Leviticus 25:29

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Leviticus 25:29 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption.
Leviticus 25:29 — American Standard Version

Context — Leviticus 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
29And if a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, etc.] Which was so from the days of Joshua the son of Nun, as Jarchi: then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold: any time within the year he pleased, either he or any near of kin to him; and if they would, on the day it was sold, or any time after within the compass of the year, even on the day in which the year ended; in this such an house differed from fields, which could not be redeemed under two years, (see Gill on “<032515>Leviticus 25:15”); [within] a full year may he redeem it; from the time it was sold, paying what it was sold for: this is to be understood, Maimonides f878 says, of a solar year, which consists of…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold--All sales of houses were subject to the same condition. But there was a difference between the houses of villages (which, being connected with agriculture, were treated as parts of the land) and houses possessed by trading people or foreigners in walled towns, which could only be redeemed within the year after the sale; if not then redeemed, these did not revert to the former owner at the Jubilee.”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“25:29-31 A house in an unwalled village was apparently considered the same as land. It could be bought back, and if not, ownership reverted in the Year of Jubilee to the family of the individual who sold it. No farm or grazing acreage was involved in the sale of a house inside a walled town. Because such a house could be built on the town wall without having to rest on the earth (Josh 2:15), there was no land to redeem. Therefore, it could not be bought back unless the new owner desired to sell it, nor did it revert to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“A very proper difference is here made between houses in a city and houses in the country. The former might be redeemed any time in the course of a year; but after that time could not be redeemed, or go out with the Jubilee. the latter might be redeemed at any time; and if not redeemed must go out with the jubilee. The reason in both cases is sufficiently evident; the house in the city might be built merely for the purposes of trade or traffic - the house in the country was builded on, or attached to, the inheritance which God had divided to the respective families. It was therefore necessary that the same law should apply to the house as to the inheritance; which necessity did not exist with…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification