271 Again, the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ' When a man makes a difficult vow , he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to the Lord . 3 'If your valuation is of the male from twenty years even to sixty years old , then your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver , after the shekel of the sanctuary . 4 'Or if it is a female , then your valuation shall be thirty shekels . 5 'If it be from five years even to twenty years old then your valuation for the male shall be twenty shekels and for the female ten shekels . 6 'But if they are from a month even up to five years old , then your valuation shall be five shekels of silver for the male , and for the female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver . 7 'If they are from sixty years old and upward , if it is a male , then your valuation shall be fifteen e shekels , and for the female ten shekels . 8 'But if he is poorer than your valuation , then he shall be placed before the priest and the priest shall value him; according e to the means e of the one who vowed , the priest shall value him. 9 'Now if it is an animal of the kind which men can present as an offering to the Lord , any such that one gives to the Lord shall be holy . 10 ' He shall not replace it or exchange it, a good for a bad , or a bad for a good ; or if he does exchange animal for animal , then both it and its substitute shall become holy . 11 'If , however, it is any unclean animal of the kind which men do not present as an offering to the Lord , then he shall place the animal before the priest . 12 'The priest shall value it as either good or bad ; as you, the priest , value it, so it shall be. 13 'But if he should ever wish to redeem it, then he shall add one-fifth of it to your valuation .
14 'Now if a man consecrates his house as holy to the Lord , then the priest shall value it as either good or bad ; as the priest values it, so it shall stand . 15 'Yet if the one who consecrates it should wish to redeem his house , then he shall add one-fifth of your valuation price to it, so that it may be his. 16 'Again, if a man consecrates to the Lord part of the fields of his own property , then your valuation shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it: a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver . 17 'If he consecrates his field as of the year of jubilee , according to your valuation it shall stand . 18 'If he consecrates his field after the jubilee , however, then the priest shall calculate the price for him proportionate to the years that are left until the year of jubilee ; and it shall be deducted from your valuation .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 27:1-18
Commentary on Leviticus 27:1-13
(Read Leviticus 27:1-13)
Zeal for the service of God disposed the Israelites, on some occasions, to dedicate themselves or their children to the service of the Lord, in his house for life. Some persons who thus dedicated themselves might be employed as assistants; in general they were to be redeemed for a value. It is good to be zealously affected and liberally disposed for the Lord's service; but the matter should be well weighed, and prudence should direct as to what we do; else rash vows and hesitation in doing them will dishonour God, and trouble our own minds.
Commentary on Leviticus 27:14-25
(Read Leviticus 27:14-25)
Our houses, lands, cattle, and all our substance, must be used to the glory of God. It is acceptable to him that a portion be given to support his worship, and to promote his cause. But God would not approve such a degree of zeal as ruined a man's family.