8 'You are also to count off seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years , so that you have the time of the seven sabbaths of years , namely, forty-nine e years . 9 'You shall then sound a ram's horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month ; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land . 10 'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants . It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property , and each of you shall return to his family . 11 'You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee ; you shall not sow , nor reap its aftergrowth , nor gather in from its untrimmed vines . 12 'For it is a jubilee ; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field . 13 ' On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property . 14 'If you make a sale , moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend's hand , you shall not wrong one another . 15 'Corresponding to the number of years after the jubilee , you shall buy from your friend ; he is to sell to you according to the number of years of crops . 16 ' In proportion to the extent of the years you shall increase its price , and in proportion to the fewness of the years you shall diminish its price , for it is a number of crops he is selling to you. 17 'So you shall not wrong one another , but you shall fear your God ; for I am the Lord your God . 18 'You shall thus observe My statutes and keep My judgments , so as to carry them out, that you may live securely on the land . 19 'Then the land will yield its produce , so that you can eat your fill and live securely on it. 20 'But if you say , " What are we going to eat on the seventh year if we do not sow or gather in our crops ?" 21 then I will so order My blessing for you in the sixth year that it will bring forth the crop for three years . 22 'When you are sowing the eighth year , you can still eat old things from the crop , eating the old until the ninth year when its crop comes in.
23 'The land , moreover, shall not be sold permanently , for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 25:8-23
Commentary on Leviticus 25:8-22
(Read Leviticus 25:8-22)
The word "jubilee" signifies a peculiarly animated sound of the silver trumpets. This sound was to be made on the evening of the great day of atonement; for the proclamation of gospel liberty and salvation results from the sacrifice of the Redeemer. It was provided that the lands should not be sold away from their families. They could only be disposed of, as it were, by leases till the year of jubilee, and then returned to the owner or his heir. This tended to preserve their tribes and families distinct, till the coming of the Messiah. The liberty every man was born to, if sold or forfeited, should return at the year of jubilee. This was typical of redemption by Christ from the slavery of sin and Satan, and of being brought again to the liberty of the children of God. All bargains ought to be made by this rule, "Ye shall not oppress one another," not take advantage of one another's ignorance or necessity, "but thou shalt fear thy God." The fear of God reigning in the heart, would restrain from doing wrong to our neighbour in word or deed. Assurance was given that they should be great gainers, by observing these years of rest. If we are careful to do our duty, we may trust God with our comfort. This was a miracle for an encouragement to all neither sowed or reaped. This was a miracle for an encouragement to all God's people, in all ages, to trust him in the way of duty. There is nothing lost by faith and self-denial in obedience. Some asked, What shall we eat the seventh year? Thus many Christians anticipate evils, questioning what they shall do, and fearing to proceed in the way of duty. But we have no right to anticipate evils, so as to distress ourselves about them. To carnal minds we may appear to act absurdly, but the path of duty is ever the path of safety.
Commentary on Leviticus 25:23-34
(Read Leviticus 25:23-34)
If the land were not redeemed before the year of jubilee, it then returned to him that sold or mortgaged it. This was a figure of the free grace of God in Christ; by which, and not by any price or merit of our own, we are restored to the favour of God. Houses in walled cities were more the fruits of their own industry than land in the country, which was the direct gift of God's bounty; therefore if a man sold a house in a city, he might redeem it only within a year after the sale. This encouraged strangers and proselytes to come and settle among them.