If, however, the owner decides to redeem the animal, he must add a fifth to its value.
Parallel translations
- WEB But if he will indeed redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.
- KJV But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation.
- NKJV But if he wants at all to redeem it, then he must add one-fifth to your valuation.
- NASB But if he should ever want to redeem it, then he shall add a fifth of it to your assessment.
- NLT If you want to buy back the animal, you must pay the value set by the priest, plus 20 percent.
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
If the giver wished to redeem the vowed animal, he had to add a fifth to its value. Reclaiming what was devoted to God carries a cost.
Overview
The added twenty percent discouraged casual reclaiming of what had been given to God and recognized the seriousness of devotion. It allowed flexibility while preserving the sanctity of the vow. The principle is that what is set apart for the Lord is not lightly taken back, underscoring the weight of our commitments to Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Lev 27:15But if he who consecrated his house redeems it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it will belong to him.
- Lev 27:19And if the one who consecrated the field decides to redeem it, he must add a fifth to the assessed value, and it shall belong to him.
- Lev 22:14If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest.
- Lev 27:10He must not replace it or exchange it, either good for bad or bad for good. But if he does substitute one animal for another, both that animal and its substitute will be holy.
- Lev 5:16Regarding any holy thing he has harmed, he must make restitution by adding a fifth of its value to it and giving it to the priest, who will make atonement on his behalf with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven.
- Lev 6:4–5once he has sinned and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or the deposit entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 27:13 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.