CHAPTER X. THE JUBILEE. THE jubilee was the grand sabbatical year, celebrated after every seven septenaries of years; namely, every forty-ninth or fiftieth year. This was a year of general release, not only of all debts, like the common sabbatical year, but of all slaves; and of all lands and possessions which had been sold, or otherwise alienated from the families and tribes to which they originally belonged.* The critics are not agreed about the etymology of the word Jobel. Some derive it from Jubal, who was the inventor of musical instruments, Gen. iv. 21; and suppose, that this year was named after him, because it is a year of mirth and joy, on which music is a common attendant; or, as we say in English, a jovial time, the word jovial being perhaps a corruption of the Hebrew word Jobel; or else, because it was ushered in with the musical sound of the trumpet through the whole land. Others, particularly R. David Kimchi, tell us, that Jobel signifies a ram in the Arabic; and that this year was so called, because it was proclaimed with trumpets made of rams' horns. With him the rabbies in general agree.§ Bochart, however, is of opinion, there were never any trumpets made of rams' horns, they being very unsuitable for such a purpose, and that the phrase shopheroth hajjobhelim, which, in the sixth chapter of Joshua, ver. 4, we render trumpets of rams' horns, means only such trumpets * See the institution of this festival, in Lev. xxv. 8-17. + See Mafius ad Josh. vi. 4, apud Criticos Sacros. plains R. D. Kimch. in Lev. xxv. R. S. Jarchi in Lev. xxv.; and the Chaldee Paraphrast sometimes ex Jobel by 777 dichra, a ram, particularly in Josh. vi. 4. as were to be used in proclaiming the jubilee; which, it is far more probable, were made of the horns of oxen than of rams.* Hottinger is of opinion,† that Jobel is a word invented to imitate the sound of the instrument, and that it does not therefore signify the trumpet itself, but the sound it made.‡ Dr. Patrick espouses this etymology, and conceives this year was called Jobel from the sound then everywhere made; as the feast of the passover was styled Pesach, from the angel's passing over the Israelites when he slew the Egyptians.§ There is another opinion, which bids as fair for probability as any of the former, that Jobel comes from jabal, in hiphil, hobil, which signifies to recall, restore, bring back, &c., because this year restored all slaves to their liberty, and brought back all alienated estates to the families to which they originally belonged. Accordingly the Septuagint renders Jobel, apɛois, a remission, Lev. xxv. 10; and Josephus saith it signifies ελɛvɛpɩav, liberty.¶ As the learned are not agreed about the etymology of the name, so neither about the year in which the festival was to be celebrated; whether every forty-ninth, or every fiftieth ; and it is hard to say, which of these opinions hath the most eminent, or the most numerous advocates. On the former side are Joseph Scaliger,** Petavius,++ Jacobus Capellus,‡‡ * Bochart. Hierozoic. part. i. lib. ii. cap. xliii. Oper. tom. ü. p. 425, 426. ↑ Joh. Hen. Hottinger. Analect. Historico-Theolog. dissert. iii.; et Joh. Hen. Hottinger. jun. Annot. in Godwin. ix. See Exod. xix. 13, and other places. § Patrick on Lev. xxv. 10. | Fuller. Miscell. Sacr. lib. iv. cap. viii. apud Criticos Sacros, tom. ¶ Joseph. Antiq. lib. iii. cap. xii. sect. iii. p. 184. ** Scaliger de Emendat. Tempor. lib. vii. p. 782, D, Colon. Allobr. 1629; Canon. Isagog. lib. i. p. 55, ad calcem Thesaur. Tempor. Amstel. 1658; et Animadvers. in Chronic. Eusebii, p. 15. + Petav. Rationar. Tempor. part. ii. lib. ii. cap. vii. p. 87, et seq. edit. Paris, 1673; et de Doctrin. Tempor. lib. ix. cap. xxvii. II Jacob. Capell. Histor. Sacr. et Exotic. ad A. M. 2549. Cunæus,* Spanheim,† Usher,‡ Le Clerc§, and many others; on the latter, the Jews in general,|| many of the Christian fathers, and among the moderns, Fagius,¶ Junius,** Hottinger,++ Schindler,‡‡ Leidekker,§§ Leusden,|||| Meyer,¶¶ Calmet,[*] &c. The ground of the former opinion is chiefly this, that the forty-ninth year being of course a sabbatical year, if the jubilee had been kept on the fiftieth, the land must have had two sabbaths, or must have lain fallow two years together, since all agriculture was forbid on the jubilee, as well as on the sabbatical year. Now this is thought an unreasonable supposition, since in all likelihood, without a miracle, it must have produced a dearth. If the law, therefore, had carried any such intention, one might have expected a special promise, that the forty-eighth year should bring forth fruit for four years, as there was, that the sixth year should bring forth fruit for three. On the other hand it is alleged, that the Scripture declares for the fiftieth year, Lev. xxv. 10, 11: “ And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land Cunæus de Republ. Hebr. lib. i. cap. vi. p. 54, et seq. + Spanheim. Chronolog. Sacra, part. i. cap. xvi. p. 84-86, apud Oper. Geograph. Chronolog. et Histor. Lugd. Bat. 1701. ↑ Usser. Annal. A. M. 2609 Jubilæus Primus; A. M. 2658 Jubilæus Secundus, see p. 24; A. M. 2707 Jubilæus Tertius, p. 25, edit. Genev. 1722. § Cleric. in Lev. xxv. 10. || See Chaldee Paraphrast on Lev. xxv.; Maimon. de Anno Sabbatico et Jubileo, cap. x. sect. vii.; R. Menachem in Lev. xxv. Fagius in Lev. xxv. 10. ** Junius et Tremellius in loc. + Hottinger. Annot. in Godwin. lib. iii. cap. x. sect. xi. annot. i. p. 635, 636. Schindler. Lexic. Pentaglot. in verb S. §§ Leidekker. de Republ. Hebræor. lib. v. cap. xiv. sect. iv. p. 323, Amstel. 1704. 1682. Leusden. Philolog. Hebræo-mixt. dissert. xli. p. 290, edit. Ultrajecti, ¶¶ Meyer. de Tempor. et Fest. Hebræor. part. ii. cap. xviii. sect. vii.— xlix. p. 343-358, 2d edit. Amstel. 1724, where he considers the argument at large. [*] Calmet on the word Jubilee. unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you, and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family; a jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you." Besides, if the law had meant, that the forty-ninth should be the jubilee, there would have been no need of forbidding sowing, reaping, &c., on the jubilee, because, that being the sabbatical year, it was forbidden in the preceding law relating to that year; Lev. xxv. 4, 5. As to the supposed dearth, the gentlemen on this side of the question conceive, there could be no danger of that while God protected the nation by a special providence; and especially since we have an instance of their living without any harvest for two years together, when the Assyrians had trodden down or spoiled the crop of one year, and the next was probably a sabbatical year; and yet there was no famine, but they had sufficient to eat of that which grew of itself; 2 Kings xix. 29. The authors of the Universal History have endeavoured to reconcile these two opinions; observing, that as the jubilee began on the first month of the civil year, which was the seventh of the ecclesiastical, it might be said to be either the forty-ninth or fiftieth, according as the one or the other of these different computations was followed.* The jubilee began on the tenth day of the month Tizri, at the evening of the day of atonement; Lev. xxv. 9. A time, saith Dr. Patrick, very fitly chosen; for they would be better disposed to forgive their brethren their debts, when they had been craving pardon of God for their own. To which we may add, that when their peace was made with God by the sacrifices of atonement, it was the proper time to proclaim liberty and joy throughout the land. The peculiar observances of the jubilee, beyond those of the common sabbatical year, were the following: 1st. That it was proclaimed by the sound of the trumpet throughout the whole land. Maimonides saith, every private man was to blow with a trumpet, and make a sound nine times.† Universal History, Hist. of the Jews, book ii. chap. vii., Laws relating to the Jubilee, note R. Maimon. de Anno Sabbat. et Jubilæo, cap. x. 2dly. The jubilee was a year of general release of all slaves and prisoners. Even such as had voluntarily relinquished their freedom, at the end of their six years' service, and had had their ears bored in token of perpetual servitude, were yet set free at the jubilee; for "then they were to proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all the inhabitants thereof;" Lev. xxv. 10. 3dly. In this year all estates which had been sold, were returned back to their former proprietors, or to the families to which they originally belonged; by which means it was pro vided, that no family should be sunk and ruined, and doomed to perpetual poverty; for the family estate could not be alienated for longer than fifty years. The nearer, therefore, the jubilee was, the less was the value of the purchase of an estate, ver. 15. This law of the Jews was famous among the Heathens, some of whom copied after it. Diodorus Siculus saith, it was not lawful for the Jews, τους ίδιους κληρους πωλείν, to sell their own inheritances;* and Aristotle, in his Politics,+ saith of the Locrians, that they were prohibited by their laws from selling their ancient possessions. The reason and design of the law of the jubilee was partly political and partly typical. 1st. It was political, to prevent the too great oppression of the poor, as well as their being liable to perpetual slavery. By this means the rich were prevented from accumulating lands upon lands, and a kind of equality was preserved through all their families. Never was there any people so effectually secured of their liberty and property, as the Israelites were; God not only engaging so to protect those invaluable blessings by his providence, that they should not be taken away from them by others; but providing in a particular manner, by this law, that they should not be thrown away through their own folly; since the property, which every man or family had in their dividend of the land of Canaan, could not be sold or any way alienated for above half a century. By this means also the distinction of tribes was preserved, in respect both to their families and possessions; for this law rendered it ne Diod. Sicul. lib. xl. eclog. prim. p. 922, edit. Hanov. 1604. + Arist. Politic. lib. ii. cap. vii.; see also lib. vi. cap. iv. |