Imamat 27:30-34

Redemption of the Tithe

27:30 “‘Any tithe ¹  of the land, from the grain of the land or from the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 27:31 If a man redeems ²  part of his tithe, however, he must add one fifth to it. ³  27:32 All the tithe of herd or flock, everything which passes under the rod, the tenth one will be holy to the Lord. ⁴  27:33 The owner ⁵  must not examine the animals to distinguish between good and bad, and he must not exchange it. If, however, he does exchange it, ⁶  both the original animal ⁷  and its substitute will be holy. ⁸  It must not be redeemed.’”

Final Colophon

27:34 These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses to tell the Israelites ⁹  at Mount Sinai.

[27:30]  ¹ tn On the “tithe” system in Israel, see R. E. Averbeck, NIDOTTE 2:1035-55 and esp. pp. 1041-42 on Lev 27:30-33.

[27:31]  ² tn Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] a man redeems [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:31]  ³ tn Heb “its one fifth on it.”

[27:32]  ⁴ sn The tithed animal was the tenth one that passed under the shepherd’s rod or staff as they were being counted (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 485, and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 200).

[27:33]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner of the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “And if exchanging [infinitive absolute] he exchanges it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 §113.p.

[27:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:33]  ⁸ tn Heb “it shall be and its substitute shall be holy.”

[27:34]  ⁹ tn Most of the commentaries and English versions translate, “which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel.” The preposition אֶל (’el), however, does not usually mean “for.” In this book it is commonly used when the Lord commands Moses “to speak [un]to” a person or group of persons (see, e.g., Lev 1:2; 4:2, etc.). The translation “to tell” here reflects this pattern in the book of Leviticus.