What is the meaning of Leviticus 27:22? Now if a man consecrates • Consecration means a deliberate, voluntary vow (Leviticus 27:2) rather than an automatic tithe. • Scripture treats such vows as serious promises—“I will fulfill my vows to the LORD” (Psalm 116:14). • God welcomes this free-will devotion, yet warns that “whatever you vow, you must be careful to do” (Deuteronomy 23:21-23). to the LORD • The ownership immediately passes to God’s side of the ledger (Leviticus 27:9). • What is given becomes “most holy to the LORD” (Leviticus 27:28), reflecting the call to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). • The transfer underscores that the Lord alone is “Maker and Possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:22), the rightful recipient of every gift. a field he has purchased • Unlike an inherited plot, this land was acquired by purchase (see Leviticus 25:14). • Because purchased land must return to its original tribal family at the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:23-28), its consecration is temporary; the priest later sets a redemption price based on years left till Jubilee (Leviticus 27:23). • The passage reminds us that material assets we gain in life are held only for a season—“we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). which is not a part of his own property • The phrase draws a clear boundary between ancestral inheritance and acquired holdings. • Inherited land stayed within the clan permanently (Numbers 36:7; 1 Kings 21:3), so different rules applied in verses 16-21. • Because the purchaser’s right to the field expires at Jubilee, the valuation in verse 23 protects the original family’s future claim while honoring the man’s vow. summary Leviticus 27:22 regulates a specific scenario: when a believer dedicates to God a field he bought, not one that belonged to his family line. The Lord receives the gift, yet the Jubilee timetable still governs the land, so a fair redemption price is set to balance the vow with Israel’s inheritance structure. The verse highlights both the privilege of freely offering our possessions and the lasting principle that everything ultimately returns to the Lord, the true owner of all. |
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