for their possession cities to dwell in. Ezekiel 45:6 "You shall give the city possession of an area 5,000 cubits wide and 25,000 cubits long, alongside the allotment of the holy portion; it shall be for the whole house of Israel. Ezekiel 45:7 "The prince shall have land on either side of the holy allotment and the property of the city, adjacent to the holy allotment and the property of the city, on the west side toward the west and on the east side toward the east, and in length comparable to one of the portions, from the west border to the east border. Ezekiel 45:8 "This shall be his land for a possession in Israel; so My princes shall no longer oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes." Ezekiel 46:16 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "If the prince gives a gift out of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. Ezekiel 46:18 "The prince shall not take from the people's inheritance, thrusting them out of their possession; he shall give his sons inheritance from his own possession so that My people will not be scattered, anyone from his possession."'" Ezekiel 48:20 "The whole allotment shall be 25,000 by 25,000 cubits; you shall set apart the holy allotment, a square, with the property of the city. Ezekiel 48:21 "The remainder shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy allotment and of the property of the city; in front of the 25,000 cubits of the allotment toward the east border and westward in front of the 25,000 toward the west border, alongside the portions, it shall be for the prince. And the holy allotment and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the middle of it. Ezekiel 48:22 "Exclusive of the property of the Levites and the property of the city, which are in the middle of that which belongs to the prince, everything between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince. Leviticus 25:46 'You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another. And ye shall (KJV): Isa 14:2 they shall be your bondmen for ever (KJV): Heb. ye shall serve yourselves with them, Lev 25:39 ye shall not rule (KJV): Lev 25:43 NLT passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. Leviticus 25:47 'Now if the means of a stranger or of a sojourner with you becomes sufficient, and a countryman of yours becomes so poor with regard to him as to sell himself to a stranger who is sojourning with you, or to the descendants of a stranger's family, sojourner or stranger wax rich (KJV): Heb. the hand of a stranger, etc. obtain, etc. Lev 25:26 1Sa 2:7,8 Jas 2:5 NLT "If a resident foreigner becomes rich, and if some of your Israelite relatives go bankrupt and sell themselves to such a foreigner, Ryrie - Lev 25:47-55 If an Israelite sold himself to a foreigner, he could be redeemed by a near relative, by himself, or automatically during the year of jubilee. John Bennett - Leviticus 25:47–55 THE PRICE OF HIS REDEMPTION ‘A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization’, said Samuel Johnson. Our chapter continues to focus on the needs of the poor. A situation is anticipated in which a poor Israelite could be enslaved to a wealthy immigrant neighbour. No doubt the alien had prospered by hard graft as many do, but observe that he was to be subject to the laws of his adopted land as were the indigenous people. His slave could be redeemed or would go out free in the year of jubilee. A potential redeemer for the slave is described as ‘one of his brethren’, v. 48, or ‘any that is nigh of kin’, v. 49, or ‘himself’, v. 49. As in a normal situation, the kinsman-redeemer principle comes into play, as illustrated beautifully in the little book of Ruth. With regard to ‘the redemption of (the) soul’, a treasure-trove of wealth could never effect it, Ps. 49:6–8, and yet there is the need for a kinsman-redeemer in that sphere too. The eternal Son of God was eligible. He is God ‘manifest in the flesh,’ 1 Tim. 3:16. He was sent ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’, Rom. 8:3. Just as His people are sharers in flesh and blood, He ‘took part of the same’, Heb. 2:14. In His manhood He identified with us and thus is qualified to be our Redeemer. The price of the slave’s redemption was determined by the proximity of the year of jubilee. By contrast, the redemption of the soul ‘is precious’, requiring nothing less than the death of the Redeemer. To redeem from the curse of the law, He became ‘a curse for us’, Gal. 3:13. To redeem us from all iniquity, He ‘gave himself for us’, Titus 2:14. To redeem from a vain manner of life, His ‘precious blood’ was shed, 1 Pet. 1:18–19. Peter was inspired to write that this redemption was not by ‘silver and gold’, a great relief to him, for he had none! Acts 3:6. We bless God for ‘the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’, Rom. 3:24, and rejoice that our ‘redeemer liveth’, Job 19:25. Our chapter concludes with a reminder that in the ultimate, God’s people are His servants. Being ‘bought with a price’, 1 Cor. 6:20, demands consecrated living and devoted service. ‘Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my heart, my life, my all!’ ISAAC WATTS Leviticus 25:48 then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him, Lev 25:25,35 Ne 5:5,8 Ga 4:4,5 Heb 2:11-13 NLT they still retain the right of redemption. They may be bought back by a close relative-- Then he shall have redemption right - (Hebrew = geullah; lutrosis = redemption - act of freeing or releasing, deliverance Lu 1:68, 2:38, Heb 9:12) Geullah refers to deliverance of a countryman that had been sold for debt. One of his brothers may redeem him - Redeem is the great Hebrew word goel/ga'al (Lxx = lutroo} Redemption, a contractual agreement which existed in the slave culture, offered the potential for emancipation to indentured individuals under certain conditions. Slaves could be bought out of slavery or some other sort of indentured status by family members or other interested parties who would pay the ransom price. Leviticus 25:49 or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or one of his blood relatives from his family may redeem him; or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. or if he be (KJV): Lev 25:26 NLT an uncle, a nephew, or anyone else who is closely related. They may also redeem themselves if they can get the money. THE NEAREST RELATIVE: A KINSMAN REDEEMER This passage invokes the concept of the kinsman-redeemer (goel/ga'al) - one who pays. We see this truth saturated trhoughout the book of Ruth (Ru 2:1; 3:10-18; 4:1-10) where Ruth's "Kinsman-Redeemer" Boaz beautifully foreshadows the greatest Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ about Whom Isaiah prophesied "“A Redeemer (goel/ga'al; Lxx = rhuomai = one who rescues from danger) will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” declares the LORD." (Isa 59:20, quoted by Paul in Romans 11:26-note) Leviticus 25:50 'He then with his purchaser shall calculate from the year when he sold himself to him up to the year of jubilee; and the price of his sale shall correspond to the number of years. It is like the days of a hired man that he shall be with him. reckon (KJV): Lev 25:27 price of his sale (KJV): This was a very equitable law, both to the sojourner to whom the man was sold, and to the Israelite who had been sold. The Israelite might redeem himself, or one of his kindred might redeem him; but this must not be done to the prejudice of his master. They were therefore to reckon the years he must have served, from that time till the jubilee; and then taking the current wages of a servant, per year, at that time, multiply the remaining years by that sum, and the aggregate was to be given to his master for his redemption. The Jews hold that the kindred of such a person were bound, if in their power, to redeem him, lest he should be swallowed up among the heathen; and we find (Ne 5:8) that this was done by the Jews on their return from the Babylonish captivity. according to the time (KJV): Lev 25:40,53 De 15:18 Job 7:1,2 14:6 Isa 16:14 21:16 NLT The price of their freedom will be based on the number of years left until the next Year of Jubilee--whatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. Calculate (02803)(chasab/hasab) means to consider, to think, to calculate, to reckon oneself, to impute. The first OT use of chasab is in Genesis 15:6-note which teaches that the way of salvation has always been by faith to which God "calculated" (reckoned, imputed) righteousness to Abraham's "spiritual bank account." In a sense Abraham experienced that glorious a taste of the deeper significance of the Year of Jubilee and well might have sung this old hymn... Fair shines the morning star; The silver trumpets sound, Their notes re-echoing far, While dawns the day around: Joy to the slave; the slave is free; It is the year of Jubilee. Prisoners of hope, in gloom And silence left to die, With Christ’s unfolding tomb, Your portals open fly; Rise with the Lord—He sets you free; It is the year of Jubilee. Ye, who have sold for naught The land your fathers won, Behold how God hath wrought Redemption through His Son; Your heritage again is free, It is the year of Jubilee. Ye, who yourselves have sold For debts to justice due, Ransomed, but not with gold, He gave Himself for you! The blood of Christ hath made you free; It is the year of Jubilee. Captives of sin and shame, O’er earth and ocean, hear An angel’s voice proclaim The Lord’s accepted year; Let Jacob rise, be Israel free; It is the year of Jubilee. Leviticus 25:51 'If there are still many years, he shall refund part of his purchase price in proportion to them for his own redemption; LXE And if any have a greater number of years than enough, according to these he shall pay his ransom out of his purchase-money. CSB If many years are still left, he must pay his redemption price in proportion to them based on his purchase price. ESV If there are still many years left, he shall pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price. KJV If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. NET If there are still many years, in keeping with them he must refund most of the cost of his purchase for his redemption, NIV If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption a larger share of the price paid for him. NLT If many years still remain until the jubilee, they will repay the proper proportion of what they received when they sold themselves. YLT 'If yet many years, according to them he giveth back his redemption money, from the money of his purchase. His own redemption - (Hebrew = geullah) Our debt could never have been repaid, except by Christ Jesus our Redeemer Who paid the costly price to set His people free forever! Leviticus 25:52 and if few years remain until the year of jubilee, he shall so calculate with him. In proportion to his years he is to refund the amount for his redemption. Jubilee (KJV): The jubilee was a wonderful institution, and of great service to the religion, freedom, and independence of the Hebrews. It was calculated to prevent the rich from oppressing the poor, and reducing them to perpetual slavery; and to hinder their obtaining possession of all the lands by purchase, mortgage, or usurpation. It was further intended, that debts should not be multiplied too much, lest the poor should be entirely ruined; that slaves should not always continue in servitude; that personal liberty, equality of property, and the regular order of families might, as much as possible, be preserved; and that the people might thus be strongly attached to their country, lands, and inheritances. NLT If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, then they will repay a relatively small amount for their redemption. Leviticus 25:53 'Like a man hired year by year he shall be with him; he shall not rule over him with severity in your sight. Lev 25:43 ‘You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God. LXE as a hireling; he shall be with him from year to year; thou shalt not oppress him with labour before thee. CSB He will stay with him like a man hired year by year. A foreign owner is not to rule over him harshly in your sight. ESV He shall treat him as a servant hired year by year. He shall not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight. KJV And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight. NET He must be with the one who bought him like a yearly hired worker. The one who bought him must not rule over him harshly in your sight. NIV He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly. NLT The foreigner must treat them as workers hired on a yearly basis. You must not allow a foreigner to treat any of your fellow Israelites harshly. YLT as an hireling, year by year, he is with him, and he doth not rule him with rigour before thine eyes. Leviticus 25:54 'Even if he is not redeemed by these means, he shall still go out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him. in these years (KJV): or, by these means then (KJV): Lev 25:40,41 Ex 21:2,3 Isa 49:9,25 52:3 NLT If any Israelites have not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then they and their children must be set free at that time. SET FREE IN THE YEAR OF JUBILEE Although noted above this old hymn is so good we will repeat it here... “Blow ye the trumpet, blow, The gladly solemn sound, Let all the nations know, To earth’s remotest bound; The Year of Jubilee is come! Return, ye ransomed sinners, home. Jesus, our great High Priest, Hath full atonement made:Ye weary spirits, rest, Ye mournful souls, be glad; The Year of Jubilee is come! Return, ye ransomed sinners, home . . . Ye slaves of sin and hell, Your liberty receive, And safe in Jesus dwell, And blest in Jesus live; The Year of Jubilee is come! Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.” Leviticus 25:55 'For the sons of Israel are My servants; they are My servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. my servants (KJV): Lev 25:42 Ex 13:3 20:2 Ps 116:16 Isa 43:3 Lu 1:74,75 Ro 6:14,17,18 Ro 6:22 1Co 7:22,23 9:19,21 Ga 5:13 NLT For the people of Israel are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. For - Notice the little preposition "for" (there are over 7000 "for's" in Scripture) and if the context indicates, as it does in this passage, that the "for" is a term of explanation, pause and ask yourself what is the Spirit seeking to explain? In fact, stop reading right now and observe the previous passages and see if you can determine what Jehovah is explaining. Notice how pausing to ponder will always force you to examine the context. You can (and should) practice this simple discipline every time you encounter a for, and while not every instance is a term of explanation, a "for" at the beginning of a verse is almost always is used with that grammatical sense. I guarantee that if you begin to "pause and ponder," you will radically rejuvenate your "Read Through the Bible in a Year" program! You might even get a small journal and begin to keep notes on what the Spirit illuminates and how this truth can be applied to your daily life. As you practice interrogating the text (for, therefore, but, so that, etc) with 5W/H questions such as "What's the for explaining?", you will begin to learn to (1) Read the Bible inductively (power point overview) and to (2) Meditate (see also Primer on Biblical Meditation) on the Scripture. Meditation or "chewing the cud" of the Scripture (cf Mt 4:4, Job 23:12-note, Jer 15:16-note) so to speak is a vanishing discipline in our fast paced, hi tech, low touch society, but a spiritual discipline which God promises to greatly bless (See Ps 1:1-note, Ps 1:2-note, Ps 1:3-note, Joshua 1:8-note, cf Ps 4:4, 19:14, 27:4, 49:4, 63:6, Ps 77:6, 77:12, Ps 104:34, Ps 119:15, 119:23, 119:27, Ps 119:48, 119:78, Ps 119:97, 119:99, Ps 119:148, 143:5, Ps 145:5) From the preceding passages which "organ" of our being is most often involved/engaged in meditation? What are the subjects or the focus of meditation? Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like eating without chewing. Jehovah is explaining why they will be set free in Jubilee. They belong to Him. He brought (and bought) them. He is their God. If this is true in the Old how much greater is the truth recorded by Paul in the New... Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, Whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For (term of explanation) you have been bought with a price (1 Peter 1:18-note, Titus 2:14-note): therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20-note) Ross has an excellent summary application of some of the major principles in Leviticus 25 - The Jubilee Year forms a marvelous climax to the sacred calendar of the Hebrews. Both Jubilee (looking to release) and Sabbath (looking to rest) are types of the rest and release brought in by Christ and brought to fruition in the kingdom. Both are consequent upon atonement. In ancient Israel it was not until the blood was shed and the living goat led away into the wilderness, bearing the sins of the people into oblivion, that the trumpets pealed their exultant notes, proclaiming liberty and rest, restitution and rectitude for the people. So too it is because of the death of Jesus Christ that (1) Christianity has come to sinful humankind with all its tidings of good and wealth of salvation (John 1:29; Eph. 1:6); (2) spiritual blessings are inherited by the believer (Rom. 5:11); (3) the church will enjoy the Sabbatic glory of rest and release in the world to come (Rev. 21:1–4); and (4) the eternal jubilee will make all things new, especially a completely new social order of freedom and bliss (Rev. 21:23–22:5). What is the old social order that is removed? The evils remedied by the Jubilee Year were debt, slavery, destitution, and exhausting toil. I make a twofold discussion of the antitype of the Jubilee Year (but only after dealing in depth with the passage): the jubilee of the heart (our present experience in Christ) and the jubilee of the kingdom (the physical and spiritual reality in the world to come). The present form and the future form of the kingdom parallel the previous discussion about the Sabbath. All of this takes place through the sacrifice of Christ, who then becomes the herald of the great jubilee, announcing the year of the LORD’s favor (Isa. 61:1–3). The basic principle to stress in this chapter as the rationale behind the laws is the LORD’s oft-repeated expression: “The land is mine, for you are strangers and sojourners with me.” God is sovereign over the affairs of the world; thus he has the right to release from bondage or slavery whom he wishes, to remove the land from the rich and distribute it as he wishes. This truth kept any Israelite in the physical world, and should keep any minister in the spiritual world, from personalizing the work given to him or her, from taking credit for it, or from jealously guarding it as his or her own. It is a sacred trust to be removed some day when the LORD makes all things new. The truth in this passage ought to humble us in our work before God. (Holiness to the Lord)