Leviticus 27:1

The nature of this last chapter has led some to question the appropriateness of its placement in this context. Leviticus 26:46 appears to be the logical end of the book, and that makes this chapter to appear somewhat as an afterthought. It should be remembered, however, that Moses did not write five books; he wrote only one, not even dividing it into chapters. Such things as chapters, verses, and paragraphs are merely the devices of men, adopted for greater convenience in locating specific passages.

Besides that, there are very excellent and logical reasons for the appearance of the instructions in Leviticus 27 just where they are found. Kellogg noted that:

"What has preceded in Leviticus has concerned religious duties which were obligatory upon all Israelites, but the regulations of this chapter, on the contrary, have to do with special vows which were not obligatory, but voluntary. `If thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee' (Deuteronomy 23:22)."[1]

From this it is easy to see why the instructions regarding vows would not have fit into any other location earlier in Leviticus. Voluntary religious actions have no place whatever among those duties God has commanded his servants to obey. Thus, they appear here last of all, which is exactly where they belong. Of course, they have a supplementary relation to the rest of Leviticus; "But there is no reason to doubt its Mosaic authorship."[2]

This whole chapter deals with vows and tithes. The custom of making vows to God is very old, and the Mosaic law recognized the right of an individual to make a vow to God in case he of his own volition decided to do so, but none was required. However, in case a vow was made, God's law required it to be done (paid). Vows were made with reference to: (1) oneself;

(2) any member of his family (or all of them);

(3) his animals (clean or unclean);

(4) his crops;

(5) his land (whether rented or owned);

(6) his house; or

(7) his slaves, in fact, "whatever he had a right over."[3]

This chapter falls into this outline:

<MONO>

I. Redemption of persons vowed, sanctified, or devoted to God. (Leviticus 27:2-8)

II. Redemption of animals (Leviticus 27:9-13)

III. Redemption of houses (Leviticus 27:14-15)

IV. Redemption of lands (Leviticus 27:16-24)

V. Redemption not allowed in certain instances (Leviticus 27:25-29)

VI. Special instructions regarding tithes (Leviticus 27:30-33)

VII. This chapter certified as part of the Sinai covenant (Leviticus 27:34)MONO>

Except in rare instances, persons who were devoted to God were expected to be redeemed by the payment of certain money. The amount of money required for persons of different age and sex is the subject of the first paragraph.

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall accomplish a vow, the persons shall be for Jehovah by thy estimation. And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then shall thy estimation be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. And if it be from sixty years old and upward; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the ability of him that vowed shall the priest value him."

"And Jehovah spake unto Moses ..." This, along with Leviticus 27:34, has the effect of tying all of those instructions to the regulations of God already given, making all of them an integral part of the law of Moses, binding terms of the sacred covenant.

Once a vow was made, the discharge of it was required. In practical effect, the vowing of a person to God usually meant merely the paying of a certain sum of money into the hands of the priests. These verses give the standard scale for such payments:

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MEN WOMEN

Age 20-60 50 shekels 30 shekels

Age 5-20 20 shekels 10 shekels

Age to 5 years 5 shekels 3 shekels

Age above 60 15 shekels 10 shekelsMONO>

These rules heralded the equality of all people before God.

"There was no discrimination as to rank or wealth. The redemption of the High Priest was precisely the same as that of the day-laborer."[4] The price of these redemptions, however, was not nearly as small as they may seem to us. "These figures are very large. The average wage of a worker in Biblical times was about one shekel per month!"[5]

The relatively lower evaluation placed upon women should not be construed as any injustice. Back of these assigned values was a calculation of the amount of physical work one could accomplish, and these distinctions were not any different from those seen on every golf course in the world today, where the ladies' tee shortens every green on the course for women.

Leviticus 27:8 allowed the priest to reduce the price of redemption for those unable to pay the full price. The mention of the priest here also shows that these calculations of value were the responsibility of the priesthood, despite the fact (Leviticus 27:1) of the instructions being given to "the children of Israel." This mention of "the ability of him that vowed" is a vital factor even today in the matter of Christian giving. "Let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him" (1 Corinthians 16:2 KJV). This establishes the principle that one's giving is not determined solely by the amount of it, but by the relation that amount has to his ability.