Leviticus 27
Numbers 27 has two main sections: the request of Zelophehad’s daughters for inheritance rights (verses 1-11), and the appointment of Joshua as Moses’ successor (verses 12-23). Together, these sections address justice within the community and the transition of leadership.
1verseThe LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2verse“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When a man consecrates a person to the LORD in a vow, according to your valuation,
3verseyour valuation of a male from twenty years old to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
4verseIf she is a female, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.
5verseIf the person is from five years old to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
6verseIf the person is from a month old to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
7verseIf the person is from sixty years old and upward; if he is a male, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
8verseBut if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall assign a value to him. The priest shall assign a value according to his ability to pay.
9verse“‘If it is an animal of which men offer an offering to the LORD, all that any man gives of such to the LORD becomes holy.
10verseHe shall not alter it, nor exchange it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good. If he shall at all exchange animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy.
11verseIf it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to the LORD, then he shall set the animal before the priest;
12verseand the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall be.
13verseBut if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.
14verse“‘When a man dedicates his house to be holy to the LORD, then the priest shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad. As the priest evaluates it, so it shall stand.
15verseIf he who dedicates it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be his.
16verse“‘If a man dedicates to the LORD part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. The sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
17verseIf he dedicates his field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.
18verseBut if he dedicates his field after the Jubilee, then the priest shall reckon to him the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation.
19verseIf he who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain his.
20verseIf he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more;
21versebut the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to the LORD, as a devoted field. It shall be owned by the priests.
22verse“‘If he dedicates a field to the LORD which he has bought, which is not of the field of his possession,
23versethen the priest shall reckon to him the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and he shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to the LORD.
24verseIn the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to him from whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land belongs.
25verseAll your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
26verse“‘However the firstborn among animals, which belongs to the LORD as a firstborn, no man may dedicate, whether an ox or a sheep. It is the LORD’s.
27verseIf it is an unclean animal, then he shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it; or if it isn’t redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
28verse“‘Notwithstanding, no devoted thing that a man devotes to the LORD of all that he has, whether of man or animal, or of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Everything that is permanently devoted is most holy to the LORD.
29verse“‘No one devoted to destruction, who shall be devoted from among men, shall be ransomed. He shall surely be put to death.
30verse“‘All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD.
31verseIf a man redeems anything of his tithe, he shall add a fifth part to it.
32verseAll the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to the LORD.
33verseHe shall not examine whether it is good or bad, neither shall he exchange it. If he exchanges it at all, then both it and that for which it is exchanged shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.’”
34verseThese are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.
The Petition of Zelophehad’s Daughters and the Law of Inheritance
Zelophehad, from the tribe of Manasseh, died without sons. His daughters ask that their father’s name not disappear from his clan and request an inheritance among his relatives. Moses brings the case before God, and God affirms their request, establishing a broader legal principle for inheritance when a man dies without a son. This section shows that practical legal questions are brought before God and that the community’s order can include protection for those who might otherwise be excluded.
The Appointment of Joshua
God tells Moses that he will see the promised land but will not enter it. Moses asks that the community not be left without a leader, and God appoints Joshua, a man described as having the spirit. Moses lays hands on Joshua before Eleazar the priest and the assembly, publicly commissioning him for leadership.
Meditation Points
- The chapter shows concern for justice, continuity, and the protection of a family’s place within the community.
- Leadership transition is presented as a matter of public responsibility, not merely personal ambition.
- Moses’ concern for the people, even after hearing that he will not enter the land, offers a model of selfless leadership.
Apply It to Me
- Consider whether your community listens to people whose concerns are easy to overlook.
- In times of transition, reflect on how to seek continuity, responsibility, and the good of others rather than only personal preference.
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This is the last chapter of Leviticus.