Leviticus 25:10

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year,.... The year following the seven sabbaths of years, or forty nine years; and which they were to sanctify by separating it from all others, and devoting it to

And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession,

By which it seems most probable that the year of jubilee was not the forty and ninth year, as some learned men think, but precisely the fiftieth year; which may appear, 1. Because the Jews account it so, which is confessed by the adversaries of this opinion, who say that the Jews err in the computation of the jubilee, as they do in Christ, the great end and antitype of the jubilee. But it is not probable that the Jews should universally err in a matter of constant practice among themselves, especially when there was nothing of interest or prejudice in the case, as there was in reference to Christ. 2. Because it is expressly called the fiftieth year here, and , that fiftieth year, which was not true if it was but the nine and fortieth year. It is said it is called so popularly, and it was so if you take in the foregoing jubilee. But it must be remembered, that there was not yet any foregoing jubilee, but the very first of the kind is expressly called the fiftieth year, which in truth it was not if the jubilee was ended ere the fiftieth year began. 3. From the common course of computation. The old weekly sabbath is called the seventh day, because it truly was so, being next after the six days of the week, and distinct from them all; and the year of release is called the seventh year, , as immediately following the six years, , and distinct from them all. And therefore, in like manner, the jubilee must needs be called the fiftieth year, because it comes next after seven times seven, or forty-nine years, , and is distinct from them all. 4. From ,12, where it is said, ye shall not sow, nor reap, &c; for it is the jubilee, &c.; which looks like a vain and useless repetition, if this year were but one of the seven years, for this very command was given concerning every seventh year, ; but if this year of jubilee was, as indeed it was, a year distinct from and coming after the seven sevens of years, then this repetition and application of that command to it was highly necessary, because otherwise it might seem hard and unreasonable that they should forbear sowing and reaping two years together, which hereby they are commanded to do. Two things are objected against this: 1. That the jubilee was only a revolution of forty-nine years. But that seems a great mistake, for it is most expressly distinguished from them all, and by way of distinction called the fiftieth year, therefore surely none of the forty-nine. 2. The difficulty propounded concerns only the seventh year, whereas it had been a greater difficulty if it had been extended to the jubilee, and the jubilee had been another vacant year coming next after the seventh year.

Leviticus 25:10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.Ver. 10. And proclaim liberty.] See this expounded by the prophet Isaiah. A most joyful jubilee indeed. In the year of Christ, 1617, the Pope proclaimed a jubilee for the peace of Italy and Austria. The Protestants also of Germany did the like, in honour of God, and for joy of the Reformation begun by Luther in Germany, a just hundred of years before. [Exactly a hundred years before.]

(10) And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year.—Because it is here said “Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year,” the authorities during the second Temple inferred that the good work of the jubile is to begin with the first day of Tishri, which is the beginning of the year, and which ought to be hallowed. Hence as new year was with the Hebrews the preparation for the Day of Atonement, so it also became the prelude to the acts of mercy which finally came into operation on the Day of Atonement. They therefore began counting the cycle of the jubile from the first of Tishri, or new year, though they proclaimed it on the tenth, or on the close of the Day of Atonement. In accordance with this the authorities during the second Temple record that “from the Feast of Trumpets [i.e., Tishri 1] till the Day of Atonement [i.e., Tishri 10], the slaves were neither manumitted to return to their homes, nor were made use of by their masters, but ate, drank, rejoiced, and wore garlands; and when the Day of Atonement came the judges blew the cornet, the slaves were manumitted to return to their homes, and the fields were set free.” And proclaim liberty . . . unto all the inhabitants—That is, to all the Israelites, who are the true possessors of the land. Hence the ancient authorities conclude that the law of jubile was only in force as long as the whole Jewish nation dwelt in the land, but not after the tribes of Reuben and Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, were carried into captivity by Pul and Tilgath-Pilneser kings of Assyria (1 Chronicles 5:26), because “all the inhabitants” of the land dwelt no longer in it. It is from this declaration to proclaim liberty that the year of jubile is also called “the year of freedom” (Ezekiel 46:17). It shall be a jubile.—This is an abbreviation of the fuller form, “a year of jubile,” used in the other passages of this chapter (see Leviticus 25:13; Leviticus 25:28; Leviticus 25:40; Leviticus 25:50; Leviticus 25:52; Leviticus 25:54), and denotes “a year proclaimed by the blast of the horn,” since the word yôbel signifies both ram’s horn and the sound emitted from it. And ye shall return every man.—See Leviticus 25:14-16; Leviticus 25:23-28. Every man unto his family.—See Leviticus 25:39-40.

10. a jubile] lit. ‘a ram’s horn’ (blowing). Doubtless the year had originally the name year of the ram’s horn, and afterwards the first part of this title was dropped in current speech, thus leaving the Heb. word yôbçl, which, through the Vulg. Jubilaeus, has been adopted into English as jubile.

10. The fiftieth year was to be set apart for specific purposes, to be not only a year of rest but of release and restoration.