Leviticus 25:23

The land shall not be sold for ever. — That is, no plot of the land of Israel must be absolutely alienated from the original proprietor, who has been driven by poverty to sell his patrimony. We have here a resumption of the laws relating to the sale and purchase of land, which have already been briefly stated in Leviticus 25:14. Having been interrupted by the insertion of the Divine promise with regard to the sabbatical year (Leviticus 25:20), the legislation now proceeds with more directions about the limited sale of land.

For the land is mine. — The reason for this prohibition absolutely to cut off the patrimony from the family, is that God claims to be the supreme owner of the land (Exodus 15:17; Isaiah 14:2; Isaiah 14:25; Jeremiah 2:5; Psalms 10:16), and as the Lord of the soil He prescribes conditions on which he allotted it to the different tribes of Israel.

Ye are strangers and sojourners with me. — God has not only helped the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan, but has selected it as His own dwelling-place, and erected His sanctuary in the midst of it (Exodus 15:13; Numbers 35:34). He therefore is enthroned in it as Lord of the soil, and the Israelites are simply His tenants at will (Leviticus 14:34; Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 23:10; Numbers 13:2; Numbers 15:2), and as such will have to quit it if they disobey His commandments (Leviticus 18:28; Leviticus 20:22; Leviticus 26:33; Deuteronomy 28:63). For this reason they are accounted as strangers and sojourners, and hence have no right absolutely to sell that which is not theirs.