23 'And the land is not sold—to extinction, for the land 'is' Mine, for sojourners and settlers 'are' ye with Me; 24 and in all the land of your possession a redemption ye do give to the land. 25 'When thy brother becometh poor, and hath sold his possession, then hath his redeemer who is near unto him come, and he hath redeemed the sold thing of his brother; 26 and when a man hath no redeemer, and his own hand hath attained, and he hath found as sufficient 'for' its redemption, 27 then he hath reckoned the years of its sale, and hath given back that which is over to the man to whom he sold 'it', and he hath returned to his possession. 28 'And if his hand hath not found sufficiency to give back to him, then hath his sold thing been in the hand of him who buyeth it till the year of jubilee; and it hath gone out in the jubilee, and he hath returned to his possession. 29 'And when a man selleth a dwelling-house 'in' a walled city, then hath his right of redemption been until the completion of a year from its selling; days—is his right of redemption; 30 and if it is not redeemed until the fulness to him of a perfect year, then hath the house which 'is' in a walled city been established to extinction to the buyer of it, to his generations; it goeth not out in the jubilee; 31 and a house of the villages which have no wall round about, on the field of the country is reckoned; redemption is to it, and in the jubilee it goeth out. 32 'As to cities of the Levites—houses of the cities of their possession—redemption age-during is to the Levites; 33 as to him who redeemeth from the Levites, both the sale of a house and the city of his possession have gone out in the jubilee, for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession in the midst of the sons of Israel. 34 And a field, a suburb of their cities, is not sold; for a possession age-during it 'is' to them. 35 'And when thy brother is become poor, and his hand hath failed with thee, then thou hast kept hold on him, sojourner and settler, and he hath lived with thee; 36 thou takest no usury from him, or increase; and thou hast been afraid of thy God; and thy brother hath lived with thee; 37 thy money thou givest not to him in usury, and for increase thou givest not thy food; 38 I 'am' Jehovah your God, who hath brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give to you the land of Canaan, to become your God.

39 'And when thy brother becometh poor with thee, and he hath been sold to thee, thou dost not lay on him servile service; 40 as an hireling, as a settler, he is with thee, till the year of the jubilee he doth serve with thee,— 41 then he hath gone out from thee, he and his sons with him, and hath turned back unto his family; even unto the possession of his fathers he doth turn back. 42 'For they 'are' My servants, whom I have brought out from the land of Egypt: they are not sold 'with' the sale of a servant; 43 thou rulest not over him with rigour, and thou hast been afraid of thy God. 44 'And thy man-servant and thy handmaid whom thou hast 'are' of the nations who 'are' round about you; of them ye buy man-servant and handmaid, 45 and also of the sons of the settlers who are sojourning with you, of them ye buy, and of their families who 'are' with you, which they have begotten in your land, and they have been to you for a possession;

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 25:23-45

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.

Commentary on Leviticus 25:35-38

(Read Leviticus 25:35-38)

Poverty and decay are great grievances, and very common; the poor ye have always with you. Thou shalt relieve him; by sympathy, pitying the poor; by service, doing for them; and by supply, giving to them according to their necessity, and thine ability. Poor debtors must not be oppressed. Observe the arguments here used against extortion: "Fear thy God." Relieve the poor, "that they may live with thee;" for they may be serviceable to thee. The rich can as ill spare the poor, as the poor can the rich. It becomes those that have received mercy to show mercy.

Commentary on Leviticus 25:39-55

(Read Leviticus 25:39-55)

A native Israelite, if sold for debt, or for a crime, was to serve but six years, and to go out the seventh. If he sold himself, through poverty, both his work and his usage must be such as were fitting for a son of Abraham. Masters are required to give to their servants that which is just and equal, John 8:32. We cannot ransom our fellow-sinners, but we may point out Christ to them; while by his grace our lives may adorn his gospel, express our love, show our gratitude, and glorify his holy name.