Leviticus 27:33
in Leviticus 27He must not inspect whether it is good or bad, and he shall not make any substitution. But if he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute shall become holy; they cannot be redeemed.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
KJV
He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
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This verse in Leviticus 27
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis 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
), for Providence directed the rod that marked it. God would accept it though it were not the best, and they must not grudge it though it were, for it was what passed under the rod.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
He shall not search whether it be good or bad,....
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
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹ֧א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְבַקֵּ֛ר | yevaker | he will scrutinize | H1239 → | |
| בֵּֽין־ | bein- | between | H996 → | 407 times |
| ט֥וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| לָרַ֖ע | lara' | and the bad | H7451 → | 662 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְמִירֶ֑נּוּ | yemirenu | he will exchange it | H4171 → | 14 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| הָמֵ֣ר | hamer | ever <to exchange> | H4171 → | 14 times |
| יְמִירֶ֔נּוּ | yemirenu | he will exchange it | H4171 → | 14 times |
| וְהָֽיָה־ | vehayah- | and it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| ה֧וּא | hu' | it | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וּתְמוּרָת֛וֹ | utemurato | and substitute its | H8545 → | |
| יִֽהְיֶה־ | yihyeh- | it will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| קֹ֖דֶשׁ | kodesh | a holy thing | H6944 → | 469 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִגָּאֵֽל׃ | yigael | it will be redeemed | H1350 → | 104 times |
לֹ֧אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְבַקֵּ֛רhe will scrutinize
yevakerH1239 →
בֵּֽין־between
bein-H996 →407 times
ט֥וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
לָרַ֖עand the bad
lara'H7451 →662 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יְמִירֶ֑נּוּhe will exchange it
yemirenuH4171 →14 times
וְאִם־and if
veim-H518 →1069 times
הָמֵ֣רever <to exchange>
hamerH4171 →14 times
יְמִירֶ֔נּוּhe will exchange it
yemirenuH4171 →14 times
וְהָֽיָה־and it will be
vehayah-H1961 →3559 times
ה֧וּאit
hu'H1931 →1879 times
וּתְמוּרָת֛וֹand substitute its
utemuratoH8545 →
יִֽהְיֶה־it will be
yihyeh-H1961 →3559 times
קֹ֖דֶשׁa holy thing
kodeshH6944 →469 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִגָּאֵֽל׃it will be redeemed
yigaelH1350 →104 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
2 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Leviticus 27:10He must not replace it or exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.
it leads to
- James 1:8
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
- Leviticus 27:15–33
But if he who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will belong to him.
- James 1:8
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.