Deuteronomy 15:1-4

Release for Debt Slaves

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 

[15:1]  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 Lord” many mss and versions add “your God” to complete the usual full epithet.

[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 Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess.”