And if ye sell ought unto your neighbour, or buy of your neighbour's hand, ye shall not overreach one another.
Leviticus 25 sets the rules for buying and selling in Israel, where every fiftieth year — the jubilee — each family's land came back to it. That one fact shaped every deal made in between: what a buyer really bought, and what price counted as fair.
The jubilee stood behind every transaction as a reminder of who really owned the ground. A buyer in Israel never received the soil itself.
The year of jubilee reminded both buyer and seller that the land belonged to the LORD, and was not to be sold. "The fruits" might be sold, but that was all — the LORD could never give up the land to anyone. It is important to get this point well fixed in the mind... If the land of Canaan is not to be sold — if the LORD declares it to be His forever, then for whom does He want it? Who is to hold under Him? Those to whom He gave it by an everlasting covenant.
Because the property would go back to its family at the jubilee, the years remaining decided the value. Commentators describe the arrangement in ordinary commercial terms.
The price of things sold and bought between the people had to follow the number of years left till the Jubilee (vv. 14-16). In this case the sale was really a lease for that number of years. Of course, with livestock they would also count the age of the animal. Goods that spoil did not come under this rule.
The very rule that protected the seller could be twisted into a tool for cheating him. A buyer or seller who knew the calendar could misquote the value of what was left.
The law of jubilee is a striking example of how Jewish laws shaped moral conduct. A Jew might take advantage of it and demand a price for his land far above its real value. That value depended on how far off the fiftieth year was. That is why it is written, "And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another"... They had to govern all their buying and selling by this rule.
Older translations put the command as "you shall not oppress" or "over-reach one another." The ESV has "you shall not wrong one another."
Good laws alone do not make a good society.
But it was important for all to remember that they were not to oppress one another (v. 17), in other words, they must be fair in their dealings. No matter how good a government is, if people are not fair, there is trouble.
The fear of God stands behind the ban on overreaching, and obedience brought its own security.
The Israelites were not to over-reach one another; and, if obedient, had a free insurance of life, liberty, and land from Jehovah. "You shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God." What could be more simple and sure for an earthly people? If rebellious, how could they expect it? God is not mocked.
Israel priced its fields by how close the jubilee was. Writers draw the parallel to how we price what we own now.
The important lesson for us in this jubilee rule is this. The value of their land rose and fell with the number of years left before the trumpet would sound... This clearly shows us that when we are really waiting for the Lord Himself from heaven, things here will have little value in our eyes. But if we price earthly things highly, does it not show that we are counting on some years of enjoying them?
Holding the view is not the same as living by it.
A person may hold "the doctrine of the millennium," as it is called, or the doctrine of "the second advent," and be a thorough man of the world. But anyone who lives in the constant expectation of Christ's appearing must be separate from what will be judged and broken up when He comes. It is not a question of how short and uncertain life is, nor of how empty the things of time are, true as both of those are. Something far stronger works here: "The Lord is at hand."
- Owner — The land belonged to God and was never truly sold; only its crops could change hands.
- Lease — Every sale was really a lease for the years left before the jubilee. The calendar set the price.
- Fairness — A trader could still demand a price far above the years left. That is the wrong this command forbids.
- Fear — Honest dealing rested on the fear of God. Obedience carried God's own guarantee of life, liberty and land.
- Waiting — Israel priced its fields by how near the jubilee was. Those who wait for the Lord price their own possessions low.
According to the number of years since the jubilee, thou shalt buy of thy neighbour; according to the number of years of the produce, he shall sell unto thee.
In Israel land was priced by the calendar — you counted the years left until the next jubilee, when every field went back to its first owner. So why should a price depend on a date, and what does that date say about who owns the field?
No Israelite could hand over his land permanently, so a "sale" transferred only the harvests between now and the jubilee. One writer draws the line sharply between the soil and what grows on it:
The year of jubilee reminded both buyer and seller that the land belonged to the Lord, and was not to be sold. "The fruits" might be sold, but that was all — the Lord could never give up the land to anyone.
So the deal was not what we mean by a sale:
The number of years remaining until the Jubilee was to set the price of things sold and bought between the people (vv. 14-16). In this case the sale was really a lease for that number of years.
A greater claim sat over the whole country:
The Lord was the master of the land, its owner. Israel received the land as a gift; they were the tenants. The Lord's words here are beautiful: "You are strangers and sojourners with Me."
Without this rule, the countdown itself could become a weapon against a desperate seller. The law names that temptation and shuts it down:
The law of jubilee is a striking example of how Jewish ordinances bear on moral conduct. A Jew might use it to demand a price for his land that was out of proportion to its value. That value depended on how far away the fiftieth year was… Whether they sold or bought, they were bound to follow this principle.
The law aims at the person in the market, not only at the system:
But it was important for all to remember that they were not to oppress one another (v. 17). In other words, they must be fair in their dealings. No matter how good a government may be, if people are not fair, there is trouble.
The count of years does not only fix what a buyer pays. It also fixes what a seller must pay to get his field back early:
The seller himself might in time have enough funds to redeem his possession. If so, he was to count the number of years since the sale, and of course the time left till the year of Jubilee, and pay on that basis. Say the buyer had use of the property for 20 years, and ten years were left before the Jubilee: the amounts were to be worked out on that basis. For in the year of Jubilee the first owner would pay nothing to have his property returned (v. 28).
So a poor man never lost hope, and a rich man never gained an unbreakable grip:
See how much comfort this gave the believing Israelite! He could rest in the blessed assurance of the Lord's loving interest in His people. The Lord guarantees the return of the property He assigned, despite all their mistakes and bad judgment, or others taking advantage of them in the meantime.
Commentators differ on what the jubilee pictures. One writer ties the trumpet to Israel's future, and then draws a lesson for every reader:
I do not say that the sounding of the jubilee trumpet pictured the Lord's coming for us. I believe it pictured the time when the Lord will appear to the Jews as their Messiah, bring His ancient people into their promised liberty, and give every tribe in the land of Israel its own rightful possession… The value we attach to everything here matches how near or far we sense the Lord's coming to be.
Another writer separates holding a view from living by it:
A person may hold "the doctrine of the millennium," as it is called, or the doctrine of "the second advent," and still be a thorough man of the world. But anyone who lives in the daily expectation of Christ's appearing must stand apart from what will be judged and broken up when He comes… What separates him is this: "The Lord is at hand."
- Owner. The land was God's, and Israel were tenants living as strangers and sojourners with Him.
- Lease. Because of that, no sale was a sale; it transferred the harvests until the jubilee, and nothing more.
- Price. The years left set the figure. The same count let a seller buy his field back early.
- Fairness. A buyer who knew the date could squeeze his neighbour, so the law bound both sides to fair dealing.
- Countdown. The nearer the jubilee, the lower the price — and what we prize here shows how near we think the Lord's coming is.
According to the greater number of the years, thou shalt increase the price thereof; and according to the fewness of years, thou shalt diminish the price of it; for it is the number of crops that he selleth unto thee.
The price of land in Israel rose and fell with a calendar. A buyer was paying for the harvests left before the jubilee year — which raises the real question here: who owns the land, and what is the buyer paying for?
The object of the sale is not the ground but its crops for a fixed stretch of time. One writer draws the line:
The year of jubilee reminded both buyer and seller that the land belonged to Jehovah, and was not to be sold. "The fruits" might be sold, but that was all — Jehovah could never give up the land to anyone. It is important to get this point well fixed in the mind. It may open up a very extensive line of truth.
So the count of years set the price:
The number of years left till the Jubilee had to set the price of things the people sold and bought (vv. 14-16). In this case the sale was really a lease for that number of years.
One date governed every price: the fiftieth year.
The jubilee had to set the scale of prices. If that glorious event was at hand, the price was low; if far off, the price was high. Every human agreement about land broke up the moment the trumpet of jubilee sounded, for the land was Jehovah's. The jubilee brought everything back to its normal condition.
A formula was needed because a seller could otherwise name his own figure.
The law of jubilee is a remarkable instance of how Jewish ordinances bear on moral conduct. So a Jew might take advantage of it and demand a price for his land out of proportion to its value. That value depended on how far off the fiftieth year stood… They were bound to regulate every sale or purchase by this principle.
The check on greed was not a market rule.
The Israelites were not to take unfair advantage of one another. If they obeyed, they had a free insurance of life, liberty, and land from Jehovah. "You shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God." What could be more simple and sure for an earthly people?
Pricing by the number of crops kept one truth in front of every Israelite whenever he opened his purse.
What is very plain is that since the land was God's, those to whom He gave it might only dispose of it on the leasehold principle. They could sell it only until the jubilee came, and the value of the lease dropped as the jubilee drew near… This stopped grasping men from piling up landed property. What mattered even more, Israel had a continual reminder that all they would possess they held from the Lord, and that they were dependent on Him. Do we who are Christians need this reminder any less than they? Do we not rather need it more?
The jubilee also carried hope for the poorest Israelite:
It kept alive in the heart of the poverty-stricken person the hope of freedom, and of clearance from all charges on his property or person. It regulated the value of land for sale. It reminded everyone that the true owner of the soil was Jehovah.
Commentators apply this in two ways. One contrasts Israel's calendar with the Christian's hope:
The Christian and the church have a constant hope of Christ's coming, suited to the heavenly people. It was not so for Israel. That earthly people had their times and seasons, and the value of their sales followed the distance or the nearness of the jubilee. We are not of the world, and should always wait expectantly.
Another writer shows what waiting does to a person's grip on earthly things:
If our hearts are cherishing the abiding hope of the Lord's return, we shall set little value on all earthly things… A person may hold "the doctrine of the second advent" and be a thorough man of the world. But one who lives in the habitual expectation of Christ's appearing must be separate from everything that will be judged and broken up when He comes.
- Crops, not land. The seller handed over a run of harvests. The land itself was never on the market, because it belonged to God.
- Lease, not purchase. Every price was a lease price. You counted the years left before the fiftieth year.
- Near means cheap. The closer the jubilee, the lower the figure — the coming event set the value of everything before it.
- Fear, not shrewdness. Without the formula a man could demand far more than the land was worth. The check on him is "you shall fear your God."
- Held, not owned. Tenants of a divine Landlord cannot hoard. Those who expect their Lord's return hold present things with an open hand, for the same reason.
And ye shall not oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am Jehovah your God.
This command sits inside the jubilee law, where land changed hands only until the fiftieth year. What makes the rule unusual is its last clause: the guard against sharp practice is not a court or a penalty, but the fear of God.
The jubilee created an obvious opening for a shrewd trader. Land was worth more when the jubilee was far off and less when it was near, so a seller could inflate the price of a plot he would soon get back anyway.
The law of jubilee is a remarkable instance of how Jewish ordinances bear on moral conduct. A Jew might take advantage of it. He could charge a price for his land far above its true value, and that value depended on how far off the fiftieth year was… Whether selling or buying, they had to follow this principle.
The price varied because the buyer got a lease on the crops, not the ground itself.
The land was God's. So those to whom He gave it could only pass it on as a lease. They could sell it until the jubilee came, and the value of the lease dropped as the jubilee drew near… In this way the law stopped grasping men from piling up landed property. What mattered even more, Israel had a constant reminder that they held all they had from the Lord, and that they depended on Him. Do we who are Christians need this reminder any less than they? Do we not rather need it more?
A buyer might argue that he paid what both sides agreed to.
As long as they stayed faithful to the Lord and His word, the jubilee governed their selling and buying of the land — or rather of the lease on it. God Himself had commanded it. Personal fairness was not everything. There was also the Lord's valuation of what the produce was worth until the jubilee.
The same words come back again and again in this chapter. They appear wherever one Israelite held the advantage over a weaker one.
A strict adherence to the letter of the law was not all that God required of Israel. To insist on righteousness while overlooking grace, and refusing to show mercy, would be a grievous affront to God Himself… Here grace found an opportunity. It meets us at the very lowest point — the very principle of the gospel, "while we were still weak." A ruined, broken-down Israelite might sell himself to a brother. If that brother applied this precious principle of grace, it would not cancel the contract. But it would still bring light and joy and liberty into his soul. This chapter is not about worship, as Deuteronomy 26 is. It is about guarding against oppression and acting in the fear of God. "You shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God" (vv. 17, 36, 38, 43, 55).
Behind the warning stands God's own name as the guarantee of everything Israel held.
The Israelites were not to take advantage of one another. If they obeyed, they had a free insurance of life, liberty and land from the Lord. "You shall fear your God, for I am the LORD your God." What could be simpler or surer for an earthly people? If they rebelled, how could they expect it? God is not mocked.
The verse ends with God naming Himself, and that is where the standard comes from.
Israel's actions were to take their character from the fact that the Lord was their God. Their conduct is to be founded on what He is, not on what they are in themselves… The word of God must settle every question and govern every conscience. There must be no appeal from its solemn and weighty decision.
Israel priced land by how near the jubilee stood. A hope that is close at hand works the same way now.
If our hearts hold on to the steady hope of the Lord's return, we will hold all earthly things loosely. It is morally impossible to wait for the Son from heaven and stay attached to this present world. "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5).
- Owner — The land was God's, so Israel never truly sold it; they leased its crops until the jubilee.
- Price — The nearer the jubilee, the lower the price; a seller who charged more was cheating.
- Standard — God's own valuation of the produce, not the price two sides agreed on, governed the deal.
- Fear — Where the strong could squeeze the weak, God set no penalty. He set His own name, repeated through the chapter.
- Hope — A coming release loosened their grip on property then, as a coming Lord loosens ours now.