What Does Leviticus 27:19 Mean in the King James?
And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The one who sets the field apart can reclaim it, but redemption here means paying an added fifth until the field stands as his again.
THE MEANING
The field remains reclaimable by the person who sets it apart, but return costs one fifth more than its assessed value. Once that added amount is paid, the field stands as his.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that setting something apart makes it permanently impossible to reclaim: return remains possible, though it carries an added cost.
THE ROOT
גָּאֹל
ga'ol
GROWS FROM
גאל
ga'al
To reclaim or buy back; the root can also describe a kinsman recovering what belongs to the family.
“redeem” in this verse is ga'ol. The root can describe a near relation reclaiming what has been lost or transferred. Here, redemption is a concrete return to possession, secured by paying the added fifth.
ALSO GROWS
go'el: Kinsman-redeemer; one who reclaims or recovers what belongs to kin.
גֹּאֵל
This branch shows the root’s personal, relational force: redeeming is an act of recovery, not merely a change in status.
ge'ullah: Redemption; the act or right of reclaiming.
גְּאֻלָּה
This names the recovery itself, connecting the verse’s payment to the field’s return to its owner.
הַמַּקְדִּישׁ
hammaqdish
GROWS FROM
קדש
q-d-sh
To set apart for a distinct purpose.
“sanctified” in this verse is hammaqdish. The root marks what is set apart for a distinct purpose. Here, that status coexists with a defined route for the one who dedicated the field to reclaim it; setting apart and return are not opposites.
ALSO GROWS
qodesh: Set-apartness; something sacred.
קֹדֶשׁ
It names the status given to the field and makes clear what is being reclaimed.
miqdash: A sanctuary; a set-apart place.
מִקְדָּשׁ
This branch shows how the same root describes a place marked off for a distinct purpose.
וְקָם
weqam
GROWS FROM
קום
q-w-m
To stand, rise, or be established.
“assured” in this verse is weqam. The Hebrew says the field will stand for him. The root links the completed payment with an established claim: the field’s return has a firm footing.
ALSO GROWS
qum: To rise or stand.
קוּם
This basic form illuminates the verse’s image of the field standing as the owner’s possession.
heqim: To raise or establish.
הֵקִים
This related form makes visible the establishing force carried by the verse’s final phrase.
THE PATTERN
Reclaiming what is set apart or repairing what was taken carries an added measure beyond its assessed value or principal.
And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.THE THREAD
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.The word translated “redeemed” shares the root גאל (ga’al) with the field’s reclaiming. Isaiah carries that same recovery into the language of belonging: “I have redeemed thee” ends with “thou art mine.”
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