“... 25:23. God as owner of land compared to temple economy. All of the land occupied by the Israelites was the property of *Yahweh. It was granted to them as tenants, and as such they could not sell it outright to anyone. In the Jubilee year (every fiftieth year), all land that had been consigned for payment of debts was to be returned to its owners. If a man died, it was the responsibility of his nearest kin to redeem the land so that it would remain in the family (25:24-25; Jer 32:6-15). This concept is similar to that found in Egypt, where the “divine” Pharaoh owned the land and granted it to his subjects. However, it stands in contrast with the temple economy that existed in Mesopotamia. There land was owned by individual citizens, the king and the temples of the various gods. The laws of *Hammurabi speak of the king’s land grants, which could revert to him upon the death of the vassal. The land owned by the temples was granted to tenants, who paid a portion of their harvest for the right to work the land. This patchwork of ownership, while depending in many cases on tenants who could not sell the land, did not provide the sense of unity implied in the biblical concept. ...”