And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits of the land: for it is holy unto the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB They shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy to Yahweh.
- BSB They must not sell or exchange any of it, and they must not transfer this best part of the land, for it is holy to the LORD.
- NKJV And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.
- NASB Moreover, they shall not sell or exchange any of it, or allow this choice portion of land to pass to others; for it is holy to the Lord.
- NLT None of this special land may ever be sold or traded or used by others, for it belongs to the Lord; it is set apart as holy.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Levites may not sell, trade, or alienate this land, for it is holy to the LORD. What is consecrated to God must remain set apart.
Overview
The Levites' holy portion is permanently inalienable because it belongs to the LORD. This safeguards the sanctity and permanence of what is dedicated to God. The principle that God's holy things are not to be treated as common property reflects the reverence due to all that He claims as His own.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Lev 27:28Notwithstanding 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.
- Lev 27:9–10And 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.
- Lev 25:34But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.
- Lev 27:32–33And 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.
- Ezek 48:12And this oblation of the land that is offered shall be unto them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.
- Exod 22:29Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.
- Mal 3:8–10Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
- Lev 23:20And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.
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Christ at the center
The promise of one Shepherd-King David, a new heart and new Spirit, and the river of life flowing from the temple all stream toward Christ, the good Shepherd who gives the Spirit.
How Ezekiel 48:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.