Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 14:28--16:17
Context14:28 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. 14:29 Then the Levites (because they have no allotment or inheritance with you), the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows of your villages may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work you do.
15:1 At the end of every seven years you must declare a cancellation 1 of debts. 15:2 This is the nature of the cancellation: Every creditor must remit what he has loaned to another person; 2 he must not force payment from his fellow Israelite, 3 for it is to be recognized as “the Lord’s cancellation of debts.” 15:3 You may exact payment from a foreigner, but whatever your fellow Israelite 4 owes you, you must remit. 15:4 However, there should not be any poor among you, for the Lord 5 will surely bless 6 you in the land that he 7 is giving you as an inheritance, 8 15:5 if you carefully obey 9 him 10 by keeping 11 all these commandments that I am giving 12 you today. 15:6 For the Lord your God will bless you just as he has promised; you will lend to many nations but will not borrow from any, and you will rule over many nations but they will not rule over you.
15:7 If a fellow Israelite 13 from one of your villages 14 in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive 15 to his impoverished condition. 16 15:8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend 17 him whatever he needs. 18 15:9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude 19 be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite 20 and you do not lend 21 him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will be regarded as having sinned. 22 15:10 You must by all means lend 23 to him and not be upset by doing it, 24 for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. 15:11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open 25 your hand to your fellow Israelites 26 who are needy and poor in your land.
15:12 If your fellow Hebrew 27 – whether male or female 28 – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant 29 go free. 30 15:13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed. 15:14 You must supply them generously 31 from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress – as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them. 15:15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing today. 15:16 However, if the servant 32 says to you, “I do not want to leave 33 you,” because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you, 15:17 you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door. 34 Then he will become your servant permanently (this applies to your female servant as well). 15:18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have served you for six years, twice 35 the time of a hired worker; the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
15:19 You must set apart 36 for the Lord your God every firstborn male born to your herds and flocks. You must not work the firstborn of your bulls or shear the firstborn of your flocks. 15:20 You and your household must eat them annually before the Lord your God in the place he 37 chooses. 15:21 If they have any kind of blemish – lameness, blindness, or anything else 38 – you may not offer them as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. 15:22 You may eat it in your villages, 39 whether you are ritually impure or clean, 40 just as you would eat a gazelle or an ibex. 15:23 However, you must not eat its blood; you must pour it out on the ground like water.
16:1 Observe the month Abib 41 and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in that month 42 he 43 brought you out of Egypt by night. 16:2 You must sacrifice the Passover animal 44 (from the flock or the herd) to the Lord your God in the place where he 45 chooses to locate his name. 16:3 You must not eat any yeast with it; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast, symbolic of affliction, for you came out of Egypt hurriedly. You must do this so you will remember for the rest of your life the day you came out of the land of Egypt. 16:4 There must not be a scrap of yeast within your land 46 for seven days, nor can any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until the next morning. 47 16:5 You may not sacrifice the Passover in just any of your villages 48 that the Lord your God is giving you, 16:6 but you must sacrifice it 49 in the evening in 50 the place where he 51 chooses to locate his name, at sunset, the time of day you came out of Egypt. 16:7 You must cook 52 and eat it in the place the Lord your God chooses; you may return the next morning to your tents. 16:8 You must eat bread made without yeast for six days. The seventh day you are to hold an assembly for the Lord your God; you must not do any work on that day. 53
16:9 You must count seven weeks; you must begin to count them 54 from the time you begin to harvest the standing grain. 16:10 Then you are to celebrate the Festival of Weeks 55 before the Lord your God with the voluntary offering 56 that you will bring, in proportion to how he 57 has blessed you. 16:11 You shall rejoice before him 58 – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, 59 the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name. 16:12 Furthermore, remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and so be careful to observe these statutes.
16:13 You must celebrate the Festival of Temporary Shelters 60 for seven days, at the time of the grain and grape harvest. 61 16:14 You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages. 62 16:15 You are to celebrate the festival seven days before the Lord your God in the place he 63 chooses, for he 64 will bless you in all your productivity and in whatever you do; 65 so you will indeed rejoice! 16:16 Three times a year all your males must appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses for the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks, and the Festival of Temporary Shelters; and they must not appear before him 66 empty-handed. 16:17 Every one of you must give as you are able, 67 according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
[15:1] 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.”
[15:2] 2 tn Heb “his neighbor,” used idiomatically to refer to another person.
[15:2] 3 tn Heb “his neighbor and his brother.” The words “his brother” may be a scribal gloss identifying “his neighbor” (on this idiom, see the preceding note) as a fellow Israelite (cf. v. 3). In this case the conjunction before “his brother” does not introduce a second category, but rather has the force of “that is.”
[15:3] 4 tn Heb “your brother.”
[15:4] 5 tc After the phrase “the
[15:4] 6 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “surely.” Note however, that the use is rhetorical, for the next verse attaches a condition.
[15:4] 7 tn Heb “the
[15:4] 8 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess.”
[15:5] 9 tn Heb “if listening you listen to the voice of.” The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “carefully.” The idiom “listen to the voice” means “obey.”
[15:5] 10 tn Heb “the
[15:5] 11 tn Heb “by being careful to do.”
[15:5] 12 tn Heb “commanding” (so NASB); NAB “which I enjoin you today.”
[15:7] 13 tn Heb “one of your brothers” (so NASB); NAB “one of your kinsmen”; NRSV “a member of your community.” See the note at v. 2.
[15:7] 15 tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).
[15:7] 16 tn Heb “from your needy brother.”
[15:8] 17 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before both verbs. The translation indicates the emphasis with the words “be sure to” and “generously,” respectively.
[15:8] 18 tn Heb “whatever his need that he needs for himself.” This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:9] 20 tn Heb “your needy brother.”
[15:9] 21 tn Heb “give” (likewise in v. 10).
[15:9] 22 tn Heb “it will be a sin to you.”
[15:10] 23 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “by all means.”
[15:10] 24 tc Heb “your heart must not be grieved in giving to him.” The LXX and Orig add, “you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need,” a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.
[15:11] 25 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “make sure.”
[15:11] 26 tn Heb “your brother.”
[15:12] 27 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.
[15:12] 28 tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”
[15:12] 29 tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.
[15:12] 30 tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”
[15:14] 31 tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “generously.”
[15:16] 32 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the indentured servant introduced in v. 12) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 33 tn Heb “go out from.” The imperfect verbal form indicates the desire of the subject here.
[15:17] 34 sn When the bondslave’s ear was drilled through to the door, the door in question was that of the master’s house. In effect, the bondslave is declaring his undying and lifelong loyalty to his creditor. The scar (or even hole) in the earlobe would testify to the community that the slave had surrendered independence and personal rights. This may be what Paul had in mind when he said “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal 6:17).
[15:18] 35 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.
[15:19] 36 tn Heb “sanctify” (תַּקְדִּישׁ, taqdish), that is, put to use on behalf of the
[15:20] 37 tn Heb “the Lord.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons. See note on “he” in 15:4.
[15:21] 38 tn Heb “any evil blemish”; NASB “any (+ other NAB, TEV) serious defect.”
[15:22] 39 tn Heb “in your gates.”
[15:22] 40 tc The LXX adds ἐν σοί (en soi, “among you”) to make clear that the antecedent is the people and not the animals. That is, the people, whether ritually purified or not, may eat such defective animals.
[16:1] 41 sn The month Abib, later called Nisan (Neh 2:1; Esth 3:7), corresponds to March-April in the modern calendar.
[16:1] 42 tn Heb “in the month Abib.” The demonstrative “that” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:1] 43 tn Heb “the
[16:2] 44 tn Heb “sacrifice the Passover” (so NASB). The word “animal” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[16:2] 45 tn Heb “the
[16:4] 46 tn Heb “leaven must not be seen among you in all your border.”
[16:4] 47 tn Heb “remain all night until the morning” (so KJV, ASV). This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:6] 49 tn Heb “the Passover.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.
[16:6] 50 tc The MT reading אֶל (’el, “unto”) before “the place” should, following Smr, Syriac, Targums, and Vulgate, be omitted in favor of ב (bet; בַּמָּקוֹם, bammaqom), “in the place.”
[16:6] 51 tn Heb “the
[16:7] 52 tn The rules that governed the Passover meal are found in Exod 12:1-51, and Deut 16:1-8. The word translated “cook” (בָּשַׁל, bashal) here is translated “boil” in other places (e.g. Exod 23:19, 1 Sam 2:13-15). This would seem to contradict Exod 12:9 where the Israelites are told not to eat the Passover sacrifice raw or boiled. However, 2 Chr 35:13 recounts the celebration of a Passover feast during the reign of Josiah, and explains that the people “cooked (בָּשַׁל, bashal) the Passover sacrifices over the open fire.” The use of בָּשַׁל (bashal) with “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) suggests that the word could be used to speak of boiling or roasting.
[16:8] 53 tn The words “on that day” are not in the Hebrew text; they are supplied in the translation for clarification (cf. TEV, NLT).
[16:9] 54 tn Heb “the seven weeks.” The translation uses a pronoun to avoid redundancy in English.
[16:10] 55 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג שָׁבֻעוֹת (khag shavu’ot) is otherwise known in the OT (Exod 23:16) as קָצִיר (qatsir, “harvest”) and in the NT as πεντηχοστή (penthcosth, “Pentecost”).
[16:10] 56 tn Heb “the sufficiency of the offering of your hand.”
[16:10] 57 tn Heb “the
[16:11] 58 tn Heb “the
[16:13] 60 tn The Hebrew phrase חַג הַסֻּכֹּת (khag hassukot, “festival of huts” or “festival of shelters”) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. The rendering “booths” (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV) is now preferable to the traditional “tabernacles” (KJV, ASV, NIV) in light of the meaning of the term סֻכָּה (sukkah, “hut; booth”), but “booths” are frequently associated with trade shows and craft fairs in contemporary American English. Clearer is the English term “shelters” (so NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but this does not reflect the temporary nature of the living arrangement. This feast was a commemoration of the wanderings of the Israelites after they left Egypt, suggesting that a translation like “temporary shelters” is more appropriate.
[16:13] 61 tn Heb “when you gather in your threshing-floor and winepress.”
[16:14] 62 tn Heb “in your gates.”
[16:15] 63 tn Heb “the
[16:15] 64 tn Heb “the
[16:15] 65 tn Heb “in all the work of your hands” (so NASB, NIV); NAB, NRSV “in all your undertakings.”
[16:16] 66 tn Heb “the
[16:17] 67 tn Heb “a man must give according to the gift of his hand.” This has been translated as second person for stylistic reasons, in keeping with the second half of the verse, which is second person rather than third.
