Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Leviticus 25:29-31
Dwelling Houses In Walled Cities Are Exempt From Yubile (Leviticus 25:29).
“And if a man sells a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption.”
But if a man sold a house in a walled city the situation was different. He was given one year in which to redeem it. This was because this was a property built or bought by choice in a city which was for defensive purposes. It was not connected with his inheritance given to him by Yahweh.
Yahweh did not see walled cities as necessary in His inheritance. When the ideal time came Israel would be known as ‘a land of unwalled villages' and would be secure from even the most devastating of enemies (Ezekiel 38:11) because they would be trusting in Yahweh. And houses in unwalled towns would probably have land connected with them.
We must not compare this situation with our own property ideas. The walled cities were mainly formed so that people could build their houses there where they could enter to be ‘safe' from marauders. House and inherited land were totally separate. Apart from the largest cities most ‘cities' were in fact not planned, but ‘grew up', with houses huddled together at random, with a narrow ‘street' round the inside of the wall (a wall on which houses had also been built) and an open space by the gate of the city. Once all spaces were filled no more building could take place, but one house could be built on to another and those already there could be sold on, subject to any regulations. They were clearly not seen as part of God's overall long term plan.
“And if it is not redeemed within the space of a completed year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in perpetuity to him who bought it, throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the yubile.”
If the house sold through necessity in the city was not redeemed within a full year (presumably twelve moon periods, unless ‘completed year' was intended to mean 365 days, a concept probably known at that time) then it belonged to the purchaser in perpetuity.
“But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the country. They may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the yubile.”
But houses in unwalled towns were seen as part of the agricultural and pasture land around the towns and could be redeemed along with the land, and returned to the original owner in the year of Yubile.
When Jesus taught us to pray He included the thought that we could ask for basic provision, our daily bread. Then the concentration turned on to spiritual need. The fact that houses in walled cities were not included in Yubile demonstrated the same principle. God provided for His people's basic needs, not for their luxuries. That was up to them.