Deuteronomy 15

De 15:1-11.

THE

SEVENTH

YEAR, A

YEAR OF

RELEASE FOR THE

POOR.

1. At the end of every seven years--during the last of the seven,

that is, the sabbatical year

(Ex 21:2; 23:11;

Le 25:4;

Jer 34:14).

2. Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release

it--not by an absolute discharge of the debt, but by passing over

that year without exacting payment. The relief was temporary and

peculiar to that year during which there was a total suspension of

agricultural labor.

he shall not exact it . . . of his brother--that is, an Israelite, so

called in opposition to a stranger or foreigner.

because it is called the Lord's release--The reason for acquitting a

debtor at that particular period proceeded from obedience to the

command, and a regard for the honor, of God; an acknowledgment of

holding their property of Him, and gratitude for His kindness.

3. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again--Admission to all the

religious privileges of the Israelites was freely granted to heathen

proselytes, though this spiritual incorporation did not always imply an

equal participation of civil rights and privileges

(Le 25:44;

Jer 34:14;

compare 1Ch 22:2;

2Ch 2:17).

4. Save when there shall be no poor man among you--Apparently a

qualifying clause added to limit the application of the foregoing

statement

[De 15:3];

so that "the brother" to be released pointed to a poor borrower,

whereas it is implied that if he were rich, the restoration of the loan

might be demanded even during that year. But the words may properly be

rendered (as on the Margin) to the end, in order that there

may be no poor among you--that is, that none be reduced to

inconvenient straits and poverty by unseasonable exaction of debts at a

time when there was no labor and no produce, and that all may enjoy

comfort and prosperity, which will be the case through the special

blessing of God on the land, provided they are obedient.

7-11. If there be among you a poor man . . . thou shalt not harden

thine heart--Lest the foregoing law should prevent the Israelites

lending to the poor, Moses here admonishes them against so mean and

selfish a spirit and exhorts them to give in a liberal spirit of

charity and kindness, which will secure the divine blessing

(Ro 12:8;

2Co 9:7).

11. For the poor shall never cease out of the land--Although every

Israelite on the conquest of Canaan became the owner of property, yet

in the providence of God who foresaw the event, it was permitted,

partly as a punishment of disobedience and partly for the exercise of

benevolent and charitable feelings, that "the poor should never cease

out of the land."

De 15:12-19.

HEBREW

SERVANTS'

FREEDOM.

12. 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

(Le 25:39;

2Ki 4:1;

Ne 5:1-13;

Job 24:9;

Mt 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

Le 25:39].

13-15. thou shalt not let him go away empty--A seasonable and wise

provision for enabling a poor unfortunate to regain his original status

in society, and the motive urged for his kindness and humanity to the

Hebrew slave was the remembrance that the whole nation was once a

degraded and persecuted band of helots in Egypt. Thus, kindness towards

their slaves, unparalleled elsewhere in those days, was inculcated by

the Mosaic law; and in all their conduct towards persons in that

reduced condition, leniency and gentleness were enforced by an appeal

which no Israelite could resist.

16, 17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--If they

declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to

remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they

became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their

employer, and continued in his service till death.

18. he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee--that is, he

is entitled to double wages because his service was more advantageous

to you, being both without wages and for a length of time, whereas

hired servants were engaged yearly

(Le 25:53),

or at most for three years

(Isa 16:14).

19. All the firstling males of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt

sanctify unto the Lord thy

God--[See on

Ex 13:2];

see

Ex 22:30).

thou shalt do not work with the firstling of thy bullock--that is,

the second firstlings (see

De 12:17, 18; 14:23).