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Deuteronomy 15

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The Sabbatical Year and Debt Release 1–6

1
At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. ​
2
And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Jehovah’s release hath been proclaimed. ​
3
Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it: but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release. ​
4
Howbeit there shall be no poor with thee (for Jehovah will surely bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it), ​
5
if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. ​
6
For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. ​

Generosity to the Poor 7–11

7
If there be with thee a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother; ​
8
but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth.
9
Beware that there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him nought; and he cry unto Jehovah against thee, and it be sin unto thee. ​
10
Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
11
For the poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land. ​

Release of Hebrew Servants 12–18

12
If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. ​
13
And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty: ​
14
thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; as Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
15
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day. ​
16
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;
17
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise. ​
18
It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou lettest him go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served thee six years: and Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest. ​

The Law of the Firstborn Animals 19–23

19
All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto Jehovah thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy herd, nor shear the firstling of thy flock. ​
20
Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God year by year in the place which Jehovah shall choose, thou and thy household.
21
And if it have any blemish, as if it be lame or blind, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto Jehovah thy God. ​
22
Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. ​
23
Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 15

Verse 1

a release — Shemittah, from a verb meaning to let drop. It comes 'at the end of every seven years', and Moses places it at 'the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles' (Deut 31:10). The seventh year was already a rest for the land (Ex 23:10–11; Lev 25:2–4); here it also lets debts drop.

Verse 2

the LORD'S release — The creditor 'shall release it' and 'shall not exact it' of his neighbour or brother. The release is proclaimed in the LORD's name. The people later bound themselves to keep it, promising to 'leave the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt' (Neh 10:31).

Verse 3

a foreigner — The nokri is a foreigner, outside the covenant community, and from him the debt could be collected. The same line is drawn at Deut 23:20: 'Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury.' The release is owed to the brother.

Verse 4

no poor among you — The verse sets the aim that no poor remain in the land, because 'the LORD shall greatly bless thee'. The blessing is tied to obedience in v.5. Acts 4:34 records a community where 'neither was there any among them that lacked', with those who owned property selling it for the common need.

Verse 5

carefully hearken — The Hebrew doubles the verb shama', 'hearing, thou shalt hear', which the KJV renders 'diligently' in Deut 28:1: 'if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God'. The promise of v.4 holds 'only if' the people keep 'all these commandments'.

Verse 6

thou shalt lend unto many nations — 'Lend' ('abat) is to lend against a pledge. The same two promises appear in the blessings at Deut 28:12, 'thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow', and its opposite is stated in Prov 22:7, 'the borrower is servant to the lender'. Solomon 'reigned over all kingdoms' from the river to Egypt (1 Kings 4:21).

Verse 7

thou shalt not harden thine heart — 'Harden' is amats, to make firm or stubborn, and 'shut' is qaphats, to draw together, as a hand does when closed. The apostle asks of the one who 'shutteth up his bowels of compassion' from a brother in need, 'how dwelleth the love of God in him?' (1 John 3:17).

Verse 9

thy wicked heart — The Hebrew word is beliyya'al, the word of 'children of Belial' in 13:13: a thought that refuses a loan because 'the year of release, is at hand' is called worthless. The poor brother may 'cry unto the LORD against thee' (see Ex 22:23), and 'thine eye be evil' is the phrase of Matt 20:15.

Verse 11

the poor shall never cease — This stands beside v.4. Since the poor remain in the land, the command is to 'open thine hand wide', the verb doubled for emphasis, as v.8 also says. Christ's 'the poor always ye have with you' (John 12:8) echoes the verse, and Mark 14:7 adds, 'whensoever ye will ye may do them good'.

Verse 12

an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman — The Hebrew servant is 'sold' to a master and serves 'six years'. The law repeats Ex 21:2, 'in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing', and extends it explicitly to the woman. Jeremiah reproaches the people for not keeping it: 'at the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew' (Jer 34:14).

Verse 13

thou shalt not let him go away empty — 'Empty' is reqam. Israel itself had been promised in Egypt, 'when ye go, ye shall not go empty' (Ex 3:21). Verse 14 gives the measure of the outfit: 'liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress'.

Verse 15

thou wast a bondman — The ground of the law is the memory of Egypt and the verb padah, to ransom: the LORD 'redeemed thee'. The same remembrance supports the sabbath in Deut 5:15, 'thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt', so the release of a servant follows the pattern of Israel's own deliverance.

Verse 17

an aul… through his ear unto the door — The servant who chooses to stay has his ear bored and 'he shall be thy servant for ever' (olam), the rule of Ex 21:6 in which the master brings him 'unto the door post'. Here the maidservant is named: 'unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise', and v.16 gives the reason: 'he loveth thee and thine house'.

Verse 18

a double hired servant — The word for 'hired servant' is sakir, a worker paid by wage, and 'double' is mishneh. The master is told that the six years of service have been worth that much to him, so the release is not to 'seem hard', and the LORD 'shall bless thee in all that thou doest'.

Verse 19

the firstling males — The firstborn of the herd and flock belong to the LORD: 'Sanctify unto me all the firstborn… it is mine' (Ex 13:2). Deuteronomy adds that the firstling of the bullock is not to work and the firstling of the sheep is not to be sheared, and v.20 sets it to be eaten 'before the LORD… year by year' at the chosen place.

Verse 21

any blemish — 'Blemish' is mum, and the examples are lame, blind or any 'ill blemish'. The rule echoes Lev 22:20, 'whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer', and Deut 17:1. Malachi reproves priests and people who offered 'the blind for sacrifice' and 'the lame and sick' (Mal 1:8).

Verse 22

the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike — A blemished firstling is not sacrificed, so it is eaten at home 'within thy gates', 'as the roebuck, and as the hart'. These are the words of Deut 12:15, where common meat may be eaten by any, and the rule against blood in v.23 applies here too.