Leviticus 27:31
in Leviticus 27If a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he must add a fifth to its value.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof.
KJV
And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
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This verse in Leviticus 27
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd if a man, will redeem ought of his tithes,.... Of his own, and not his neighbour's, as Jarchi observes; for if he redeemed the tithes of his neighbour, but did not add a fifth part, which he was obliged to do if he redeemed his own, as follows: he shall add thereunto the fifth part thereof; besides giving the value for what part of his tithes he redeemed, he gave a fifth part of that sum over and above; as, supposing the tithe was worth fifty shillings, then he gave that, and ten shillings more, and so in proportion.
This site's exposition
all the tithe of the land
on Leviticus 27:30-33
The tithe is described as the LORD's before anybody hands it over, so the tenth is acknowledged rather than given. A man may buy back part of his crop tithe by adding the fifth, and the tithe of the herd carries no such clause. Verse 33 forbids searching the flock for a better animal and makes both the beast and its replacement holy if he swaps, so the tenth is whatever passes under the rod when the count reaches ten. Abram paid tithes to Melchizedek at Genesis 14:20 and Jacob vowed them at Genesis 28:22, so the practice reaches this book already formed.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Thus they acknowledged God to be the owner of their land, the giver of its fruits, and themselves to be his tenants, and dependents upon him. Thus they gave him thanks for the plenty they enjoyed, and supplicated his favour in the continuance of it. And we are taught in general to honour the Lord with our substance ( Prov. iii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
That we are not under the dark shadows of the law, but enjoy the clear light of the gospel, which shows us Christ the end of the law for righteousness, Rom. x. The doctrine of our reconciliation to God by a Mediator is not clouded with the smoke of burning sacrifices, but cleared by the knowledge of Christ and him crucified.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land--This law gave the sanction of divine authority to an ancient usage (Ge 14:20; The whole produce of the land was subjected to the tithe tribute--it was a yearly rent which the Israelites, as tenants, paid to God, the owner of the land, and a thank offering they rendered to Him for the bounties of His providence.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and <if> | H518 → | 1069 times |
| גָּאֹ֥ל | gaol | certainly [if] <to redeem> | H1350 → | 104 times |
| יִגְאַ֛ל | yigal | he will redeem | H1350 → | 104 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִמַּֽעַשְׂר֑וֹ | mimaasro | any of tithe his | H4643 → | 32 times |
| חֲמִשִׁית֖וֹ | chamishito | fifth its | H2549 → | 45 times |
| יֹסֵ֥ף | yosef | let him add | H3254 → | 212 times |
| עָלָֽיו׃ | ʾalav | to it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וְאִם־and <if>
veim-H518 →1069 times
גָּאֹ֥לcertainly [if] <to redeem>
gaolH1350 →104 times
יִגְאַ֛לhe will redeem
yigalH1350 →104 times
אִ֖ישׁanyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מִמַּֽעַשְׂר֑וֹany of tithe his
mimaasroH4643 →32 times
חֲמִשִׁית֖וֹfifth its
chamishitoH2549 →45 times
יֹסֵ֥ףlet him add
yosefH3254 →212 times
עָלָֽיו׃to it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
About Leviticus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.