20131118 Monday, November 18 2013
Leviticus 27: Values

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

The English word "value" originated from a Latin word, valere, which meant to be strong. The word valor, which means to face danger with courage, originated from the same root word, as did valid, which has come to mean genuine, or worthy i.e. not worthless.

The King James Version uses "value" to translate the Hebrew word of the Holy Scriptures, pronounced aw-rawk, which meant to order, as in to arrange according to worth, or worthiness.

As we will read, the term was widely used as a means to measure productive value. It was even used for people when making an offering to the LORD - the amounts varied according to each person's ability and stage of life - the value of their offering, although different in amount, was equal in means.

"27:1 And the LORD [Who was and is Jesus Christ; see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God] spake unto Moses, saying, 27:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation. 27:3 And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 27:4 And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels. 27:5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:6 And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver. 27:7 And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 27:8 But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him." (Leviticus 27:1-8 KJV)

Livestock and property were valued according to how productive they actually were - there was no "speculation" market.

"27:9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy. 27:10 He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy. 27:11 And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest: 27:12 And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be. 27:13 But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.

27:14 And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand. 27:15 And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.

27:16 And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 27:17 If he sanctify his field from the year of jubile, according to thy estimation it shall stand. 27:18 But if he sanctify his field after the jubile, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubile, and it shall be abated from thy estimation. 27:19 And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him. 27:20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more. 27:21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.

27:22 And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession; 27:23 Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubile: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD. 27:24 In the year of the jubile the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong. 27:25 And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel." (Leviticus 27:9-25 KJV)

The firstlings were "priceless" for their Messianic principle (i.e. see The Forerunner Of Man and Of God).

"27:26 Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD'S firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD'S. 27:27 And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation." (Leviticus 27:26-27 KJV)

Devoted things were absolute - what was right could never be lost.

"27:28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. 27:29 None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death." (Leviticus 27:28-29 KJV)

The principle of tithing was based upon the actually value of property.

"27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 27:33 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." (Leviticus 27:30-33 KJV)

Fact Finder: How do moral values determine how physical things are valued?
See The Moral Law and Leviticus 26: Reap What You Sow