Deuteronomy 15 Study Notes
General
What happened if a servant told his master he wished to stay?
Answer: His ear was pierced at the doorway, and he served for life
The law made room for a servant who loved his master's household and was well off there (15:16). If he chose to stay, the master pierced his ear against the door with an awl, and he became a servant for life (15:17). The same was to be done for a female servant. The choice to stay belonged to the servant, and the reason the text names is his love for the household and his well-being in it. Exodus gives the same six-year limit (Exodus 21:2) and the same rule for a servant who chooses to stay, adding that he was first brought before the judges (Exodus 21:5-6).
- Deuteronomy 15:16-17 (BSB)“But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.”A servant who loves the household may choose to stay, marked by an awl through the ear.
- Exodus 21:2 (BSB)“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.”Exodus gives the same six-year limit on a Hebrew servant's service.
- Exodus 21:5-6 (BSB)“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.”Exodus gives the same rule for a servant who chooses to stay, with the judges involved.
Theological
What provision does 15:16-17 make for a servant who chooses to remain with his master?
Answer: An awl through the ear at the door, then lifelong service
Deuteronomy 15:16-17 permits a servant who loves his master's household and prospers there to remain permanently; the master pierces his ear against the door with an awl, and he serves for life. The provision applies equally to the female servant. The decision rests with the servant, and the text names his attachment and welfare as the reason. Exodus gives the parallel legislation, including the six-year term and the appearance before the judges (Exodus 21:2, 5-6).
- Deuteronomy 15:16-17 (BSB)“But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.”A servant who loves the household may choose to stay, marked by an awl through the ear.
- Exodus 21:2 (BSB)“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.”Exodus gives the same six-year limit on a Hebrew servant's service.
- Exodus 21:5-6 (BSB)“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.”Exodus gives the same rule for a servant who chooses to stay, with the judges involved.
General
What does 15:21-22 say about a firstborn animal that is lame, blind, or has a serious flaw?
Answer: It must not be sacrificed, but may be eaten at home
Every firstborn male of the herds and flocks was consecrated to God. It was not to be put to work or sheared, and each year the family ate it before God at the place He would choose (15:19-20). But a firstborn with a defect, such as lameness or blindness, could not be offered as a sacrifice (15:21). Instead it could be eaten at home by anyone, ceremonially clean or unclean, like ordinary game, as long as the blood was poured out and not eaten (15:22-23; 12:23-24). What is offered to God must be without defect (Leviticus 22:20), and Malachi rebukes priests who offered blind and lame animals (Malachi 1:8). This points ahead to Christ, whose precious blood is that of a spotless and unblemished lamb (1 Peter 1:19).
- Deuteronomy 15:19-20 (BSB)“You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock. Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.”Firstborn male animals are set apart to the LORD and eaten yearly before Him.
- Deuteronomy 15:21-23 (BSB)“But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer. But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.”A firstborn with a defect may not be sacrificed but may be eaten at home, without the blood.
- Leviticus 22:20 (BSB)“You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”Nothing with a defect may be offered to the LORD.
- Malachi 1:8 (BSB)“When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.”Malachi rebukes priests for offering blind and lame animals.
- Deuteronomy 12:23-24 (BSB)“Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.”The blood must not be eaten, because the blood is the life.
- 1 Peter 1:19 (BSB)“but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Christ is the Lamb without blemish whose precious blood redeems.
Theological
What does 15:21-22 prescribe for a firstborn animal with a serious defect?
Answer: Exclusion from sacrifice, with ordinary eating at home
Deuteronomy 15:19-20 consecrates the firstborn males of herd and flock: they may not be worked or shorn and are eaten annually before the LORD at the chosen place. A blemished firstborn, however, is excluded from sacrifice and may be eaten as common meat in the towns by clean and unclean alike, provided the blood is poured out (15:21-23; cf. 12:23-24). The requirement of unblemished offerings (Leviticus 22:20), which Malachi saw violated (Malachi 1:8), finds its fulfillment in Christ, the spotless and unblemished Lamb whose precious blood redeems (1 Peter 1:19).
- Deuteronomy 15:19-20 (BSB)“You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock. Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.”Firstborn male animals are set apart to the LORD and eaten yearly before Him.
- Deuteronomy 15:21-23 (BSB)“But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer. But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.”A firstborn with a defect may not be sacrificed but may be eaten at home, without the blood.
- Leviticus 22:20 (BSB)“You must not present anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf.”Nothing with a defect may be offered to the LORD.
- Malachi 1:8 (BSB)“When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.”Malachi rebukes priests for offering blind and lame animals.
- Deuteronomy 12:23-24 (BSB)“Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat. You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.”The blood must not be eaten, because the blood is the life.
- 1 Peter 1:19 (BSB)“but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.”Christ is the Lamb without blemish whose precious blood redeems.
General
True or False: Under 15:3, the seventh-year debt release applied to loans made to foreigners as well as to fellow Israelites.
Answer: False
This is false. An Israelite could still collect a debt owed by a foreigner, while whatever a fellow Israelite owed had to be forgiven (15:3). The release was a covenant kindness within the family of God's people, much as Israel could charge interest to a foreigner but not to a brother (23:20). Paul similarly calls believers to do good to all people, above all to fellow believers (Galatians 6:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:3 (BSB)“You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.”The release applies to what a fellow Israelite owes, not to a foreigner's debt.
- Deuteronomy 23:20 (BSB)“You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.”Israel could likewise charge a foreigner interest but not a brother.
- Galatians 6:10 (BSB)“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.”Paul calls for good to all people, and especially to the family of faith.
Theological
True or False: According to 15:3, the sabbatical remission extended equally to debts owed by foreigners.
Answer: False
This is false. Deuteronomy 15:3 permits collecting from the foreigner while requiring remission of what a brother owes. The release was an intra-covenantal obligation, parallel to the prohibition of interest on loans to a brother but not to a foreigner (23:20). Paul likewise gives priority to the household of faith while calling for good toward all (Galatians 6:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:3 (BSB)“You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.”The release applies to what a fellow Israelite owes, not to a foreigner's debt.
- Deuteronomy 23:20 (BSB)“You may charge a foreigner interest, but not your brother, so that the LORD your God may bless you in everything to which you put your hand in the land that you are entering to possess.”Israel could likewise charge a foreigner interest but not a brother.
- Galatians 6:10 (BSB)“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.”Paul calls for good to all people, and especially to the family of faith.
General
According to 15:4-5, on what condition would poverty disappear from Israel?
Answer: If they heeded God's voice and kept all His commands
Moses first states an ideal: poverty would vanish from Israel, because the LORD would richly bless them in the land (15:4). But the promise is tied to a condition: if only Israel listens to God and carefully keeps His commands (15:5). With that blessing, Israel would be a lender to many nations, not a borrower, and would rule rather than be ruled (15:6). These are national covenant blessings for Israel in the land, set out again in 28:1 and 28:12, not a promise of wealth to every individual. The early church in Jerusalem gives a striking echo, for Luke says no one among them was in need because owners of land or houses sold them and brought the proceeds (Acts 4:34-35).
- Deuteronomy 15:4-6 (BSB)“There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today. When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.”Moses promises a land without poverty if Israel obeys, and national prosperity with it.
- Deuteronomy 28:1 (BSB)““Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”The covenant blessings are tied to Israel's careful obedience.
- Deuteronomy 28:12 (BSB)“The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.”Among the national blessings is that Israel would lend to many nations.
- Acts 4:34-35 (BSB)“There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.”In the early church no one was needy, because owners sold property and gave the proceeds for distribution.
Theological
What condition does 15:4-5 attach to the promise that no one in Israel would be poor?
Answer: Israel's careful obedience to all the LORD's commands
Deuteronomy 15:4-5 promises the absence of poverty as the fruit of the LORD's blessing, conditioned on Israel's careful obedience. Verse 6 extends the blessing to Israel's standing among the nations as creditor and ruler. These are national covenant sanctions for Israel in the land (28:1, 12), not a principle of individual prosperity. Luke's description of the Jerusalem church, in which none lacked because owners sold property and gave the proceeds, echoes the ideal (Acts 4:34-35).
- Deuteronomy 15:4-6 (BSB)“There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today. When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.”Moses promises a land without poverty if Israel obeys, and national prosperity with it.
- Deuteronomy 28:1 (BSB)““Now if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God and are careful to follow all His commandments I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”The covenant blessings are tied to Israel's careful obedience.
- Deuteronomy 28:12 (BSB)“The LORD will open the heavens, His abundant storehouse, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but borrow from none.”Among the national blessings is that Israel would lend to many nations.
- Acts 4:34-35 (BSB)“There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.”In the early church no one was needy, because owners sold property and gave the proceeds for distribution.
General
True or False: 15:18 tells masters not to resent freeing a servant, because six years of his work were worth twice a hired worker's wages.
Answer: True
This is true. Moses expects that releasing a servant with generous gifts might feel costly, so he answers the objection: the master had received six years of labor worth double what a hired laborer would cost (15:18). He adds a promise that the LORD will bless the master in all he does. Elsewhere the law protects the hired hand's daily wages (24:14-15), and in the New Testament masters are told to treat their slaves justly and fairly, remembering that they too answer to their own heavenly Lord (Colossians 4:1).
- Deuteronomy 15:18 (BSB)“Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.”Moses answers the objection that releasing a servant is costly.
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (BSB)“Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The law protects the hired hand's wages, the measure 15:18 uses for comparison.
- Colossians 4:1 (BSB)“Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”Masters are told to give what is right and fair, since they too have a Master in heaven.
Theological
True or False: According to 15:18, a master should not regard manumission as a hardship, since the servant's six years were worth double a hired laborer's wages.
Answer: True
This is true. Deuteronomy 15:18 anticipates the master's reluctance and answers it economically and theologically: six years of labor equaled double the cost of hired labor, and the LORD promises blessing on the obedient master. The law elsewhere safeguards the wages of the hired hand (24:14-15), and the apostolic instruction to masters grounds just and fair treatment in their own accountability to the Lord in heaven (Colossians 4:1).
- Deuteronomy 15:18 (BSB)“Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.”Moses answers the objection that releasing a servant is costly.
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (BSB)“Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The law protects the hired hand's wages, the measure 15:18 uses for comparison.
- Colossians 4:1 (BSB)“Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”Masters are told to give what is right and fair, since they too have a Master in heaven.
General
How does 15:7-8 tell an Israelite to respond to a poor brother?
Answer: Open his hand and lend freely whatever is needed
Moses turns from the ideal to real life: if a fellow Israelite in any town is poor, no one may harden his heart or close his hand against him (15:7). Instead, he must open his hand and lend generously enough to meet the need (15:8). The heart and the hand go together: a closed heart produces a closed hand. John applies the same principle to Christians, asking how God's love can remain in someone who sees a brother in need and withholds compassion (1 John 3:17). Jesus tells His disciples not to refuse someone asking to borrow (Matthew 5:42), and Proverbs says that being kind to someone poor is like lending to the LORD, who repays (Proverbs 19:17).
- Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (BSB)“If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.”Moses commands generosity toward a poor fellow Israelite.
- 1 John 3:17 (BSB)“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”Withholding compassion from a brother in need contradicts the love of God.
- Matthew 5:42 (BSB)“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”Jesus tells His disciples not to turn away one who wants to borrow.
- Proverbs 19:17 (BSB)“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.”Kindness to the poor is treated as a loan to the LORD, who repays.
Theological
What response to a poor brother does 15:7-8 require?
Answer: An open hand and a generous loan sufficient for his need
Deuteronomy 15:7-8 forbids a hardened heart and a closed hand toward the poor brother and requires a generous loan sufficient for his need. Outward generosity flows from the inward disposition. John makes the same connection for the church: withholding compassion from a brother in need is incompatible with God's love abiding in a person (1 John 3:17). Christ commands readiness to lend (Matthew 5:42), and Proverbs treats generosity toward the poor as lending to the LORD Himself (Proverbs 19:17).
- Deuteronomy 15:7-8 (BSB)“If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.”Moses commands generosity toward a poor fellow Israelite.
- 1 John 3:17 (BSB)“If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”Withholding compassion from a brother in need contradicts the love of God.
- Matthew 5:42 (BSB)“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”Jesus tells His disciples not to turn away one who wants to borrow.
- Proverbs 19:17 (BSB)“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.”Kindness to the poor is treated as a loan to the LORD, who repays.
General
How does 15:11 relate to the earlier statement in 15:4 that there would be no poor in Israel?
Answer: It admits poverty will remain, so Israel must keep giving freely
The two verses work together. Verse 4 describes what obedience and God's blessing would produce: a land without poverty. Verse 11 speaks realistically: poor people will never disappear from the land, and for that very reason Israel must be openhanded toward everyone in need. The ideal shows what God's blessing on obedience would bring, and the realistic statement makes generosity an ongoing duty. Jesus echoes 15:11 when He tells His disciples the poor are always with them (Matthew 26:11), and in Mark He adds that they can help the poor whenever they wish (Mark 14:7). The apostles likewise asked Paul to keep remembering the poor, a duty he gladly embraced (Galatians 2:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:4 (BSB)“There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,”Moses states the ideal of a land without poverty under God's blessing.
- Deuteronomy 15:11 (BSB)“For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.”Moses states that the poor will always be in the land, and grounds a command on it.
- Matthew 26:11 (BSB)“The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”Jesus echoes this verse when He says the poor are always with His disciples.
- Mark 14:7 (BSB)“The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.”Mark's account adds that the disciples can help the poor whenever they wish.
- Galatians 2:10 (BSB)“They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”The apostles asked Paul to keep remembering the poor, which he was eager to do.
Theological
How does 15:11 stand in relation to 15:4?
Answer: It recognizes that poverty persists and grounds generosity on it
Deuteronomy 15:4 states the covenant ideal, a land without poverty as the fruit of blessing on obedience; 15:11 states the realistic expectation that poverty will persist, and makes that very fact the ground of the command to open the hand wide. The ideal and the realism stand together in the text, and both issue in obligation. Christ echoes 15:11 (Matthew 26:11; Mark 14:7), noting that the disciples may do good to the poor at any time, and the apostolic church kept the care of the poor central (Galatians 2:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:4 (BSB)“There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,”Moses states the ideal of a land without poverty under God's blessing.
- Deuteronomy 15:11 (BSB)“For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.”Moses states that the poor will always be in the land, and grounds a command on it.
- Matthew 26:11 (BSB)“The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have Me.”Jesus echoes this verse when He says the poor are always with His disciples.
- Mark 14:7 (BSB)“The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.”Mark's account adds that the disciples can help the poor whenever they wish.
- Galatians 2:10 (BSB)“They only asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”The apostles asked Paul to keep remembering the poor, which he was eager to do.
General
What was Israel to do every seventh year, according to 15:1-2?
Answer: Cancel debts owed by fellow Israelites
Every seventh year was a year of release. Each creditor, meaning someone who had lent money, had to cancel what he had lent to a fellow Israelite and stop demanding repayment, because the LORD's release had been proclaimed (15:1-2). This matches the seventh-year rest for the land, when fields lay unplanted so the poor could eat (Exodus 23:10-11). Later, in Nehemiah's day, the returned exiles pledged to keep both the fallow year and the cancellation of debts (Nehemiah 10:31). The release year was also when the law was to be read aloud to all Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles that year (31:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:1-2 (BSB)“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.”Every seventh year creditors must cancel what fellow Israelites owe them.
- Exodus 23:10-11 (BSB)“For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.”The seventh year was also a rest for the land so that the poor could eat.
- Nehemiah 10:31 (BSB)“When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow and will cancel every debt.”The returned exiles pledged to keep both the fallow year and the cancellation of debts.
- Deuteronomy 31:10 (BSB)“Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,”The law was to be read publicly in the year of remission of debt.
Theological
What does 15:1-2 require once every seven years?
Answer: Remission of debts owed by fellow Israelites
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 institutes the septennial release: every creditor must remit what his neighbor owes, because the LORD's release has been announced. The debt release parallels the sabbatical rest of the land, which also served the poor (Exodus 23:10-11). Post-exilic Judah renewed its commitment to both (Nehemiah 10:31), and the release year was the appointed occasion for the public reading of the law at Tabernacles (31:10).
- Deuteronomy 15:1-2 (BSB)“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.”Every seventh year creditors must cancel what fellow Israelites owe them.
- Exodus 23:10-11 (BSB)“For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce, but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.”The seventh year was also a rest for the land so that the poor could eat.
- Nehemiah 10:31 (BSB)“When the people of the land bring merchandise or any kind of grain to sell on the Sabbath day, we will not buy from them on a Sabbath or holy day. Every seventh year we will let the fields lie fallow and will cancel every debt.”The returned exiles pledged to keep both the fallow year and the cancellation of debts.
- Deuteronomy 31:10 (BSB)“Then Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of remission of debt, during the Feast of Tabernacles,”The law was to be read publicly in the year of remission of debt.
General
According to 15:13-15, how was a Hebrew servant to be sent away when his term ended, and why?
Answer: With generous gifts, since Israel had once been slaves too
A fellow Hebrew, man or woman, who had been sold into service was to serve six years and go free in the seventh (15:12). The master was not to send the servant away empty-handed but to supply him richly from the flock, the threshing floor, and the winepress, in proportion to how God had blessed the master (15:13-14). The reason is Israel's own history: they had once been enslaved in Egypt until the LORD redeemed them, so they were to treat others in light of that rescue (15:15). The same motive appears for justice to the vulnerable (24:18). Leviticus likewise forbids treating a destitute countryman as a slave, because the Israelites belonged to God as His servants whom He had brought out of Egypt (Leviticus 25:39-42). Jeremiah later records that earlier generations ignored this release law (Jeremiah 34:14).
- Deuteronomy 15:12 (BSB)“If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.”A Hebrew servant serves six years and goes free in the seventh.
- Deuteronomy 15:13-14 (BSB)“And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.”The master must not send the servant away empty-handed but supply him generously.
- Deuteronomy 15:15 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”Moses gives the reason: Israel's own slavery in Egypt and redemption by the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 24:18 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.”The same motive clause grounds justice for the vulnerable.
- Leviticus 25:39-42 (BSB)“If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves.”Israelites were God's servants whom He brought out of Egypt, not to be treated as slaves.
- Jeremiah 34:14 (BSB)“Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.”Jeremiah records that earlier generations did not keep this law of seventh-year release.
Theological
What does 15:13-15 require when the Hebrew servant is released, and on what ground?
Answer: Liberal provision, grounded in Israel's own redemption from slavery
Deuteronomy 15:12-15 limits the service of a Hebrew man or woman to six years and requires that the released servant be furnished liberally from flock, threshing floor, and winepress, in proportion to the master's blessing. The motive clause grounds the law in redemptive history: Israel was once enslaved in Egypt and redeemed by the LORD (15:15; cf. 24:18). Leviticus likewise forbids treating an impoverished Israelite as a slave, because Israel belongs to the LORD as His servants whom He brought out of Egypt (Leviticus 25:39-42). Jeremiah records that Israel's forefathers disregarded this very law (Jeremiah 34:14).
- Deuteronomy 15:12 (BSB)“If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.”A Hebrew servant serves six years and goes free in the seventh.
- Deuteronomy 15:13-14 (BSB)“And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.”The master must not send the servant away empty-handed but supply him generously.
- Deuteronomy 15:15 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.”Moses gives the reason: Israel's own slavery in Egypt and redemption by the LORD.
- Deuteronomy 24:18 (BSB)“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.”The same motive clause grounds justice for the vulnerable.
- Leviticus 25:39-42 (BSB)“If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves.”Israelites were God's servants whom He brought out of Egypt, not to be treated as slaves.
- Jeremiah 34:14 (BSB)“Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.”Jeremiah records that earlier generations did not keep this law of seventh-year release.
General
What wicked thought does 15:9 warn against?
Answer: Refusing to lend because the release year is drawing close
Moses anticipates a calculating heart. Since debts were canceled every seventh year, a lender might reason that a loan made just before it would never be repaid, and so refuse the poor man altogether (15:9). God calls this a wicked thought. The poor man may call on the LORD against him, and the stingy lender would stand guilty before God. Instead, Israelites must give generously and without a grudging heart, and God promises to bless them in all their work (15:10). The same warning appears about a worker's wages (24:14-15), Proverbs says that one who ignores the poor will himself go unanswered (Proverbs 21:13), and Paul says God delights in cheerful giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).
- Deuteronomy 15:9-10 (BSB)“Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.”Moses warns against refusing a loan because the release year is near, and commands generous giving.
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (BSB)“Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The same warning appears for withheld wages: the poor may cry to the LORD, and guilt follows.
- Proverbs 21:13 (BSB)“Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.”Whoever ignores the cry of the poor will himself go unanswered.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 (BSB)“Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.”God loves giving that is willing rather than grudging.
Theological
What calculation does 15:9 condemn as a wicked thought?
Answer: Withholding a loan because the release year is imminent
Deuteronomy 15:9 exposes the self-protective reasoning that would refuse a loan as the release year approaches. The law searches the heart: such a thought is wicked, the poor man's appeal to the LORD will stand against the lender, and the refusal is sin. Verse 10 requires ungrudging generosity and promises blessing. The same pattern appears concerning withheld wages (24:14-15), Proverbs warns that one deaf to the poor will himself be unheard (Proverbs 21:13), and Paul commends willing rather than reluctant giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).
- Deuteronomy 15:9-10 (BSB)“Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin. Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.”Moses warns against refusing a loan because the release year is near, and commands generous giving.
- Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (BSB)“Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.”The same warning appears for withheld wages: the poor may cry to the LORD, and guilt follows.
- Proverbs 21:13 (BSB)“Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too shall cry out and receive no answer.”Whoever ignores the cry of the poor will himself go unanswered.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 (BSB)“Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.”God loves giving that is willing rather than grudging.