“‘You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 8. Years. It is dubious whether the 49th or the 50th year was appointed for the jubilee. The former year is fixed upon by many able chronologers, who remark, that if two years of rest had occurred together, it would have been a serious inconvenience; and Moses might have said the 50th year for a round number, or comprise therein the year of the former jubilee, as we give five years to the olympiad, and eight days to the week, though the former consists only of four years, and the latter of seven days. (Rader; Scaliger; and so forth) But others decide for the fiftieth year, verse 10. Philo, Joseph. iii. 10. Saint Augustine q. 92. Salien, and so forth Calmet.—On the feast of expiation of the 49th year, they promulgated the following to be the year of jubilee. Menochius.—Usher places the first A.Menochius. 2609, 49 years after the partition of the land by Josue in 2560: Salien dates 50 years from the entrance (verse 2,) of the Hebrews into Chanaan, A.Menochius. 2583, six years sooner; and places the first jubilee 2633, immediately after the sabbatic year, which fell in the 32nd year of Othoniel. He supposes that both were proclaimed at the same time, on the 1st of Tisri, Ros Hassana, “the head of the year;” though the heralds went about the country only on the 10th. The writers both of the Synagogue and of the Church generally adopt the 50th for the year of jubilee; and the pretended inconvenience of two years’ rest is nugatory, since God promised a three years’ crop, verse 21. Bible.