Topical Bible: Year: Redemption of Houses Sold, Limited to One

◄ Year: Redemption of Houses Sold, Limited to One ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical context, the concept of the redemption of houses sold is primarily derived from the Mosaic Law, which provided specific guidelines for the Israelites regarding property and land ownership. This concept is intricately linked to the Year of Jubilee, a time of restoration and freedom, as outlined in the Book of Leviticus.

Biblical Foundation

The primary scriptural reference for the redemption of houses sold is found in Leviticus 25:29-31 : "If a man sells a house in a walled city, he retains the right of redemption a full year after its sale. During that time, he may buy it back. If it is not redeemed by the end of a full year, then the house in the walled city shall belong permanently to the buyer and his descendants; it is not to be released in the Jubilee. But houses in villages without walls are regarded as open fields; they can be redeemed, and they must be released in the Jubilee."

This passage establishes the principle that houses sold within walled cities could be redeemed within a year of the sale. If not redeemed within that period, the house would become the permanent property of the buyer, unlike rural properties, which were subject to release during the Jubilee.

Theological Significance

The redemption laws underscore the importance of family heritage and the preservation of tribal lands among the Israelites. The provision for redemption within a year reflects God's concern for maintaining the social and economic stability of His people. It also highlights the temporary nature of earthly possessions and the ultimate sovereignty of God over the land.

The limitation to one year for redemption in walled cities contrasts with the more lenient rules for rural properties, which could be redeemed at any time and were released during the Jubilee. This distinction emphasizes the different values placed on urban and rural properties, with urban properties being more permanent in nature once the redemption period lapsed.

Cultural and Historical Context

In ancient Israel, the land was considered a divine inheritance, and the laws of redemption were designed to prevent the permanent loss of family property due to economic hardship. The Year of Jubilee, occurring every 50th year, was a time when all land was to be returned to its original family owners, and debts were forgiven, symbolizing a fresh start for the community.

The restriction of redemption to one year for houses in walled cities may reflect the higher economic value and strategic importance of urban properties. Walled cities were centers of trade, governance, and defense, making their properties more desirable and less likely to be relinquished once acquired.

Practical Implications

For the Israelites, these laws served as a reminder of their dependence on God and the temporary nature of material wealth. The redemption laws encouraged responsible stewardship and compassion towards those who fell into poverty, allowing them a chance to reclaim their ancestral homes.

In a broader spiritual sense, the concept of redemption in the Bible foreshadows the ultimate redemption offered through Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites could redeem their property, believers are redeemed from sin and death through the sacrifice of Christ, securing an eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

Nave's Topical Index

Leviticus 25:29,30
And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Methodist Book Concern
... the avails toward defraying the expense of other houses. ... that is, one hundred dollars
a year for each ... and diffusive manner, the grand designs of redemption. ...
/.../chapter 16 methodist book concern.htm

The Society of Friends, or Quakers.
... testimony in his twenty-third year, and traveled ... the national churches (or
'steeple-houses') and clergymen ... Objections to the universality of redemption refuted. ...
/.../creeds of christendom with a history and critical notes/ 107 the society of.htm

Early Mentions of Christianity in Britain. --King Lucius. --Origin ...
... is inconsistent with the doctrine of the Redemption wrought by ... as Bishop of London,
in the year 314. ... in districts of this great wilderness of houses, would be ...
/.../lecture ii early mentions of.htm

Syria at the Beginning of the Egyptian Conquest
... in the campaign of his VIIIth year were fortified in ... wall, and flanked by two
guard-houses, rectangular in ... than one arrangement which the limited knowledge of ...
/.../chapter iisyria at the beginning.htm

Beginning at Jerusalem. --Luke xxiv. 47.
... world, yet by this clause they were limited as to ... They were of one heart, and of
one soul, neither ... as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and ...
/.../bunyan/jerusalem sinner saved/beginning at jerusalem luke xxiv 47.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1828 to the Beginning ...
... the fall and depravity of man; the redemption of the ... This year a mission was begun
on the island of New York ... In the bounds of the mission four houses of worship ...
/.../chapter 10 from the close.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1812 to the Death of ...
... of this man of God in the houses of your ... the plan which have resulted in the redemption
and salvation ... York conference in 1815, which assembled that year in the ...
/.../chapter 2 from the close.htm

The Jerusalem Sinner Saved;
... of his earthly pilgrimage, in the last year of his ... world, yet by this clause they
were limited as to ... many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the jerusalem sinner saved.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1824 to the ...
... The houses were thronged with hearers whenever he preached, and ... The cross of his
redemption was his theme, and ... fit to die, am spared another and another year. ...
/.../chapter 8 from the close.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... ornament the facades of the fortresses and brick houses of the ... possible"the day of
the month, the year of the ... of it, they farmed it out, they sold it, they ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm