property or possessions temporarily forfeited reverted to the original

owners.  The word jubilee has come into English as a transliteration of the

Hebrew word yobel, which is derived from yabal, meaning 'to flow' or 'go

forth', as in Isaiah 55:12:

*

We have purposely retained the modern spelling.

'For ye shall go out (yatsa, as in the exodus, Exod. 14:8, and in the

Jubilee, Exod. 21:2,3) with joy, and be led forth (yabal) with peace'.

The first occurrence of the word yobel is in Exodus 19:13 where it is

translated in the A.V. by 'trumpet'.  It occurs five times in Joshua

(6:4,5,6,8,13) translated 'rams' horns' or 'ram's horn'.  The remaining

twenty -one occurrences, all of which are found in Leviticus and Numbers, are

translated by the word jubile, which we more commonly spell 'jubilee'.

While dealing with the meaning of the word we must not ignore the

testimony of the Septuagint.  Granting that the translators of the Septuagint

were uninspired men, we must ever remember the following facts, that the bulk

of the quotations in the New Testament  are from the Septuagint version, and

the presence in home, synagogue and school of that version for several

centuries gave sanction and fixity to the words used in its doctrines

which neither the Lord nor His apostles contravened, but accepted as starting

points for their own teaching.

The word used by the LXX throughout Leviticus and Numbers for

translating 'jubilee' is the Greek word aphesis.  What they meant by the word

they explain themselves:

'And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty' (Lev.

'The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me ... to proclaim liberty to the

captives ... to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord' (Isa.

The connection between the jubilee and the acceptable year of the Lord

is beyond controversy if words mean anything.  Moreover this 'acceptable

year' is given another title in Isaiah 63:4 where it is called 'the year of

My redeemed'.  Isaiah, chapter 35, refers to the same event.  There we have

the close association of vengeance and the salvation of Israel.  If the

acceptable year is called 'the year of My redeemed' in Isaiah, chapter 63,

they who participate in it are called 'the ransomed of the Lord' (Isa.

Whatever our appreciation of the LXX may be, we can have no reserve

with regard to the inspiration of the Hebrew of Ezekiel.  There we have the

Greek word aphesis translating the Hebrew deror, 'it shall be his to the year

of liberty' (Ezek. 46:17), which is a direct reference to the jubilee, 'to

proclaim liberty throughout the land' (Lev. 25:10).

These passages present one solid, unassailable front and he who rejects

them rejects the Word of God.  To complete our survey we must observe the way

in which the word aphesis is used in the New Testament :