THEOSISJerome of Stridon
Thus declares the Sovereign Lord: If a ruler bestows a gift upon one of his sons, it shall be inherited by his offspring; they shall rightfully hold this inheritance. However, if he decides to grant a portion from his inheritance to one of his servants through a will, that servant shall retain it until the year of liberation, which Theodotion refers to with the Hebrew term deror. At that time, the property shall return to the ruler, and the inheritance will belong to his son. Furthermore, a ruler must not seize the inheritance of the people or take their possessions by coercion; instead, he shall grant to his children only from what he possesses, ensuring that none of My people are dispossessed.
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Up to this point, the discussion has centered on the ruler. Now, the focus shifts to the directives governing his heirs regarding gifts, legacies, and bequests—specifically, who shall receive these gifts and the nature of their possession, whether temporary or eternal. Should he give gifts or inheritances to his sons, they shall rightfully possess them, as inheritance cannot be transferred unjustly. In contrast, if he offers a bequest to a servant, the servant may hold it until the seventh year of release, known as deror, or the jubilee year, the fiftieth year, when all property sold returns to its original owners. Thus, the servant has a temporary right of use, while the prince's son retains true ownership.
Moreover, it is emphasized that a ruler must never take from the people's inheritance—whether through force, oppression, or exploitation, as highlighted in the translations of LXX, Aquila, and Simmachus. Instead, the mandate is for rulers and priests—both then and now—to derive their wealth from their own resources and not to deprive the poor of more than what is justly theirs according to the Lord’s guidance. It is their duty to ensure that they do not leave their children nothing but what was rightfully passed down to them by their forebears.
Thus, if any priest finds himself wealthier after receiving the priesthood, he is called not to transfer all his gains to his children, but rather to share with the impoverished and holy brethren and with his fellow believers, who hold greater significance than mere lineage. He should render back to the Lord what belongs to God, who teaches us in the Gospel, "Whatever you do to one of these, you do to Me" (Matthew 25:40). In serving the needy, visiting the imprisoned, clothing the naked, providing drink to the thirsty, and feeding the hungry, we fulfill the call to ensure that My people are not relegated from their rightful inheritance.
Should the ruler choose to take what is not his or misappropriate without justification, the community gathered in God's name will suffer scattering and ruin; the inheritance risks passing from one individual to another, potentially vanishing entirely. Thus, one who misappropriates through deceit, flattery, or false piety, leaving assets to their kin at the expense of God’s people, ultimately deprives them of their eternal share of faith.