◄ Leviticus 25:23 ►
The land must not be sold permanently, because it is Mine, and you are but foreigners and residents with Me.
Study Bible
The land
In the Hebrew text, the word for "land" is "אֶרֶץ" (eretz), which can refer to the earth, a country, or a specific territory. In the context of Leviticus, it specifically refers to the Promised Land given to the Israelites. This land was a divine gift, a tangible sign of God's covenant with His people. The land was not just a physical space but a spiritual inheritance, symbolizing God's promise and faithfulness.

must not be sold permanently
The Hebrew phrase here implies a prohibition against the permanent sale of land. The word "מִכְרָה" (mikhrah) means "sale," and the context suggests a transaction that would transfer ownership indefinitely. This command underscores the temporary stewardship of the Israelites over the land. It reflects the principle that the land is not a commodity to be traded at will but a sacred trust from God, meant to be preserved for future generations.

because the land is Mine
This declaration is central to understanding the theology of land in the Old Testament. The possessive "Mine" (לִי, li) emphasizes God's ultimate ownership. The land belongs to God, and He grants it to the Israelites as a trust. This concept is foundational, reminding the Israelites of their dependence on God and their role as caretakers rather than absolute owners. It calls for humility and responsibility in their relationship with the land.

and you are but foreigners and sojourners
The terms "foreigners" (גֵּרִים, gerim) and "sojourners" (תּוֹשָׁבִים, toshavim) highlight the transient nature of human existence. Despite being the chosen people, the Israelites are reminded of their temporary status on earth. This perspective encourages a mindset of stewardship rather than ownership, aligning with the broader biblical narrative that life on earth is a pilgrimage towards a heavenly homeland.

with Me
The phrase "with Me" (עִמָּדִי, immadi) is a profound reminder of God's presence and partnership with His people. It signifies that their journey and their stewardship of the land are done in communion with God. This relationship is not distant or detached; rather, it is intimate and ongoing. The Israelites are called to live in a way that reflects their identity as God's people, walking alongside Him in faith and obedience.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
The primary audience of the book of Leviticus, the Israelites were God's chosen people, receiving His laws and commandments through Moses.

2. The Promised Land
The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham and his descendants, is the context for the laws regarding land ownership and use.

3. Jubilee Year
A significant event in Israel's calendar, occurring every 50th year, when land was to be returned to its original owners, emphasizing God's ownership of the land.
Teaching Points
God's Ownership
Recognize that everything we have, including land and possessions, ultimately belongs to God. We are stewards, not owners.

Temporary Stewardship
Our time on earth is temporary, and we should live with an eternal perspective, focusing on God's kingdom rather than earthly possessions.

Trust in God's Provision
Trust that God will provide for our needs, just as He provided for the Israelites through the laws of the Jubilee.

Social Justice and Equity
The principles of land return and rest in the Jubilee year highlight God's concern for social justice and equity, encouraging us to care for the marginalized and ensure fair treatment for all.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's ownership of the land change your perspective on your own possessions and resources?

2. In what ways can you practice being a good steward of the resources God has entrusted to you?

3. How does the concept of being a "foreigner and sojourner" influence your daily life and decisions?

4. What are some practical ways you can contribute to social justice and equity in your community, reflecting the principles found in Leviticus 25?

5. How can the idea of the Jubilee year inspire you to trust in God's provision and timing in your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 17
God's covenant with Abraham, promising the land of Canaan to his descendants, establishes the foundation for the Israelites' relationship to the land.

Psalm 24:1
This verse reinforces the concept that the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord, aligning with the idea that the land is God's.

Hebrews 11:13-16
The New Testament perspective on believers as foreigners and sojourners on earth, echoing the theme of temporary stewardship found in Leviticus 25:23.
Sermons
Sojourners with GodAlexander MaclarenLeviticus 25:23
A Sabbath of Rest unto the LandW. H. Jellie.Leviticus 25:2-55
Deliverance from SinHoward James.Leviticus 25:2-55
Freedom Through ChristT. De Witt Talmage.Leviticus 25:2-55
Jubilee GladnessJ. Cairns.Leviticus 25:2-55
Land Laws Among Other NationsM. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
Land TenureT. T. Munger.Leviticus 25:2-55
Laws of Trade-WagesHom. ReviewLeviticus 25:2-55
Lessons from the Sabbatical YearF. W. Brown.Leviticus 25:2-55
Liberty Through ChristRichard Newton, D. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
Man Need not Despair of -ProvidenceBp. Babington.Leviticus 25:2-55
Practical Reliance Upon GodIndian Witness.Leviticus 25:2-55
Released from DebtChristian AgeLeviticus 25:2-55
Results of Jubilee YearT. Guthrie, D. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
Sojourners with GodHomilistLeviticus 25:2-55
The Hebrew System of Land TenureR. Reid.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Joyful SoundC. S. Robinson, D. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
The JubileeHomilistLeviticus 25:2-55
The JubileeHomilistLeviticus 25:2-55
The Jubilee a Type of the GospelWm. Sleigh.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Jubilee Year: its Fourfold SignificanceW. H. Jellie.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Oppressor Rebuked and the Oppression RemovedC. F. S. Money, M. A.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Purpose of the Sabbatical YearM. M. Kalisch, Ph. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Resemblance Between the Year of Jubilee and the GospelT. B. Baker.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Sabbath of the FieldsH. Macmillan, D. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Sabbatic Year and JubileeJ. A. Seiss, D. D.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Sinner's Chains are Self ForgedPreacher's Lantern.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeA. G. Brown.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeA. H. Currier.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeWalter Roberts, M. A.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeD. C. Hughes, M. A.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeT. Binney.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year SabbathDr. Ide.Leviticus 25:2-55
What Shall We Eat the Seventh Year?A. G. Brown.Leviticus 25:2-55
The Year of JubileeR.A. Redford Leviticus 25:8-34
The JubileeR.M. Edgar Leviticus 25:8-55
Year of JubileeW. Clarkson Leviticus 25:8-55
Year of Jubilee: Ii. the World's RedemptionW. Clarkson Leviticus 25:8-55
Year of Jubilee: Iii. the Blessed KingdomW. Clarkson Leviticus 25:8-55
RedemptionJ.A. Macdonald Leviticus 25:23-34
People
Israelites, Levites, Moses
Places
Canaan, Egypt, Mount Sinai
Topics
Aliens, Exchange, Extinction, Foreigners, Guests, Moreover, Permanently, Perpetuity, Settlers, Sojourners, Sold, Strangers, Tenants
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 25:23

     4208   land, divine responsibility
     5698   guardian
     8472   respect, for environment

Leviticus 25:18-27

     4464   harvest

Leviticus 25:20-28

     7482   Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25:23-24

     7258   promised land, early history

Leviticus 25:23-28

     5477   property, land

Leviticus 25:23-43

     5504   rights

Library
Sojourners with God
'The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with Me.' --LEV. xxv. 23. The singular institution of the Jubilee year had more than one purpose. As a social and economical arrangement it tended to prevent the extremes of wealth and poverty. Every fiftieth year the land was to revert to its original owners, the lineal descendants of those who had 'come in with the conqueror,' Joshua. Debts were to be remitted, slaves emancipated, and so the mountains …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

God's Slaves
'For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen.' --LEV. xxv. 42. This is the basis of the Mosaic legislation as to slavery. It did not suppress but regulated that accursed system. Certainly Hebrew slavery was a very different thing from that of other nations. In the first place, no Jew was to be a slave. To that broad principle there were exceptions, such as the case of the man who voluntarily gave himself up to his creditor. But even …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Kinsman Redeemer
'After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him.'--LEV. xxv. 48. There are several of the institutions and precepts of the Mosaic legislation which, though not prophetic, nor typical, have yet remarkable correspondences with lofty Christian truth. They may be used as symbols, if only we remember that we are diverting them from their original purpose. How singularly these words lend themselves to the statement of the very central truths of Christianity--a slavery …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Boniface viii Ad 1294-1303.
PART I In Celestine's place was chosen Benedict Gaetani, who, although even older than the worn-out and doting late pope, was still full of strength, both in body and in mind. Benedict (who took the name of Boniface VIII) is said to have been very learned, especially in matters at law; but his pride and ambition led him into attempts which ended in his own ruin, and did serious harm to the papacy. In the year 1300 Boniface set on foot what was called the Jubilee. You will remember the Jubilee which …
J. C. Roberston—Sketches of Church History, from AD 33 to the Reformation

The Kinsman-Redeemer
'Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of Hosts is His name: He shall thoroughly plead their cause.'--JER. l. 34. Among the remarkable provisions of the Mosaic law there were some very peculiar ones affecting the next-of-kin. The nearest living blood relation to a man had certain obligations and offices to discharge, under certain contingencies, in respect of which he received a special name; which is sometimes translated in the Old Testament 'Redeemer,' and sometimes 'Avenger' of blood. What the etymological …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Day of Atonement
Now, I shall invite your attention to the ceremonies of this solemn day, taking the different parts in detail. First, we shall consider the person who made the atonement; secondly, the sacrifice whereby the atonement was typically made; thirdly, the effects of the atonement; and fourthly, our behaviour on the recollection of the atonement, as well set forth by the conduct prescribed to the Israelites on that day. I. First, THE PERSON WHO WAS TO MAKE THE ATONEMENT. And at the outset, we remark that …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South

Sin and Forgiveness Between Brethren.
(Autumn, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XVIII. 15-35. ^a 15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [Having warned against giving offense, Jesus now shows how to act when offense is received. The fault is to be pointed out to the offender, but for the purpose of gaining him--not from a desire to humiliate him. The offended is to seek the offender, and the offender is likewise to seek the offended (Matt. xv. 23, 24), …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Commerce
The remarkable change which we have noticed in the views of Jewish authorities, from contempt to almost affectation of manual labour, could certainly not have been arbitrary. But as we fail to discover here any religious motive, we can only account for it on the score of altered political and social circumstances. So long as the people were, at least nominally, independent, and in possession of their own land, constant engagement in a trade would probably mark an inferior social stage, and imply …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

"And the Redeemer Shall Come unto Zion, and unto them that Turn,"
Isaiah lix. 20.--"And the Redeemer shall come unto Zion, and unto them that turn," &c. Doctrines, as things, have their seasons and times. Every thing is beautiful in its season. So there is no word of truth, but it hath a season and time in which it is beautiful. And indeed that is a great part of wisdom, to bring forth everything in its season, to discern when and where, and to whom it is pertinent and edifying, to speak such and such truths. But there is one doctrine that is never out of season, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Baptism
Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them,' &c. Matt 28: 19. I. The way whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemptions, is, in the use of the sacraments. What are the sacraments in general? They are visible signs of invisible grace. Is not the word of God sufficient to salvation? What need then is there of sacraments? We must not be wise above what is written. It is God's will that his church …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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