Lev 27:1-13 | NETfull | STEP | The Lord spoke to Moses:

Leviticus 27:1-13

1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘When a man makes a special votive offering ^{▼▼ Cf. the note on Lev 22:21. Some take this as an expression for fulfilling a vow, “to fulfill a vow” (e.g., HALOT 927-28 s.v. פלא piel and NASB; cf. NRSV “in fulfillment of a vow”) or, alternatively, “to make a vow” or “for making a vow” (HALOT 928 s.v. פלא piel [II פלא]). Perhaps it refers to the making a special vow, from the verb פָלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be remarkable”), cf. Milgrom, Numbers [JPSTC], 44. B. A. Levine, Leviticus (JPSTC), 151 and 193, suggests that this is a special term for “setting aside a votive offering” (related to פָלָה, palah, “to set aside”). In general, the point of the expression seems to be that this sacrifice is a special gift to God that arose out of special circumstances in the life of the worshiper.} based on the conversion value of persons to the Lord, ^{▼▼ Heb “in your valuation, persons to the Lord, ” but “in your valuation” is a frozen form and, therefore, the person (“your”) does not figure into the translation (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 73). Instead of offering a person to the Lord one could redeem that person with the appropriate amount of money delineated in the following verses (see the note on Lev 5:15 above and the explanation in Hartley, 480–81).} 3 the conversion value of the male ^{▼▼ Heb “your conversion value shall be [for] the male.”} from twenty years old up to sixty years old ^{▼▼ Heb “from a son of twenty years and until a son of sixty years.”} is fifty shekels by the standard of the sanctuary shekel. ^{▼▼ See the note on Lev 5:15.} 4 If the person is a female, the conversion value is thirty shekels. 5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the conversion value of the male is twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 6 If the person is one month old up to five years old, the conversion value of the male is five shekels of silver, ^{▼▼ Heb “five shekels silver.”} and for the female the conversion value is three shekels of silver. 7 If the person is from sixty years old and older, if he is a male the conversion value is fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 If he is too poor to pay the conversion value, he must stand the person before the priest and the priest will establish his conversion value; ^{▼▼ Heb “and the priest shall cause him to be valued.”} according to what the man who made the vow can afford, ^{▼▼ Heb “on the mouth which the hand of the one who vowed reaches.”} the priest will establish his conversion value.

Redemption of Vowed Animals

9 “‘If what is vowed is a kind of animal from which an offering may be presented ^{▼▼ Heb “which they may present from it an offering.” The plural active verb is sometimes best rendered in the passive (GKC 460 #144.f, g). Some medieval Hebrew mss, Smr, a ms of the Targum, and the Vulgate all have the singular verb instead (cf. similarly v. 11).} to the Lord, anything which he gives to the Lord from this kind of animal ^{▼▼ Heb “from it.” The masculine suffix “it” here is used for the feminine in the MT, but one medieval Hebrew ms, some mss of Smr, the LXX, and the Syriac have the feminine. The referent (this kind of animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} will be holy. 10 He must not replace or exchange it, good for bad or bad for good, and if he does indeed exchange one animal for another animal, then both the original animal ^{▼▼ Heb “it and its substitute.” The referent (the original animal offered) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} and its substitute will be holy. 11 If what is vowed is an unclean animal from which an offering must not be presented to the Lord, then he must stand the animal before the priest, 12 and the priest will establish its conversion value, ^{▼▼ Heb “and the priest shall cause it to be valued.” See the note on v. 8 above.} whether good or bad. According to the assessed conversion value of the priest, thus it will be. 13 If, however, the person who made the vow redeems the animal, ^{▼▼ Heb “And if redeeming [infinitive absolute] he redeems it [finite verb].” For the infinitive absolute used to highlight contrast rather than emphasis see GKC 343 #113.p. The referent of “he” (the person who made the vow) and “it” (the animal) have both been specified in the translation for clarity.} he must add one fifth to ^{▼▼ Heb “on,” meaning “on top of, in addition to” (likewise in v. 15).} its conversion value.