8 'And thou hast numbered to thee seven sabbaths of years, seven years seven times, and the days of the seven sabbaths of years have been to thee nine and forty years, 9 and thou hast caused a trumpet of shouting to pass over in the seventh month, in the tenth of the month; in the day of the atonements ye do cause a trumpet to pass over through all your land; 10 and ye have hallowed the year, the fiftieth year; and ye have proclaimed liberty in the land to all its inhabitants; a jubilee it is to you; and ye have turned back each unto his possession; yea, each unto his family ye do turn back. 11 'A jubilee it 'is', the fiftieth year, a year it is to you; ye sow not, nor reap its spontaneous growth, nor gather its separated things; 12 for a jubilee it 'is', holy it is to you; out of the field ye eat its increase; 13 in the year of this jubilee ye turn back each unto his possession. 14 'And when thou sellest anything to thy fellow, or buyest from the hand of thy fellow, ye do not oppress one another; 15 by the number of years after the jubilee thou dost buy from thy fellow; by the number of the years of increase he doth sell to thee; 16 according to the multitude of the years thou dost multiply its price, and according to the fewness of the years thou dost diminish its price; for a number of increases he is selling to thee; 17 and ye do not oppress one another, and thou hast been afraid of thy God; for I 'am' Jehovah your God. 18 'And ye have done My statutes, and My judgments ye keep, and have done them, and ye have dwelt on the land confidently, 19 and the land hath given its fruit, and ye have eaten to satiety, and have dwelt confidently on it. 20 'And when ye say, What do we eat in the seventh year, lo, we do not sow, nor gather our increase? 21 then I have commanded My blessing on you in the sixth year, and it hath made the increase for three years; 22 and ye have sown the eighth year, and have eaten of the old increase; until the ninth year, until the coming in of its increase, ye do eat the old.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 25:8-22
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.