Deuteronomy 15:1

Release for Debt Slaves

15:1 At the end of every seven years you must declare a cancellation ¹  of debts.

Deuteronomy 1:23

1:23 I thought this was a good idea, ²  so I sent ³  twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

Deuteronomy 14:28

14:28 At the end of every three years you must bring all the tithe of your produce, in that very year, and you must store it up in your villages.

Deuteronomy 31:10

31:10 He ⁴  commanded them: “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the cancellation of debts, ⁵  at the Feast of Temporary Shelters, ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 15:12

Release of Debt Slaves

15:12 If your fellow Hebrew ⁷  – whether male or female ⁸  – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant ⁹  go free. ¹⁰ 

Deuteronomy 17:6

17:6 At the testimony of two or three witnesses they must be executed. They cannot be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.

Deuteronomy 15:18

15:18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have served you for six years, twice ¹¹  the time of a hired worker; the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

Deuteronomy 21:17

21:17 Rather, he must acknowledge the son of the less loved ¹²  wife as firstborn and give him the double portion ¹³  of all he has, for that son is the beginning of his father’s procreative power ¹⁴  – to him should go the right of the firstborn.

¹ tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּת (shÿmittat), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the cancellation of the debt and even pledges for the debt of a borrower by his creditor. This could be a full and final remission or, more likely, one for the seventh year only. See R. Wakely, NIDOTTE 4:155-60. Here the words “of debts” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied. Cf. NAB “a relaxation of debts”; NASB, NRSV “a remission of debts.”

² tn Heb “the thing was good in my eyes.”

³ tn Or “selected” (so NIV, NRSV, TEV); Heb “took.”

³ tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (shÿmittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.

⁵ tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] ([khag] hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.

⁴ sn Elsewhere in the OT, the Israelites are called “Hebrews” (עִבְרִי, ’ivriy) by outsiders, rarely by themselves (cf. Gen 14:13; 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exod 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 1 Sam 4:6; Jonah 1:9). Thus, here and in the parallel passage in Exod 21:2-6 the term עִבְרִי may designate non-Israelites, specifically a people well-known throughout the ancient Near East as ’apiru or habiru. They lived a rather vagabond lifestyle, frequently hiring themselves out as laborers or mercenary soldiers. While accounting nicely for the surprising use of the term here in an Israelite law code, the suggestion has against it the unlikelihood that a set of laws would address such a marginal people so specifically (as opposed to simply calling them aliens or the like). More likely עִבְרִי is chosen as a term to remind Israel that when they were “Hebrews,” that is, when they were in Egypt, they were slaves. Now that they are free they must not keep their fellow Israelites in economic bondage. See v. 15.

⁵ tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”

⁶ tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.

⁷ tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew term מִשְׁנֶה (mishneh, “twice”) could mean “equivalent to” (cf. NRSV) or, more likely, “double” (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). The idea is that a hired worker would put in only so many hours per day whereas a bondslave was available around the clock.

⁶ tn See note on the word “other” in v. 15.

⁷ tn Heb “measure of two.” The Hebrew expression פִּי שְׁנַיִם (piy shÿnayim) suggests a two-thirds split; that is, the elder gets two parts and the younger one part. Cf. 2 Kgs 2:9; Zech 13:8. The practice is implicit in Isaac’s blessing of Jacob (Gen 25:31-34) and Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim (Gen 48:8-22).

⁸ tn Heb “his generative power” (אוֹן, ’on; cf. HALOT 22 s.v.). Cf. NAB “the first fruits of his manhood”; NRSV “the first issue of his virility.”