◄ Leviticus 25:25 ►
If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.
Study Bible
If your brother
The term "brother" here is not limited to a biological sibling but extends to a fellow Israelite, emphasizing the communal and covenantal relationship among the people of Israel. The Hebrew word "אָח" (ach) signifies a close kinship, reflecting the familial bond that God intended for His people. This concept underscores the importance of community and mutual responsibility within the covenant community.

becomes impoverished
The Hebrew word "מוּךְ" (mukh) is used here, indicating a state of poverty or financial decline. This reflects the reality of economic hardship that could befall anyone, reminding the Israelites of the vulnerability inherent in human life. It also highlights God's concern for the poor and His provision for their welfare through the laws He established.

and sells some of his property
The act of selling property, particularly land, was a significant decision in ancient Israel, as land was a primary source of sustenance and identity. The Hebrew term "מָכַר" (makar) implies a transaction that is often a last resort due to financial distress. This phrase points to the gravity of the situation and the need for a compassionate response from the community.

his nearest kinsman
The "nearest kinsman" or "goel" in Hebrew, is a key figure in the redemption process. The term "גֹּאֵל" (goel) refers to a family member who has the responsibility to act on behalf of a relative in need. This role is deeply rooted in the cultural and legal traditions of Israel, reflecting God's design for familial support and redemption.

is to come and redeem
The concept of "redeem" is central to the biblical narrative, with the Hebrew word "גָּאַל" (ga'al) meaning to buy back or restore. This action is not merely a financial transaction but a profound act of restoration and mercy, mirroring God's redemptive work for His people. It underscores the theme of redemption that runs throughout Scripture, pointing ultimately to Christ's redemptive work.

what his brother has sold
This phrase emphasizes the restoration of what was lost due to poverty. The act of redemption restores the brother's inheritance and dignity, ensuring that the family line and its connection to the land are preserved. It reflects God's justice and mercy, ensuring that His people live in a society marked by compassion and equity.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Brother
Refers to a fellow Israelite who has fallen into poverty and is forced to sell his property.

2. Nearest Kinsman
A close relative who has the responsibility and opportunity to redeem the property sold by the impoverished brother.

3. Property
The land or possessions that the impoverished brother has sold due to financial hardship.

4. Redemption
The act of buying back the property to restore it to the original family owner, reflecting God's provision and care for His people.

5. Israel
The nation to whom these laws were given, emphasizing community responsibility and familial support.
Teaching Points
Community Responsibility
The law emphasizes the importance of family and community in supporting those in need. Christians are called to look after one another, especially in times of financial hardship.

Redemption as a Divine Principle
The concept of redemption is central to God's relationship with His people. Just as the kinsman redeemer restores property, Christ redeems us from sin.

Generosity and Sacrifice
The nearest kinsman must be willing to sacrifice his resources for the sake of his brother. Believers are encouraged to be generous and sacrificial in helping others.

Preservation of Inheritance
The law ensures that the family inheritance is preserved, symbolizing the eternal inheritance believers have in Christ.

Faith in God's Provision
Trusting in God's provision and timing is crucial, as He provides means for restoration and redemption through community and family.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of the kinsman-redeemer in Leviticus 25:25 reflect God's character and His plan for redemption?

2. In what ways can we, as a church community, act as "kinsman-redeemers" for those in need today?

3. How does the principle of redemption in Leviticus 25:25 connect to the account of Ruth and Boaz?

4. What are some practical ways we can preserve and honor the "inheritance" God has given us, both spiritually and materially?

5. How can we apply the concept of bearing one another's burdens, as seen in Galatians 6:2, in our daily lives and interactions with others?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Ruth 4
The account of Boaz as the kinsman-redeemer for Ruth and Naomi, illustrating the principle of redemption in action.

Galatians 6:2
Encourages believers to bear one another's burdens, reflecting the communal support seen in Leviticus 25:25.

Hebrews 2:11
Speaks of Jesus as our brother, who redeems us, drawing a parallel to the kinsman-redeemer concept.

Isaiah 61:1-2
Prophesies the coming of the Messiah to proclaim liberty to captives, echoing the theme of redemption and restoration.
Sermons
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
Becomes, Becometh, Brother, Buy, Countryman, Countrymen, Fellow, Grow, Kin, Kinsman, Money, Nearest, Poor, Possession, Possessions, Property, Redeem, Redeemed, Redeemer, Relation, Relative, Sell, Sells, Sold, Waxed, Waxen, Yours
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 25:25

     5449   poverty, remedies
     8242   ethics, personal
     8243   ethics, social
     8436   giving, of possessions

Leviticus 25:18-27

     4464   harvest

Leviticus 25:20-28

     7482   Year of Jubilee

Leviticus 25:23-28

     5477   property, land

Leviticus 25:23-43

     5504   rights

Leviticus 25:24-28

     6721   redemption, in life

Leviticus 25:25-28

     5681   family, nature of
     6714   ransom
     7388   kinsman-redeemer

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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