And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
Parallel translations
- WEB “‘If a man dedicates to Yahweh part of the field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. The sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
- BSB If a man consecrates to the LORD a parcel of his land, then your valuation shall be proportional to the seed required for it—fifty shekels of silver for every homer of barley seed.
- NKJV ‘If a man dedicates to the Lord part of a field of his possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it. A homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
- NASB ‘Again, if someone consecrates to the Lord part of the field of his own property, then your assessment shall be proportionate to the seed needed for it: a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver.
- NLT “If someone dedicates to the Lord a piece of his family property, its value will be assessed according to the amount of seed required to plant it—fifty shekels of silver for a field planted with five bushels of barley seed.
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
A man could dedicate part of his ancestral field to the LORD, with its value assessed by the amount of seed needed to sow it. This shows that even land, the basis of Israel's inheritance, could be devoted to God.
Overview
Vows of land are valued by productive capacity rather than market price, fixing a homer of barley seed at fifty shekels of silver. Because land in Israel was tied to tribal inheritance, dedicating a field had lasting implications, regulated in the verses that follow. The principle that all one's possessions belong to God anticipates the wholehearted devotion the gospel calls forth in those redeemed by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Isa 5:10Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah.
- Hos 3:2So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley:
- Ezek 45:11–14The ephah and the bath shall be of one measure, that the bath may contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah the tenth part of an homer: the measure thereof shall be after the homer.
- Acts 5:4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
- Acts 4:34–37Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
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Original language
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