What is the meaning of Leviticus 27:27? Unclean animals in vows - The verse opens: “But if it is among the unclean animals …”. - Israel already knew which creatures were “unclean” from Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14:7. They could not be offered on the altar (Leviticus 27:11), yet people might still dedicate them to the LORD in a vow. - God’s law makes room for such sincerity without compromising holiness. The animal itself is unacceptable for sacrifice, but the heart behind the vow is honored through another route. He may redeem it - “… then he may redeem it …”. - “Redeem” means the owner can buy back the animal from sacred service. This echoes Exodus 13:13, where a firstborn donkey—also an unclean animal—could be redeemed with a lamb. - God’s pattern: what cannot approach Him directly can still be ransomed, a picture later fulfilled in Christ who “redeemed us” (1 Peter 1:18–19). According to your valuation - “… according to your valuation …”. - Earlier in the chapter the priest set fair market value (Leviticus 27:12). The same impartial standard applies here; holiness never allows inflated or discounted figures. - Proverbs 11:1 reminds us, “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,” underscoring the call to honest valuation. Add a fifth of its value - “… and add a fifth of its value.” - That extra 20 percent appears elsewhere: Leviticus 22:14, 6:5; Numbers 5:7. - Reasons for the surcharge: • It deters rash vows. • It compensates the sanctuary for handling an animal it cannot use. • It teaches that worship costs something—echoed when David said, “I will not offer … that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24). If it is not redeemed - “If it is not redeemed …”. - The owner has freedom to leave the animal. Failure to redeem, though, signals unwillingness to pay the added cost. Much like Exodus 34:20 (the firstborn donkey’s neck broken if not redeemed), neglect has consequences. Then it shall be sold - “… then it shall be sold according to your valuation.” - The priest sells the animal; proceeds go to the sanctuary. No bargaining: the pre-set value stands. - Leviticus 25:50 shows the same principle in land redemption—God safeguards fairness while maintaining ownership rights. summary Leviticus 27:27 teaches that even an unclean animal, unfit for sacrifice, can be brought under God’s lordship through redemption money. The owner may buy it back at the priest’s honest price plus 20 percent; if he refuses, the sanctuary sells it for that amount. The passage upholds God’s holiness, the integrity of vows, the costliness of redemption, and the fairness of divine valuation—principles that still call believers to honor commitments and remember the high price Christ paid to redeem us. |
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