But if he does not want to redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed anymore;
Parallel translations
- WEB If he will not redeem the field, or if he has sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more;
- KJV And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
- BSB If, however, he does not redeem the field, or if he has sold it to another man, it may no longer be redeemed.
- NASB Yet if he does not redeem the field, but has sold the field to another person, it may no longer be redeemed;
- NLT But if he does not want to buy it back, and it is sold to someone else, the field can no longer be bought back.
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 man did not redeem the field, or had already sold it to another, he forfeited the right to redeem it. The chance to reclaim it was lost.
Overview
Failing to redeem, or transferring the field to someone else, ended any further claim to buy it back. The vow then took its full course, with the land passing permanently out of the family's hands at the Jubilee. This sober finality teaches that vows to God are not to be treated lightly and that delay or disobedience carries real consequences.
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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 27:20 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
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