Leviticus 27:29
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This verse isn't just about what happens when someone is "devoted" – it highlights that the source of that devotion matters. Whether someone is "devoted of men" through a judicial sentence or by God's direct decree, there's absolutely no turning back; their fate is sealed, not for sacrifice, but for execution.
No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse follows discussions about dedicating people or property to God through vows, which often involved a redemption price. Here, however, the focus shifts to something irrevocably "devoted" or "banned" from humanity itself. Unlike the redeemable offerings discussed earlier, this decree states that any person so devoted is beyond redemption and must certainly be put to death, often understood as referring to those enemies explicitly commanded for destruction by God.
What does it mean for something or someone to be 'devoted' beyond any possibility of being bought back?
This verse describes the cherem, a specific type of devotion in ancient Israel. Unlike other vows where items or even people could be redeemed with payment, the cherem was absolute. Once something or someone was 'devoted' in this way, there was no turning back. The cherem was considered 'most holy to the Lord' and was completely removed from human control and redemption. This wasn't just a pledge; it was an irrevocable surrender.
Scholars understand the cherem to apply in two main ways:
Does 'devoted to destruction' mean they were offered as a sacrifice?
It’s crucial to understand that being 'devoted for destruction' in this context did mean being offered as a human sacrifice to God. The commentaries are clear on this: the involved putting people to death, but it was for the purpose of removal and judgment, not religious offering.
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Think of it like this:
The act of putting someone devoted to death was an act of justice, carrying out a divine or judicial sentence, to remove sin and danger from the community.
Why would the Law include such a severe consequence for devotion?
This seemingly harsh law about the cherem actually served a vital protective purpose. It was designed to prevent people from making thoughtless, rash vows.
Here’s how:
Understand the original words
muth · Hebrew Verb
The legal requirement of removing a life from the community as an act of divine judgment. It involves complete separation from the world and surrender to the justice of God.
This passage directly echoes the principle found in Leviticus 27:29, as it commands the Israelites to completely destroy and show no mercy to the nations in the Promised Land, highlighting a divine mandate for utter destruction rather than redemption.
Joshua 6:17-18The destruction of Jericho serves as a stark example of the 'devoted' concept from Leviticus 27:29, where the city and everything in it were set apart for destruction, with a severe warning against anyone attempting to keep or redeem anything from it.
1 Samuel 15:3This verse shows King Saul being commanded by God to utterly destroy the Amalekites, reinforcing the idea of things 'devoted' to destruction, where no spoils were to be kept or redeemed, aligning with the principle of Leviticus 27:29.
Judges 11:30-31Jephthah's rash vow, where he pledged to sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him if God granted him victory, is often understood in light of Leviticus 27:29, illustrating a human attempt to 'devote' a person, though the interpretation of whether this involved actual sacrifice or perpetual service is debated.
ellicottLeviticus 27:29: "None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death."
(29) None devoted, which shall be devoted of men. —Better, Every one banned, which shall be banned of men, that is, every one banned from amongst men, or every human being banned, is not to be redeemed. Like the cattle and the patrimonial estates, when once devoted to God by a vow of banning, the man thus banned by a vow comes irretrievably under the class of “most holy unto the…
gillLeviticus 27:29: "None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death."
None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed,.... This is said, not of such men as are devoted to the Lord, as in the preceding verse; for it is not said here as there, "none devoted unto the Lord", but of such as are devoted to ruin and destruction, for whom there was no redemption, but they must die; nor is it said, "which is devoted by men, but of men", or fr…
This verse isn't just about what happens when someone is "devoted" – it highlights that the source of that devotion matters. Whether someone is "devoted of men" through a judicial sentence or by God's direct decree, there's absolutely no turning back; their fate is sealed, not for sacrifice, but for execution.
This verse follows discussions about dedicating people or property to God through vows, which often involved a redemption price. Here, however, the focus shifts to something irrevocably "devoted" or "banned" from humanity itself. Unlike the redeemable offerings discussed earlier, this decree states that any person so devoted is beyond redemption and must certainly be put to death, often understood as referring to those enemies explicitly commanded for destruction by God.
This verse follows discussions about dedicating people or property to God through vows, which often involved a redemption price. Here, however, the focus shifts to something irrevocably "devoted" or "banned" from humanity itself. Unlike the redeemable offerings discussed earlier, this decree states that any person so devoted is beyond redemption and must certainly be put to death, often understood as referring to those enemies explicitly commanded for destruction by God.
"No one devoted, who is to be devoted for destruction from mankind, shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death." — This verse isn't just about what happens when someone is "devoted" – it highlights that the source of that devotion matters. Whether someone is "devoted of men" through a judicial sentence or by Go…
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Last reviewed October 2026
