9 And if it is a beast of which men make offerings to the Lord, whatever any man gives of such to the Lord will be holy. 10 It may not be changed in any way, a good given for a bad, or a bad for a good; if one beast is changed for another, the two will be holy. 11 And if it is any unclean beast, of which offerings are not made to the Lord, then let him take the beast before the priest; 12 And let the priest put a value on it, if it is good or bad; whatever value the priest puts on it, so will it be. 13 But if he has a desire to get it back for himself, let him give a fifth more than your value.
14 And if a man has given his house as holy to the Lord, then the priest will put a value on it, if it is good or bad; as the priest gives decision so will the value be fixed. 15 And if the owner has a desire to get back his house, let him give a fifth more than your value, and it will be his. 16 And if a man gives to the Lord part of the field which is his property, then let your value be in relation to the seed which is planted in it; a measure of barley grain will be valued at fifty shekels of silver. 17 If he gives his field from the year of Jubilee, the value will be fixed by your decision. 18 But if he gives his field after the year of Jubilee, the amount of the money will be worked out by the priest in relation to the number of years till the coming year of Jubilee, and the necessary amount will be taken off your value. 19 And if the man who has given the field has a desire to get it back, let him give a fifth more than the price at which it was valued and it will be his. 20 But if he has no desire to get it back, or if he has given it for a price to another man, it may not be got back again. 21 But the field, when it becomes free at the year of Jubilee, will be holy to the Lord, as a field given under oath: it will be the property of the priest. 22 And if a man gives to the Lord a field which he has got for money from another, which is not part of his heritage; 23 Then the value fixed by you up to the year of Jubilee will be worked out for him by the priest, and in that day he will give the amount of your value as holy to the Lord. 24 In the year of Jubilee the field will go back to him from whom he got it, that is, to him whose heritage it was. 25 And let all your values be based on the shekel of the holy place, that is, twenty gerahs to the shekel.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Leviticus 27:9-25
Commentary on Leviticus 27:1-13
(Read Leviticus 27:1-13)
Zeal for the service of God disposed the Israelites, on some occasions, to dedicate themselves or their children to the service of the Lord, in his house for life. Some persons who thus dedicated themselves might be employed as assistants; in general they were to be redeemed for a value. It is good to be zealously affected and liberally disposed for the Lord's service; but the matter should be well weighed, and prudence should direct as to what we do; else rash vows and hesitation in doing them will dishonour God, and trouble our own minds.
Commentary on Leviticus 27:14-25
(Read Leviticus 27:14-25)
Our houses, lands, cattle, and all our substance, must be used to the glory of God. It is acceptable to him that a portion be given to support his worship, and to promote his cause. But God would not approve such a degree of zeal as ruined a man's family.