There are 2 views on how to calculate jubilees (shown below). The 1st is a more traditional view which I believe is wrong while the 2nd is what I believe is the correct view.
Both start with Leviticus 25:8-13 (NIV) which says to count seven sabbath years (49 years)
and in the 50th year is the jubilee.
In the 1st graph Jubilees are every 50 years so would be year 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, etc. I don't believe this is correct since it would disagree with Leviticus 25:3-4 which says for 6 years sow your field and in the 7th year let it rest (the Shemitah year). This would mean that year 49 would be a Shemitah year but then year 6 (not 7) would have to be the next Shemitah. This means every 50 years the Shemitah year would change from year 7 to year 6 to year 5 etc to year 1 before it would finally go back to year 7. This makes no sense.
In the 2nd graph Jubilees are every 49 years with the first year of the next 49 year cycle also being the 50th year. So would be year 50, 99, 148, 197, 246, etc. This allows for the Shemitah years to always be on years 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, and 49.
Jubilee counting
Assuming that 4004 BC is the start of creation, then the next day would be 4003 BC day 364. If you assume that the 1st year after creation was a jubilee, then this means that 3954 BC would be the 50th year and the next jubilee. So the jubilee years would be:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
1
-4003
-3513
-3023
-2533
-2043
-1553
-1063
-573
-83
408
898
1388
1878
2
-3954
-3464
-2974
-2484
-1994
-1504
-1014
-524
-34
457
947
1437
1927
3
-3905
-3415
-2925
-2435
-1945
-1455
-965
-475
16
506
996
1486
1976
4
-3856
-3366
-2876
-2386
-1896
-1406
-916
-426
65
555
1045
1535
2025
5
-3807
-3317
-2827
-2337
-1847
-1357
-867
-377
114
604
1094
1584
2074
6
-3758
-3268
-2778
-2288
-1798
-1308
-818
-328
163
653
1143
1633
2123
7
-3709
-3219
-2729
-2239
-1749
-1259
-769
-279
212
702
1192
1682
2172
8
-3660
-3170
-2680
-2190
-1700
-1210
-720
-230
261
751
1241
1731
2221
9
-3611
-3121
-2631
-2141
-1651
-1161
-671
-181
310
800
1290
1780
2270
10
-3562
-3072
-2582
-2092
-1602
-1112
-622
-132
359
849
1339
1829
2319
Remember that there is NO year 0 (see BCToAD for explanation) so the transition between BC and AD means that 49 years after 34 BC is 16 AD and not 15 AD.
What I find very intriguing (God planned) is that if Israel indeed first went into the promised land in 1406 BC (see here), then that meant that Israel went into the promised land in a jubilee year. Very important since Lev 25:10b says
each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan.
which is exactly what happened.
-- Tait - 2026-02-24
which says to count seven sabbath years (49 years)
and in the 50th year is the jubilee. 