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 that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release. ​
3
Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; ​
4
Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: ​
5
Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. ​
6
For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. ​

Generosity to the Poor

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

Release of Hebrew Servants

12
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. ​
13
And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: ​
14
Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD 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 the LORD 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 away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
17
Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. ​
18
It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. ​

The Law of the Firstborn Animals

19
All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. ​
20
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.
21
And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God. ​
22
Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart. ​
23
Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it 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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