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.

The Sabbatical Year and Debt Release

1
"At the end of every seven years you are to have a sh'mittah. ​
2
Here is how the sh'mittah is to be done: every creditor is to give up what he has loaned to his fellow member of the community -he is not to force his neighbor or relative to repay it, because ADONAI's time of remission has been proclaimed. ​
3
You may demand that a foreigner repay his debt, but you are to release your claim on whatever your brother owes you. ​
4
In spite of this, there will be no one needy among you; because ADONAI will certainly bless you in the land which ADONAI your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess - ​
5
if only you will listen carefully to what ADONAI your God says and take care to obey all these mitzvot I am giving you today. ​
6
Yes, ADONAI your God will bless you, as he promised you - you will lend money to many nations without having to borrow, and you will rule over many nations without their ruling over you. ​

Generosity to the Poor

7
"If someone among you is needy, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which ADONAI your God is giving you, you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from giving to your needy brother. ​
8
No, you must open your hand to him and lend him enough to meet his need and enable him to obtain what he wants.
9
Guard yourself against allowing your heart to entertain the mean-spirited thought that because the seventh year, the year of sh'mittah is at hand, you would be stingy toward your needy brother and not give him anything; for then he may cry out to ADONAI against you, and it will be your sin. ​
10
Rather, you must give to him; and you are not to be grudging when you give to him. If you do this, ADONAI your God will bless you in all your work, in everything you undertake -
11
for there will always be poor people in the land. That is why I am giving you this order, 'You must open your hand to your poor and needy brother in your land.' ​

Release of Hebrew Servants

12
"If your kinsman, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, he is to serve you for six years; but in the seventh year, you are to set him free. ​
13
Moreover, when you set him free, don't let him leave empty-handed; ​
14
but supply him generously from your flock, threshing-floor and winepress; from what ADONAI your God has blessed you with, you are to give to him.
15
Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and ADONAI your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this order today. ​
16
But if he says to you, 'I don't want to leave you,' because he loves you and your household, and because his life with you is a good one;
17
then take an awl, and pierce his ear through, right into the door; and he will be your slave forever. Do the same with your female slave. ​
18
Don't resent it when you set him free, since during his six years of service he has been worth twice as much as a hired employee. Then ADONAI your God will bless you in everything you do. ​

The Law of the Firstborn Animals

19
"All the firstborn males in your herd of cattle and in your flock you are to set aside for ADONAI your God; you are not to do any work with a firstborn from your herd or shear a firstborn sheep. ​
20
Each year you and your household are to eat it in the presence of ADONAI your God in the place which ADONAI will choose.
21
But if it has a defect, is lame or blind, or has some other kind of fault, you are not to sacrifice it to ADONAI your God; ​
22
rather, eat it on your own property; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it, like the gazelle or the deer. ​
23
Just don't eat its blood, but pour it out on the ground like 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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