What is the meaning of Leviticus 25:27?

He shall calculate the years since its sale

• Scripture teaches personal responsibility in matters of property. When a family field was sold, the seller had to “calculate the years” left until the Jubilee when all land reverted to the original clan (Leviticus 25:10-13).

• This calculation prevented either party from taking advantage. It mirrored God’s command that “you are to buy from your brother on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee” (Leviticus 25:15), ensuring fair pricing.

• The principle echoes Jesus’ call to “count the cost” before acting (Luke 14:28-30). God values deliberate stewardship, never hasty decisions.

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Repay the balance to the man to whom he sold it

• Once the years were tallied, the seller was obliged to refund the buyer for the unexpired harvests. This protected the buyer’s investment, reflecting the same spirit of equity seen in Exodus 22:14-15, where borrowers compensate owners for losses.

• The repayment principle illustrates God’s heart for just dealings—“Do not defraud your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:13).

• It also foreshadows Christ, who paid in full what we could not (Colossians 2:14), restoring what was lost through sin by satisfying the debt.

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And return to his property

• After repayment, the land came back to the original family. This underscores the Lord’s declaration, “The land is Mine; you are but foreigners and sojourners with Me” (Leviticus 25:23).

• The restoration safeguarded covenant inheritance, ensuring no tribe permanently lost its portion (Numbers 36:7-9).

• Spiritually, it anticipates our ultimate “inheritance that can never perish” (1 Peter 1:4). God intends His people to dwell securely in what He assigns, whether plot of land or promise of heaven.

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summary

Leviticus 25:27 lays out a three-step process—calculate the remaining years, repay the fair balance, and reclaim the ancestral property. Each step protects both parties, honors God’s ownership of the land, and points forward to Christ’s full repayment of our debt and the final restoration of all that rightfully belongs to the people of God.