Lexical Summary tsemithuth: Destruction, annihilation, extermination Original Word: צְמִיתֻת Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ever Or tsmithuth {tsem-ee-thooth'}; from tsamath; excision, i.e. Destruction; used only (adverbially) with prepositional prefix to extinction, i.e. Perpetually -- ever. see HEBREW tsamath NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom tsamath Definition completion, finality NASB Translation permanently (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs צְמִיתֻת noun feminine completion, finality, only in phrase ׳לִצ, ׳לַצּ = in per petuity, of alienation of land; לִצְמִתֻת Leviticus 25:23, לַצְּמִיתֻת Leviticus 25:30 (P). Topical Lexicon Concept Overviewצְמִיתֻת describes the idea of a sale or transfer that stands “permanently,” without subsequent reclamation. In its two occurrences (Leviticus 25:23; Leviticus 25:30) the term functions as a legal-theological safeguard: Israel may carry out commercial transactions, yet such agreements can never override the ultimate ownership of the LORD, nor annul His provision for redemption in the Jubilee. Occurrences and Immediate Context 1. Leviticus 25:23 – “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine, and you are foreigners and sojourners with Me”. The twofold placement in the Jubilee legislation contrasts rural land (never subject to permanent alienation) with houses inside fortified cities (which could, under certain conditions, pass irrevocably to a purchaser). Both laws press the covenant truth that God remains the final proprietor of Israel’s inheritance. Historical and Cultural Background Ancient Near-Eastern economies regularly treated land as a commodity that could be lost forever through debt or conquest. By inserting Jubilee provisions, Scripture restrained such practices: • Rural acreage: Tied to tribal allotments (Numbers 26:52-56), farmland was integral to covenant identity. It could not be “cut off” (root צמת) from the family line. This framework protected families from generational poverty, promoted social stability and testified to the LORD’s dominion over both economy and geography. Theological Significance 1. Divine Ownership – צְמִיתֻת underscores that every human claim remains provisional before the Creator. The command “The land is Mine” (Leviticus 25:23) institutionalizes stewardship rather than possession. Ministry and Discipleship Applications • Stewardship: Believers manage resources for God’s glory, never as absolute owners (1 Corinthians 4:2). Related Scriptures for Study Psalm 24:1; Deuteronomy 15:1-11; Nehemiah 5:1-13; Isaiah 61:1-4; Luke 4:18-21; Hebrews 13:14; Revelation 21:1-5. Conclusion צְמִיתֻת functions as a pointed reminder that God’s covenant people hold all things in trust. It anchors Israel’s economic life to divine sovereignty, anticipates the gospel’s redeeming grace, and continues to instruct the church in faithful stewardship, compassionate justice, and the hope of an inheritance “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). Forms and Transliterations לִצְמִתֻ֔ת לַצְּמִיתֻ֛ת לצמיתת לצמתת laṣ·ṣə·mî·ṯuṯ laṣṣəmîṯuṯ latztzemiTut liṣ·mi·ṯuṯ liṣmiṯuṯ litzmiTutLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Leviticus 25:23 HEB: לֹ֤א תִמָּכֵר֙ לִצְמִתֻ֔ת כִּי־ לִ֖י NAS: moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land KJV: shall not be sold for ever: for the land INT: not shall not be sold permanently for the land Leviticus 25:30 2 Occurrences |
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