Leviticus 27:26-34, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Leviticus 27:26-34
Firstlings, devoted things, and tithes close Leviticus
Firstlings are already the LORD's
No man shall sanctify a firstling; it is the LORD's. Whether ox or sheep, it is the LORD's. If it is an unclean beast, he may redeem it at the priest's estimation plus a fifth, or if not redeemed it is sold at the estimation. You cannot vow what already belongs.
Devoted things are most holy; tithes have their own rules
No devoted thing that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he has, of man and beast and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed. Every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. The land's tithe of seed and fruit is the LORD's, holy; if a man will redeem any of his tithe, he adds a fifth. Every tenth animal that passes under the rod is holy; the owner is not to search whether it is good or bad, nor change it; if he changes it, then both are holy and shall not be redeemed.
The devoted-person rule cannot be used
None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. The clause is severe and its exact ancient scope is difficult. It cannot authorize human sacrifice, execution, or irreversible control by a modern religious leader. Zeal that devotes a person is not holiness.
These are the commandments which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai. Leviticus ends with ordered vows, not with a blank check for sacred violence.
How this should shape us
Do not vow what already belongs to God, do not manipulate tithe animals, and never treat a devoted-person rule as permission to harm or own a human being. Close a holy book with restraint rather than with irreversible claims over people.
Teach it back
Explain Leviticus 27:26-34 in your own words. Include its ritual, legal, narrative, or calendar movement; one source-supported detail; one uncertainty; and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Interpreters disagree over how personal valuations functioned, the relation to labor value, women's legal position, redemption formulas, field calculations, devoted persons, and the chapter's relationship to the book's conclusion. The fixed schedule's inequality must be named without converting it into an ontology of worth.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Leviticus 27:26-34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, ritual and legal vocabulary, names, clause relationships, KJV language controls, and translation limits.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Lev.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 27:26-34
Supports: Unit-bounded translator notes on Hebrew, syntax, ritual vocabulary, measures, textual questions, and older-English wording; silence is not treated as evidence.
NET Bible Leviticus PDF, complete PDF pp. 1-99, translation and translator notes for 27:26-34
Supports: Open critical orientation to Day of Atonement, holiness, social law, calendar, land, release, covenant, and final valuations.
Yale Bible Study, 'Leviticus Part 2,' complete guide sections on Leviticus 16, the Holiness Code, love of neighbor, festivals, land, covenant, and vows, applied to Leviticus 27:26-34
Supports: Publisher-visible framing of scholarly disagreement about Hebrews and supersessionism, used as a restraint on Christian canonical claims rather than as a complete solution.
Church, 'Hebrews and the Question of Supersessionism,' Oxford 2024 official abstract and metadata, pp. 167-180
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Leviticus 27:26-34, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Leviticus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, ritual and legal vocabulary, names, clause relationships, KJV language controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Lev.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 27:26-34
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Leviticus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2025-12-31
Supports: Unit-bounded translator notes on Hebrew, syntax, ritual vocabulary, measures, textual questions, and older-English wording; silence is not treated as evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Leviticus PDF, complete PDF pp. 1-99, translation and translator notes for 27:26-34
Open source ↗modern critical open study guide
Leviticus Part 2: Day of Atonement, Holiness Code, and Love of Neighbor
Joel S. Baden and Yale Bible Study
Yale Divinity School, 2023 course edition
Supports: Open critical orientation to Day of Atonement, holiness, social law, calendar, land, release, covenant, and final valuations.
Exact location: Yale Bible Study, 'Leviticus Part 2,' complete guide sections on Leviticus 16, the Holiness Code, love of neighbor, festivals, land, covenant, and vows, applied to Leviticus 27:26-34
Open source ↗modern christian scholarly handbook chapter abstract
Hebrews and the Question of Supersessionism
Philip Church
The Oxford Handbook of Hebrews and the Catholic Epistles, Oxford University Press, 2024
Supports: Publisher-visible framing of scholarly disagreement about Hebrews and supersessionism, used as a restraint on Christian canonical claims rather than as a complete solution.
Exact location: Church, 'Hebrews and the Question of Supersessionism,' Oxford 2024 official abstract and metadata, pp. 167-180
Open source ↗