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Selected Verse: Deuteronomy 15:12 - Strong Concordance
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| De 15:12 |
Strong Concordance |
And if thy brother [0251], an Hebrew man [05680], or an Hebrew woman [05680], be sold [04376] unto thee, and serve [05647] thee six [08337] years [08141]; then in the seventh [07637] year [08141] thou shalt let him go [07971] free [02670] from thee. |
| |
King James |
And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
HEBREW SERVANTS' FREEDOM. (Deu 15:12-19)
if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee--The last extremity of an insolvent debtor, when his house or land was not sufficient to cancel his debt, was to be sold as a slave with his family (Lev 25:39; Kg2 4:1; Neh 5:1-13; Job 24:9; Mat 18:25). The term of servitude could not last beyond six years. They obtained their freedom either after six years from the time of their sale or before the end of the seventh year. At the year of jubilee, such slaves were emancipated even if their six years of service were not completed [see on Lev 25:39]. |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
| These provisions in favour of the poor are followed very naturally by the rules which the Israelites were to be urged to observe with reference to the manumission of Hebrew slaves. It is not the reference to the sabbatical year in the foregoing precepts which forms the introduction to the laws which follow respecting the manumission of Hebrews who had become slaves, but the poverty and want which compelled Hebrew men and women to sell themselves as slaves. The seventh year, in which they were to be set free, is not the same as the sabbatical year, therefore, but the seventh year of bondage. Manumission in the seventh year of service had already been commanded in Exo 21:2-6, in the rights laid down for the nation, with special reference to the conclusion of the covenant. This command is not repeated here for the purpose of extending the law to Hebrew women, who are not expressly mentioned in Ex 21; for that would follow as a matter of course, in the case of a law which was quite as applicable to women as to men, and was given without any reserve to the whole congregation. It is rather repeated here as a law which already existed as a right, for the purpose of explaining the true mode of fulfilling it, viz., that it was not sufficient to give a man-servant and maid-servant their liberty after six years of service, which would not be sufficient relief to those who had been obliged to enter into slavery on account of poverty, if they had nothing with which to set up a home of their own; but love to the poor was required to do more than this, namely, to make some provision for the continued prosperity of those who were set at liberty. "If thou let him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go (send him away) empty:" this was the new feature which Moses added here to the previous law. "Thou shalt load (העניק, lit., put upon the neck) of thy flock, and of thy floor (corn), and of thy press (oil and wine); wherewith thy God hath blessed thee, of that thou shalt give to him." |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| If thy brother be sold - Either by himself, or his parents, or as a criminal. Six years - To be computed from the beginning of his servitude, which is every where limited to the space of six years. |
39 And if thy brother [0251] that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor [04134], and be sold [04376] unto thee; thou shalt not compel [05647] him to serve [05656] as a bondservant [05650]:
25 But forasmuch as [1161] he [846] had [2192] not [3361] to pay [591], his [846] lord [2962] commanded [2753] him [846] to be sold [4097], and [2532] his [846] wife [1135], and [2532] children [5043], and [2532] all [3956] that [3745] he had [2192], and [2532] payment to be made [591].
9 They pluck [01497] the fatherless [03490] from the breast [07699], and take a pledge [02254] of the poor [06041].
1 And there was a great [01419] cry [06818] of the people [05971] and of their wives [0802] against their brethren [0251] the Jews [03064].
2 For there were [03426] that said [0559], We, our sons [01121], and our daughters [01323], are many [07227]: therefore we take up [03947] corn [01715] for them, that we may eat [0398], and live [02421].
3 Some also there were [03426] that said [0559], We have mortgaged [06148] our lands [07704], vineyards [03754], and houses [01004], that we might buy [03947] corn [01715], because of the dearth [07458].
4 There were [03426] also that said [0559], We have borrowed [03867] money [03701] for the king's [04428] tribute [04060], and that upon our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
5 Yet now our flesh [01320] is as the flesh [01320] of our brethren [0251], our children [01121] as their children [01121]: and, lo, we bring into bondage [03533] our sons [01121] and our daughters [01323] to be servants [05650], and some of our daughters [01323] are [03426] brought unto bondage [03533] already: neither is it in our power [0410] [03027] to redeem them; for other men [0312] have our lands [07704] and vineyards [03754].
6 And I was very [03966] angry [02734] when I heard [08085] their cry [02201] and these words [01697].
7 Then I consulted [04427] with myself [03820], and I rebuked [07378] the nobles [02715], and the rulers [05461], and said [0559] unto them, Ye exact [05378] [05383] [05375] usury [04855], every one [0376] of his brother [0251]. And I set [05414] a great [01419] assembly [06952] against them.
8 And I said [0559] unto them, We after our ability [01767] have redeemed [07069] our brethren [0251] the Jews [03064], which were sold [04376] unto the heathen [01471]; and will ye even sell [04376] your brethren [0251]? or shall they be sold [04376] unto us? Then held they their peace [02790], and found [04672] nothing [01697] to answer.
9 Also I said [0559], It is not good [02896] that [01697] ye do [06213]: ought ye not to walk [03212] in the fear [03374] of our God [0430] because of the reproach [02781] of the heathen [01471] our enemies [0341]?
10 I likewise, and my brethren [0251], and my servants [05288], might exact [05383] of them money [03701] and corn [01715]: I pray you, let us leave off [05800] this usury [04855].
11 Restore [07725], I pray you, to them, even this day [03117], their lands [07704], their vineyards [03754], their oliveyards [02132], and their houses [01004], also the hundredth [03967] part of the money [03701], and of the corn [01715], the wine [08492], and the oil [03323], that ye exact [05383] of them.
12 Then said [0559] they, We will restore [07725] them, and will require [01245] nothing of them; so will we do [06213] as thou sayest [0559]. Then I called [07121] the priests [03548], and took an oath [07650] of them, that they should do [06213] according to this promise [01697].
13 Also I shook [05287] my lap [02684], and said [0559], So God [0430] shake out [05287] every man [0376] from his house [01004], and from his labour [03018], that performeth [06965] not this promise [01697], even thus be he shaken out [05287], and emptied [07386]. And all the congregation [06951] said [0559], Amen [0543], and praised [01984] the LORD [03068]. And the people [05971] did [06213] according to this promise [01697].
1 Now there cried [06817] a certain [0259] woman [0802] of the wives [0802] of the sons [01121] of the prophets [05030] unto Elisha [0477], saying [0559], Thy servant [05650] my husband [0376] is dead [04191]; and thou knowest [03045] that thy servant [05650] did fear [03373] the LORD [03068]: and the creditor [05383] is come [0935] to take [03947] unto him my two [08147] sons [03206] to be bondmen [05650].
39 And if thy brother [0251] that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor [04134], and be sold [04376] unto thee; thou shalt not compel [05647] him to serve [05656] as a bondservant [05650]:
12 And if thy brother [0251], an Hebrew man [05680], or an Hebrew woman [05680], be sold [04376] unto thee, and serve [05647] thee six [08337] years [08141]; then in the seventh [07637] year [08141] thou shalt let him go [07971] free [02670] from thee.
13 And when thou sendest [07971] him out free [02670] from thee, thou shalt not let him go away [07971] empty [07387]:
14 Thou shalt furnish [06059] him liberally [06059] out of thy flock [06629], and out of thy floor [01637], and out of thy winepress [03342]: of that wherewith the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] hath blessed [01288] thee thou shalt give [05414] unto him.
15 And thou shalt remember [02142] that thou wast a bondman [05650] in the land [0776] of Egypt [04714], and the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] redeemed [06299] thee: therefore I command [06680] thee this thing [01697] to day [03117].
16 And it shall be, if he say [0559] unto thee, I will not go away [03318] from thee; because he loveth [0157] thee and thine house [01004], because he is well [02895] with thee;
17 Then thou shalt take [03947] an aul [04836], and thrust [05414] it through his ear [0241] unto the door [01817], and he shall be thy servant [05650] for ever [05769]. And also unto thy maidservant [0519] thou shalt do [06213] likewise.
18 It shall not seem hard [07185] unto thee [05869], when thou sendest him away [07971] free [02670] from thee; for he hath been worth [07939] a double [04932] hired servant [07916] to thee, in serving [05647] thee six [08337] years [08141]: and the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] shall bless [01288] thee in all that thou doest [06213].
19 All the firstling [01060] males [02145] that come [03205] of thy herd [01241] and of thy flock [06629] thou shalt sanctify [06942] unto the LORD [03068] thy God [0430]: thou shalt do no work [05647] with the firstling [01060] of thy bullock [07794], nor shear [01494] the firstling [01060] of thy sheep [06629].