Leviticus 25:31

But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(31) But the houses of the villages which have no wall.—Houses in villages, however, form an exception. They are part of the landed property, and hence, like the cultivated land on which they are erected, are subject to the law of jubile.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

25:23-34 If the land were not redeemed before the year of jubilee, it then returned to him that sold or mortgaged it. This was a figure of the free grace of God in Christ; by which, and not by any price or merit of our own, we are restored to the favour of God. Houses in walled cities were more the fruits of their own industry than land in the country, which was the direct gift of God's bounty; therefore if a man sold a house in a city, he might redeem it only within a year after the sale. This encouraged strangers and proselytes to come and settle among them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Not go out - Because most of the houses in cities were occupied by artificers and traders whose wealth did not consist in lands.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

29-31. if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold—All sales of houses were subject to the same condition. But there was a difference between the houses of villages (which, being connected with agriculture, were treated as parts of the land) and houses possessed by trading people or foreigners in walled towns, which could only be redeemed within the year after the sale; if not then redeemed, these did not revert to the former owner at the Jubilee.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The houses of the villages belonged to and were necessary or very convenient for the management of the lands.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But the houses of the villages, which have no walls round about them,.... As there were many in the days of Joshua, the Scripture speaks of: the Jews suppose that such are meant, even though they were afterwards walled:

shall be counted as the fields of the country; and subject to the same law as they:

they may be redeemed; at any time before the year of jubilee, and if not, then

they shall go out in the jubilee; to the original owners of them, freely, as Jarchi says, without paying anything for them.

Geneva Study Bible

But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Leviticus 25:31

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Such houses as these were to be reckoned as part of the land, and to be treated as landed property, with regard to redemption and restoration at the year of jubilee.