Leviticus 25:10 is the Bible reference in the inscription on Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.
The inscription adapts a verse from the Book of Leviticus: “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” It ends with the abbreviated reference “Lev. XXV. v X.,” meaning Leviticus, chapter 25, verse 10. The wording concerns the biblical Jubilee, a time associated with liberty and the restoration of property.
Pennsylvania’s provincial assembly ordered the bell in 1751 for the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, now Independence Hall. The bell was cast in London, arrived in Philadelphia in 1752, and cracked during an early test. Local founders John Pass and John Stow recast it, and their names appear on the bell.
The Liberty Bell became a national emblem much later, especially during the nineteenth century. Its connection with independence, abolition, and civil rights helped make it an especially recognizable object for America’s 250th-anniversary celebrations.