Leviticus 27

Vows and Valuations

¹The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

²“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to the LORD in a vow, according to your valuation,

³your valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.

⁴If she is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.

⁵If the person is from five years old to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

⁶If the person is from a month old to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.

⁷If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if he is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.

⁸But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall assign a value to him. The priest shall assign a value according to his ability to pay.

⁹“‘If it is an animal of which men offer an offering to the LORD, all that any man gives of such to the LORD becomes holy.

¹⁰He shall not alter it, nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good. If he shall at all exchange animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy.

¹¹If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to the LORD, then he shall set the animal before the priest;

¹²and the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall be.

¹³But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.

¹⁴“‘When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall stand.

¹⁵If he who dedicates it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his.

¹⁶“‘If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. The sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

¹⁷If he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.

¹⁸But if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation.

¹⁹If he who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain his.

²⁰If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more;

²¹but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field. It shall be owned by the priests.

²²“‘If he dedicates a field to the LORD which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession,

²³then the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to the LORD.

²⁴In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs.

²⁵All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.

Things That Cannot Be Vowed

²⁶“‘However the firstborn among animals, which belongs to the LORD as a firstborn, no man may dedicate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is the LORD’s.

²⁷If it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it; or if it isn’t redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.

²⁸“‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Everything that is permanently devoted is most holy to the LORD.

²⁹“‘No one devoted to destruction, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed. He shall surely be put to death.

³⁰“‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.

³¹If a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it.

³²All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.

³³He shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”

³⁴These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.

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Leviticus 27 concludes the book with detailed regulations governing vows and dedications made to the LORD. The chapter establishes monetary valuations for people, animals, houses, and fields that have been consecrated through vows, providing a systematic framework for either fulfilling these commitments or redeeming them through payment. These laws ensure that voluntary acts of devotion are treated with proper reverence while offering practical means for their completion.

Context

This chapter serves as the concluding section of Leviticus, providing practical applications of holiness principles established throughout the book.

Key Themes

Outline

1-8
Valuation of Persons Establishes monetary values for people dedicated to the LORD based on age and gender, with provisions for the poor.
9-13
Dedication of Animals Rules for consecrating clean and unclean animals, prohibiting substitution and requiring additional payment for redemption.
14-15
Dedication of Houses Procedures for consecrating houses to the LORD and the terms for redeeming them.
16-25
Dedication of Fields Complex regulations for dedicating inherited and purchased land, accounting for Jubilee year cycles.
26-29
Things That Cannot Be Vowed Identifies items already belonging to God that cannot be dedicated, including firstborn animals and devoted things.
30-34
Tithes and Conclusion Final regulations on tithing produce and animals, concluding with a statement affirming these as God's commands.

Vows and Valuations

27:1–27:25

law instruction solemn

God establishes regulations for vows and valuations, specifying monetary values for people, animals, and property dedicated to the Lord. The passage details how consecrated items can be redeemed and the priest's role in determining valuations.

person_contrast

Moses receives the only comprehensive monetary valuation system in Scripture, establishing fixed silver prices for human consecration that range from 3 to 50 shekels based on age and gender.

Things That Cannot Be Vowed

27:26–27:34

law instruction solemn

God specifies items that cannot be vowed or redeemed, including firstborn animals, devoted things, and tithes. These regulations establish what belongs permanently to the Lord and cannot be altered or exchanged.

person_contrast

Moses concludes Leviticus by establishing three categories of divine ownership—firstborn animals, devoted things, and tithes—that remain permanently beyond human negotiation or redemption.

Insight Character Study

Moses receives the only comprehensive monetary valuation system in Scripture, establishing fixed silver prices for human consecration that range from 3 to 50 shekels based on age and gender.

Insight Character Study

Moses concludes Leviticus by establishing three categories of divine ownership—firstborn animals, devoted things, and tithes—that remain permanently beyond human negotiation or redemption.