Leviticus 25:34

Summary

The verse establishes that the pasture-land surrounding the cities belonging to the Levites (referenced by the earlier context, though not named in this specific verse) cannot be sold. The reason given is that this land constitutes a perpetual possession belonging to them.

Key words

sedeh ("field of", H7704G) — masculine singular construct; the first element in a triple construct chain, meaning it grammatically depends on the noun that follows.

migrash ("pasture land of", H4054) — masculine singular construct; continues the construct chain, specifying the type of field as open/grazing land rather than cultivated land.

yimmakher ("it will be sold", H4376) — niphal imperfect; the niphal stem marks the verb as passive ("be sold") rather than active, and the imperfect aspect indicates an ongoing or future prohibition rather than a single past event.

'achuzzat ("possession of", H0272) — feminine singular construct, paired with 'olam ("perpetuity", H5769G) to form the phrase "a possession of perpetuity" — a construct pairing that functions adjectivally in English ("permanent possession").

la-hem ("to them", H9005 + H9038) — preposition le ("to/for") plus third-person masculine plural suffix, marking the possessors to whom the land belongs.

What the text says

The Hebrew opens with a triple construct chain: sedeh → migrash → 'arei → hem, literally "field of pasture-land of cities of them." Construct chains in Hebrew link nouns in a dependent relationship where only the final element carries full grammatical weight, and English translations typically unpack this into phrases like "the pastureland of their cities" or "the open land around their cities." The subject of the sentence is this entire chain, and the verb yimmakher ("it will be sold," H4376) is negated by lo ("not," H3808), producing a durative prohibition: the imperfect aspect combined with the niphal (passive) stem conveys that this land is never to undergo the act of being sold, without specifying a single instance.

The reason clause begins with ki ("for/because," H3588A) and states 'achuzzat 'olam hu la-hem — "it is a possession of perpetuity to them." Here 'achuzzat 'olam is itself a construct pairing (feminine singular 'achuzzat + masculine singular 'olam) that functions similarly to an adjective phrase, marking the land's status as permanent rather than temporarily held. The pronoun hu' ("it," H1931) makes explicit that the entire preceding subject (the pastureland) is being identified with this status, and la-hem ("to them") specifies the group to whom this perpetual possession belongs.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the construct chain as οἱ ἀγροὶ ἀφωρισμένοι ταῖς πόλεσιν αὐτῶν ("the fields set apart/separated for their cities"), using a participle (ἀφωρισμένοι, "set apart") where the Hebrew uses the noun migrash ("pasture land"). This shifts the semantic emphasis from the type of land (grazing land) to its designated status (separated/allotted). The Vulgate's suburbana ("suburban lands" or "outskirts") likewise diverges from migrash, emphasizing proximity to the city rather than pastoral function. The Hebrew subject is grammatically singular (a chain of singular nouns), while the LXX pluralizes with οἱ ἀγροὶ ("the fields").