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If an Israelite falls into poverty, he may lease, but not sell, his patrimony. The price of a lease is to be calculated in reference to the coming Year of Jubilee. The greater the time before the next Year of Jubilee, the greater the lease price that might be charged for the land (vv.14-17). The general admonition is to be fair in setting lease prices (v.14).
Provision is made for the redemption of property that has been sold. Should poverty force a person to sell his land, a kinsman-redeemer can purchase the land and restore it to the original owner (v.25). But if he has no relative to redeem his land and has prospered sufficiently on his own, an Israelite may buy back his former land (vv.26-27). If he remains in poverty, the person will return to his property during the Year of Jubilee (v.28). This provision for the reclamation at any time of land sold on lease discouraged the accumulation of land into large estates. Its purpose was to guarantee inheritance of the land to each successive generation of a family. This law is built on the premise that God is the real owner of the land.
Special provision is made for urban property. A person has the right to redeem a house in a city within a year of its sale. If he does not redeem it by the end of the year, it becomes the permanent property of the purchaser and is not to be returned during the Jubilee Year. But houses in the rural areas may be redeemed like the land (vv.29-31).
An exception to this provision for the redemption of houses in the cities is the case of the Levites. They always have the right to redeem their houses wherever they may be. This exemption does not mean that the Levites are privileged, but because they do not own their own land, they must be allowed to redeem the property that is theirs, namely, houses (vv.32-34).