Devoted - See Leviticus 27:28 note.

As a field devoted - It is חרם cherem, a thing so devoted to God as never more to be capable of being redeemed. See on Leviticus 27:29 (note).

But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee,.... Out of the hand of him that bought it:

shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted; though it went out of the hand of the purchaser, it did not return to him that sanctified or devoted it, but was separated to sacred uses for the service of the Lord; for every devoted thing, whether of man, beast, or field, was most holy to the Lord, Leviticus 27:28,

the possession thereof shall be the priests'; it did not return to the treasurer of the sanctuary, who had sold it to another for the repair of the temple, as Jarchi observes, but as a devoted field it was given to the priests, as it is said, "everything devoted in Israel shall be thine", Numbers 18:14; and even this was divided, as he says, between the priests of that ward or course that happened to be on the day of atonement of the jubilee year: but in case it never was redeemed, but remained sanctified in the year of jubilee, the priests did not possess it without paying for it; and so the Jewish canon runs (c),"the jubilee comes, and the field is not redeemed, the priests enter into it, and pay the price of it;''on which one of the commentators (d) observes, when anyone has redeemed it, the money becomes sacred for the repairs of the temple; and when the jubilee comes, it goes out (i.e. of the hands of the purchaser) to the priests freely; but if it is not redeemed, the priests must pay the price of fifty shekels, and take it; and if even it was bought by a priest before out of the hands of the treasurer, it went from him to his brethren the priests, in the year of jubilee: the rule is this,"if any of the priests redeem it, and, lo, it is in his possession, he may not say, seeing it goes out to the priests in the year of jubilee, lo, it is in my possession, lo, it is mine, but it shall go out to all his brethren the priests (e).''

(c) Misn. Eracin, c. 7. sect. 4. (d) Bartenora in ib. (e) Misn. Eracin, c. 7. sect. 3.

But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be {l} holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.

(l) That is, who dedicate to the Lord with a curse to him that turns it to his private use, Nu 21:2, De 13:15, Jos 9:17.

27:21 When it goeth out - That is, out of the possession of the other man to whom the priest sold it. The possession shall be the priests - For their maintenance. Nor is this repugnant to that law, that the priests should have no inheritance in the land, Num 18:20, for that is only spoken of, the tribe of Levi in general, in reference to the first division of the land, wherein the Levites were not to have a distinct part of land, as other tribes had; but this doth not hinder, but some particular lands might be vowed and given to the priests, either for their own benefit, or for the service of the sanctuary.

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.