“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
Leviticus 25:23
What does Leviticus 25:23 mean?
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Leviticus 25:23
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse isn't just about land ownership, but about recognizing God's ultimate ownership. It calls Israel to see themselves not as permanent landlords, but as temporary residents—strangers and sojourners living with God in His land. This shifts their perspective from entitlement to stewardship, reminding them that their home is on loan from the true Landowner.
“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse revisits the laws about land ownership, reminding Israel that their property isn't theirs to sell permanently. It follows a discussion about what to do if they obey God and enjoy prosperity, and immediately before God details how He will bless them further if they remain faithful to His commands. The core idea here is that God is the ultimate owner of the land, and they are merely temporary residents under His care.
Ever feel like you truly 'own' the ground beneath your feet? The Bible says otherwise, and it changes everything about how we see our possessions.
This verse drops a bombshell on our modern idea of absolute ownership. God declares, 'The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine.' This isn't just a legal loophole; it's a foundational truth.
The Ultimate Landlord
God is the original and eternal owner of all creation. The land of Israel, given to His people, was no different. It was a special inheritance, meant to remind them of His gracious provision and His ultimate authority. They were not absolute owners but stewards, tenants, or 'sojourners' in His land.
A Shift in Perspective
This concept is revolutionary. When we understand that we are 'sojourners with God,' our perspective on possessions shifts dramatically. Instead of clinging possessively to our homes, jobs, or even our 'stuff,' we begin to see them as gifts entrusted to us. This doesn't mean we don't value them, but our sense of ultimate ownership is tempered by the reality of God's sovereignty.
Why such strict rules about selling land? It wasn't just about property; it was about a deeper spiritual reality.
The prohibition against selling land 'in perpetuity' and the concept of the Jubilee year (which this passage refers back to) weren't just economic policies. They were deeply symbolic.
A Memorial of Grace
Ask a follow-up
The land of Canaan was a tangible reminder of God's covenant promise to Abraham and his descendants. It was a gift, earned not by their merit but by God's faithfulness. The Jubilee, where land returned to its original family, constantly reset the clock, ensuring that the memory of God's grace and provision would never fade.
Foreshadowing the Heavenly Home
This earthly inheritance was also a shadow, a pointer towards a greater, eternal possession. By reminding them they were 'strangers and sojourners' in Canaan, God was subtly directing their hearts toward a permanent, heavenly dwelling. The temporary nature of their earthly ownership was meant to cultivate a longing for the unchanging inheritance He has prepared.
Understand the original words
tsemiythuwt · Hebrew Noun
To sell or alienate something permanently without the possibility of recovery. In the context of Israelite land laws, it emphasizes that land cannot be permanently transferred because its ultimate ownership belongs to God.
ger ve-toshav · Hebrew Noun phrase
Refers to those who live in a land that is not their own ancestral home, holding a status of temporary residence. Theologically, it reminds the Israelites that they are God’s guests on His earth, emphasizing their dependence on Him.
Peter echoes this idea, calling believers 'aliens and strangers in the world,' reminding us that our ultimate home and ownership are not of this earth, just as the Israelites were sojourners in God's promised land.
Psalm 24:1This psalm directly states, 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof,' reinforcing the foundational truth in Leviticus that God is the ultimate owner of all land, not humanity.
Genesis 23:4Abraham, when purchasing a burial place, also referred to himself as a 'sojourner and settler' among the people, demonstrating this concept of temporary occupancy even before the Mosaic Law.
Hebrews 11:13-16The faith chapter highlights Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as longing for a 'better country, that is, a heavenly one,' showing that this sense of being a sojourner with God was a hallmark of faith pointing toward an eternal inheritance.
gillLeviticus 25:23: "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me."
The land shall not be sold for ever,.... That is, the land of Israel; the meaning is, any part of it, for that the whole might be sold or disposed of at once is not to be supposed, but anyone part of it, which was the property of a single man, or belonged to a family; though it might be sold in case of necessity, yet not for ever, so as never to return to the owner, or his…
calvinLeviticus 25:23-34: "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me."
But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.
Si vero non invenerit manus ejus quod sufficiat ad reddendum illi, tum erit venditio ejus in manu ejus, qui emit illum, usque ad annum Jubil…
The verse isn't just about land ownership, but about recognizing God's ultimate ownership. It calls Israel to see themselves not as permanent landlords, but as temporary residents—strangers and sojourners living with God in His land. This shifts their perspective from entitlement to stewardship, reminding them that their home is on loan from the true Landowner.
This verse revisits the laws about land ownership, reminding Israel that their property isn't theirs to sell permanently. It follows a discussion about what to do if they obey God and enjoy prosperity, and immediately before God details how He will bless them further if they remain faithful to His commands. The core idea here is that God is the ultimate owner of the land, and they are merely temporary residents under His care.
This verse revisits the laws about land ownership, reminding Israel that their property isn't theirs to sell permanently. It follows a discussion about what to do if they obey God and enjoy prosperity, and immediately before God details how He will bless them further if they remain faithful to His commands. The core idea here is that God is the ultimate owner of the land, and they are merely temporary residents under His care.
"“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me." — The verse isn't just about land ownership, but about recognizing God's ultimate ownership. It calls Israel to see themselves not as permanent landlords, but as temporary residents—strangers and sojou…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026