Jubilee
Meaning: a joyful shout or clangour of trumpets
the name of the great semi-centennial festival of the Hebrews
It lasted for a year. During this year the land was to be fallow, and the Israelites were only permitted to gather the spontaneous produce of the fields (Lev. 25:11-12). All landed property during that year reverted to its original owner (13-34; 27:16-24), and all who were slaves were set free (25:39-54), and all debts were remitted.
The return of the jubilee year was proclaimed by a blast of trumpets which sounded throughout the land. There is no record in Scripture of the actual observance of this festival, but there are numerous allusions (Isa. 5:7, 8, 9, 10; 61:1-2; Ezek. 7:12-13; Neh. 5:1-19; 2 Chr. 36:21) which place it beyond a doubt that it was observed.
The advantages of this institution were manifold.
- “It would prevent the accumulation of land on the part of a few to the detriment of the community at large.
- It would render it impossible for any one to be born to absolute poverty, since every one had his hereditary land.
- It would preclude those inequalities which are produced by extremes of riches and poverty, and which make one man domineer over another.
- It would utterly do away with slavery.
- It would afford a fresh opportunity to those who were reduced by adverse circumstances to begin again their career of industry in the patrimony which they had temporarily forfeited.
- It would periodically rectify the disorders which crept into the state in the course of time, preclude the division of the people into nobles and plebeians, and preserve the theocracy inviolate.”
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