Limitless Word
he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his brothers may redeem him:
Leviticus 25:48 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him;
  • KJV After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:
  • NKJV after he is sold he may be redeemed again. One of his brothers may redeem him;
  • NASB then he shall have redemption right after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him,
  • NLT they still retain the right to be bought back, even after they have been purchased. They may be bought back by a brother,

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 indentured Israelite always retains the right to be redeemed, and a near relative may buy him back. No fellow Israelite is ever beyond the reach of rescue.

Overview

Hebrew servitude was never to be permanent slavery; the right of redemption remained intact. A kinsman could pay the price to set the man free. This pictures the gospel work of the kinsman-redeemer, fulfilled in Christ, who as our near relative in the flesh pays the price to redeem His people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Heb 2:11–13For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
  • Neh 5:5We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
  • Lev 25:35Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you.
  • Lev 25:25If your brother becomes impoverished and sells some of his property, his nearest of kin may come and redeem what his brother has sold.
  • Gal 4:4–5But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
  • Neh 5:8and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Leviticus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Leviticus 25:48YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LeviticusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.

How Leviticus 25:48 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.