Which Bible passage appears in the Liberty Bell’s famous inscription?

The Liberty Bell’s famous inscription cites Leviticus 25:10.

The inscription includes the words “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof,” followed by the biblical reference “Lev. XXV. v X.” The passage refers to the proclamation of liberty and the Jubilee year in the Book of Leviticus.

The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly commissioned the bell in 1751, and it was cast in London by Lester and Pack, a firm later known as the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The bell arrived in Philadelphia in 1752 but cracked during an early test. Local founders John Pass and John Stow recast it twice.

The bell was originally intended for the Pennsylvania State House, now called Independence Hall. Its association with American independence grew later, especially in the 19th century, when abolitionists popularized the name “Liberty Bell.” The inscription is therefore older than the bell’s revolutionary symbolism and reflects the religious language of colonial Pennsylvania.