As many commentators have pointed out, Leviticus 25-26 form a single literary unit.
John Bergsma (The Jubilee from Leviticus to Quram, 82-3) calls attention to the inclusio on “Mount Sinai” (25:1; 26:46), and lists eight literary links between the two chapters, including a common concern for Sabbath, the promise that obedience will lead to fertility, the reminder of release from Egypt and the consequent demand that Israel be a liberating people, the sacral symbolism of the number seven. The text treats the two chapters as a single speech from Yahweh (25:1, “Yahweh spoke to Moses” is not repeated until 27:1).
Against this background, it’s possible to see the two chapters as forming a rough chiasm:
A.
Sabbath year, 25:1-7
B. Jubilee, 25:8-22
C. Property
may be redeemed; redemption from slavery, 25:23-55
D.
No idols; Sabbath, 26:1-2
C’. Blessing
and Yahweh’s redemption of Israel, 26:3-13
B’. Curses, culminating
in loss of land, 26:14-33
A’. Expelled for not observing Sabbaths,
26:34-46
Moral Certitude and the Iran War
The current military engagement with Iran calls renewed attention to just war theory in the Catholic tradition.…
The Slow Death of England: New and Notable Books
The fate of England is much in the news as popular resistance to mass immigration grows, limits…
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…