When it is released: literally “in its going out.” That is, at the time when things normally revert to their original owners. But since this land cannot go back to its owner, it goes to the priests, who hold it for the LORD. Compare 25.28.

Holy to the LORD: clearly meaning “belong to the LORD” or “the LORD’s possession” in this context.

Devoted: this is different from “consecrated” (in 8.15, for example) or “dedicates” (verses 14 and following). It means “set apart absolutely and irrevocably.” The corresponding Hebrew word is a kind of technical term for something that must be completely withdrawn from human use. Anything that was so “devoted” to another god had to be totally destroyed (Josh 6.18-21). But what was “devoted” to the LORD was considered so absolutely his that it could never be redeemed. The Good News Translation rendering at this point seems weak. Others have translated “proscribed” (New Jerusalem Bible), “under ban” (Jerusalem Bible), “vowed unconditionally” (New Jerusalem Bible), and “doomed” (New American Bible). Translators should look for as strong a term as possible to express the idea of something absolutely and forever given over to the LORD. And it should be clearly distinguished from the verb “dedicate,” used elsewhere in this chapter.

The priest: the singular form here has a collective value and should therefore be translated as a plural. The land does not become the property of any individual priest but of the entire priestly family.

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .