Ezekiel 46:17

But if he gives a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, it will belong to that servant until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs only to his sons; it shall be theirs.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God speaks through Ezekiel to the post-exilic community, establishing legal boundaries for the future prince's distribution of property and inheritance.

The words — The passage hinges on יִתֵּן (yi.Ten, "he will give") and מַתָּנָה (ma.ta.Nah, "a gift") paired with עַד־ (ʿad-, "until") to define a conditional, time-limited transfer.

The thread — The temporary holding period directly parallels the land restoration mandate in Leviticus 25:10, while the strict separation between the prince's personal estate and the people's holdings reinforces the structural pattern seen in Ezekiel 46:16 and 46:18.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that leadership authority is legally bounded by property law, demanding that rulers protect communal land rights rather than expand their own wealth through temporary grants.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְכִֽי־ve./khi-and/ if יִתֵּ֨ןyi.Tenhe will give מַתָּנָ֜הma.ta.Naha gift מִנַּחֲלָת֗וֹmi./na.cha.la.T/ofrom/ inheritance/ his לְאַחַד֙le./'a.Chadto/ one מֵֽעֲבָדָ֔יוme./'a.va.Da/vof/ servants/ his וְהָ֤יְתָהve./Ha.ye.tahand/ it will belongלּוֹ֙l/oto/ himעַד־'ad-until שְׁנַ֣תshe.Nat[the] year of הַדְּר֔וֹרha./de.Ror<the>/ liberty וְשָׁבַ֖תve./sha.Vatand/ it will return לַנָּשִׂ֑יאla./na.Si'to the/ prince אַ֚ךְ'akhsurely נַחֲלָת֔וֹna.cha.la.T/oinheritance/ his בָּנָ֖יוba.Na/vsons/ hisלָהֶ֥םla./Hemto/ themתִּהְיֶֽה׃tih.Yehit will belong

King James Version

But if he give a gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then it shall be his to the year of liberty; after it shall return to the prince: but his inheritance shall be his sons’ for them.

Cross-references

Leviticus 25:10 So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.
Matthew 25:14 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions.
Luke 19:25 ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
Galatians 4:30 But what does the Scripture say? “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”