That God Himself reckoned the Jubilee year to be the 50 th year, not the 49 th year, is stated plainly in Leviticus 25. Yet, Jewish sources claim that prior to the Babylonian exile, the Jews observed the 50 year cycle (albeit not consistently), and that only after the exile did they cease to observe the Jubilee year altogether. These scholars propose that the Jubilee year is the 49 th year, the regular Sabbatical year. They base this idea on alleged practical problems with having two years in a row of not farming the land (the 49 th and 50 th), and some of Josephus’ reckoning of Sabbatical years without an intercalated 50 th Jubilee year. Many modern scholars claim that the Jubilee cycle is 49 years, not 50. It did not coincide with the 7 th Sabbatical year, but followed it, rounding out the 7 weeks of years to an even 50 years. The Jubilee was the intercalated 50 th year. This Jubilee Year followed every seven Sabbatical cycles (weeks of years), 7×7 years totalling 49 years. The 50 th year is called the “year of release” or “year of liberty” because all land reverted back to its original owner and all debts were cancelled. In Leviticus 25, we learn of God’s Jubilee calendar of 50-year cycles which God commanded Israel to observe.
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