Deuteronomy15

Deuteronomy 15 outlines laws concerning the sabbatical year, requiring the release of debts among Israelites and the freeing of Hebrew servants after six years of service, providing for them generously. It emphasizes compassion for the poor, commanding open-handed giving and lending without grudging. The chapter concludes with instructions for sanctifying and consuming firstborn male animals, prohibiting the consumption of their blood.
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The Sabbatical Year and Debt Release

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
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
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
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.

Study Notes for Deuteronomy 15

Verse 1

This law establishes the Sabbatical Year (Shemitah), requiring an economic reset every seven years. Its purpose was to prevent permanent stratification and ensure that wealth did not accumulate excessively, reflecting God’s ownership of the land and the people.

Verse 2

The 'release' applied specifically to debts owed by fellow Israelites ('brother'), ensuring that the covenant community maintained internal economic stability and mutual aid.

Verse 3

The distinction between an Israelite 'brother' and a 'foreigner' (non-Israelite resident or merchant) highlights the unique covenant obligations Israel had toward its own members regarding charity and debt relief.

Verse 4

This verse presents an ideal state: the provision of the release is conditional upon Israel's obedience, implying that if the nation were perfectly faithful, poverty necessitating the release would not exist.

Verse 5

Deuteronomic theology clearly links national blessing, prosperity, and military success (V. 6) directly to faithful adherence to the covenant stipulations.

Verse 6

Lending to nations but not borrowing signifies the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant promise, establishing Israel as the favored and supreme nation among the peoples.

Verse 7

Moving from the mandatory Sabbatical release, Moses addresses the year-round, personal obligation to aid the poor. The command focuses on attitude ('thou shalt not harden thine heart') as much as action.

Verse 9

This verse warns against cynical self-interest—refusing a loan because the Sabbatical Year is imminent. Such calculation is considered a 'wicked heart' and a sin against God.

Verse 11

This provides a realistic counterpoint to the ideal of V. 4. Because of the reality of human failure, poverty is expected to be a persistent condition, necessitating continuous, open-handed generosity.

Verse 12

This law concerns indentured servitude, where a Hebrew person might sell themselves (or be sold) due to debt. The service is capped at six years, echoing the pattern of the Sabbatical cycle (Exod. 21:2).

Verse 13

Unlike the earlier law in Exodus, Deuteronomy explicitly requires the master to provision the released servant liberally, ensuring they are not sent away empty-handed and have the means to restart their lives.

Verse 15

The command is rooted in Israel's theological history: God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt and provisioned them. This act establishes the ethical precedent for how Israelites must treat their own servants.

Verse 17

The ritual of piercing the ear with an 'aul' (awl) against the doorpost symbolized a voluntary, lifelong bond to the household, marking the servant as permanently dedicated to that family. The law applies to both men and women.

Verse 18

The master should not resent the cost of the release, as the servant's six years of labor were considered economically valuable, equivalent to the wages and upkeep of a 'double hired servant.'

Verse 19

This section shifts to cultic law, recalling the consecration of the firstborn as a perpetual memorial of God sparing Israel’s firstborn during the tenth plague in Egypt (Exod. 13:11-16).

Verse 21

Animals offered for sacrifice must be without blemish. However, if a firstborn animal had a defect, it was disqualified from being sacrificed but could still be eaten domestically by the owner.

Verse 22

A blemished firstling, unfit for the sacred altar feast, was treated as common meat, like venison (roebuck/hart), and could be eaten by anyone in the household, regardless of ritual cleanness.

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