Old Testament passages regarding Jubilee are found in: Leviticus 25:8-55; 27:17-24; Numbers 36:4; and Isaiah 27:13; 61:1,2. A study of these reveals the following:

1) Jubilee took place at the end of every seven "weeks"/sabbaths of years, i.e., every fiftieth year.

2) In the Jubilee year the land was to rest, debts were cancelled, lsraelite slaves were released, and the land was to be returned to the original family owners. Non-Israelite slaves, however, were not released. As non-covenantal persons, they were always to be enslaved.

3) Jubilee was not a communistic redistribution of wealth. Rather, it was a return of the land to the God-given, tribal owners. Jubilee, however, did bring about a stabilization of the economy and help for the poor. Social and economic justice was assured through the Jubilee.