Leviticus 27:31

Summary

The verse establishes a conditional case: if a man chooses to redeem (buy back) any of his tithe, he must add one-fifth to it. The Hebrew construction emphasizes the voluntary and deliberate nature of the redemption act through a doubled verbal form.

Key words

• ga.'Ol ("to redeem", H1350A) — infinitive absolute used before the finite verb to intensify the action; conveys the sense of "if he indeed/certainly redeems," marking the redemption as a definite, resolved choice rather than a hypothetical possibility.
• yig.'Al ("he will redeem", H1350A) — imperfect qal form of the same root as the infinitive absolute; the pairing (infinitive + imperfect) is a common Hebrew intensifying construction.
• ma.'as.R ("tithe", H4643) — construct noun meaning "tithe of," grammatically bound to the following pronominal suffix o ("his"), producing "his tithe."
• cha.mi.shi.T ("fifth", H2549) — construct ordinal number, "fifth of," likewise bound to the suffix o ("its"), yielding "its fifth" (i.e., one-fifth of its value).
• yo.Sef ("let him add", H3254H) — hiphil jussive, a causative form expressing an obligation or instruction: "he shall cause to be added," i.e., "he must add."

What the text says

The verse opens with ve-'im ("and if"), introducing a conditional clause. The core of the condition is built on the doubled root ga'al ("to redeem"): first as an infinitive absolute (ga.'Ol), then as a finite imperfect (yig.'Al). This doubling is a feature of Biblical Hebrew syntax where the infinitive absolute placed before the finite verb of the same root reinforces or intensifies the verbal idea — here signaling that if the redemption truly occurs, it occurs as a definite act by 'ish ("anyone", H0376I), a general term for "a man" or "anyone."

The object of redemption is expressed through two construct chains: mi-ma'as.R-o ("from his tithe") and chamishi.t-o ("its fifth"). Both nouns carry pronominal suffixes referring back to the tithe, linking the amount to be redeemed with the surcharge owed. The final clause uses the hiphil jussive yo.Sef ("let him add"), a causative form that frames the addition of the fifth not as optional but as a required consequence once redemption is chosen, followed by 'a.La ("to it") with a suffixed pronoun pointing back to the tithe.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the intensifying infinitive absolute construction with a single verb, lytrōtai lytrō ("he redeems with a ransom"), preserving some emphasis through the paired noun and verb but without the Hebrew's infinitive-plus-imperfect structure. The Vulgate simplifies further with voluerit redimere ("he shall wish to redeem"), introducing a volitional nuance ("if anyone wishes") not explicitly marked in the Hebrew verb forms themselves, though implied by the conditional 'im.