But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

LEVITICUS 25:28KJV
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Leviticus 25:28 (KJV)

What does Leviticus 25:28 mean?

Leviticus 25:28 explains that if a person cannot afford to buy back land he sold, the land stays with the buyer until the Year of Jubilee, when it must be returned to the original family. This rule ensured that land could not be permanently lost by a family due to poverty.

In this verse, God is giving instructions to the Israelites through Moses about land ownership. The context is the system of the Year of Jubilee, a special year every fifty years when property and freedom were restored. The verse addresses the situation where someone has sold their land but cannot afford to redeem it, highlighting the importance of family inheritance and preventing permanent loss of land.

The Hebrew behind Leviticus 25:28

  • יָד (yad, "hand"): This word is used for "hand" and here refers to the possession or control of the buyer. It emphasizes that the buyer holds the land only temporarily.
  • יוֹבֵל (yovel, "jubile"): This term refers to the Jubilee year, a unique time in Israel’s calendar when property was returned and debts were forgiven. The use of this word shows the built-in reset for social and economic balance.
  • שׁוּב (shuv, "return"): This word means "to return" or "go back." It is used here for the land going back to the original owner, underlining restoration and the cyclical nature of ownership in Israel.

Why Leviticus 25:28 matters

  • Leviticus 25:28 clarifies that land sales in ancient Israel were not permanent but more like long-term leases, with the expectation of eventual return.
  • The verse highlights God’s concern for family stability and inheritance, ensuring that no family would be left without land forever due to hardship.
  • This rule connects to the broader themes of justice and mercy in Leviticus 25, showing how the Jubilee system protected the vulnerable and maintained community balance.

Where else these words appear

“sold” Hebrew H4465 · used in 10 verses

  • Leviticus 25:14 And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another:
  • Leviticus 25:29 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.
  • Deuteronomy 18:8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which cometh of the sale of his patrimony.

“jubile” Hebrew H3104 · used in 25 verses

  • Exodus 19:13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
  • Leviticus 25:33 And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel.
  • Leviticus 27:23 Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.

“able” Hebrew H1767 · used in 35 verses

  • Exodus 36:5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.
  • 1 Kings 14:28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.
  • Isaiah 40:16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.

“possession” Hebrew H272 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
  • Leviticus 25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
  • Joshua 22:4 And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side Jordan.