Deuteronomy 15:12

Release of Debt Slaves

15:12 If your fellow Hebrew ¹  – whether male or female ²  – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant ³  go free. ⁴ 

Deuteronomy 22:1

Laws Concerning Preservation of Life

22:1 When you see ⁵  your neighbor’s ⁶  ox or sheep going astray, do not ignore it; ⁷  you must return it without fail ⁸  to your neighbor.

Deuteronomy 22:3-4

22:3 You shall do the same to his donkey, his clothes, or anything else your neighbor ⁹  has lost and you have found; you must not refuse to get involved. ¹⁰  22:4 When you see ¹¹  your neighbor’s donkey or ox fallen along the road, do not ignore it; ¹²  instead, you must be sure ¹³  to help him get the animal on its feet again. ¹⁴ 

Deuteronomy 23:7

23:7 You must not hate an Edomite, for he is your relative; ¹⁵  you must not hate an Egyptian, for you lived as a foreigner ¹⁶  in his land.

Deuteronomy 25:3

25:3 The judge ¹⁷  may sentence him to forty blows, ¹⁸  but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite ¹⁹  with contempt.

Deuteronomy 32:50

32:50 You will die ²⁰  on the mountain that you ascend and join your deceased ancestors, ²¹  just as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor ²²  and joined his deceased ancestors,

[15:12]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”

[15:12]  ³ tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.

[15:12]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”

[22:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “you must not see,” but, if translated literally into English, the statement is misleading.

[22:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “brother’s” (also later in this verse). In this context it is not limited to one’s siblings, however; cf. NAB “your kinsman’s.”

[22:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “hide yourself.”

[22:1]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with the words “without fail.”

[22:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “your brother” (also in v. 4).

[22:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “you must not hide yourself.”

[22:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “you must not see.” See note at 22:1.

[22:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and (must not) hide yourself from them.”

[22:4]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “be sure.”

[22:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “help him to lift them up.” In keeping with English style the singular is used in the translation, and the referent (“the animal”) has been specified for clarity.

[23:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “brother.”

[23:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “sojourner.”

[25:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the judge) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:3]  ²² tn Heb “Forty blows he may strike him”; however, since the judge is to witness the punishment (v. 2) it is unlikely the judge himself administered it.

[25:3]  ²³ tn Heb “your brothers” but not limited only to an actual sibling; cf. NAB) “your kinsman”; NRSV, NLT “your neighbor.”

[32:50]  ²⁵ tn In the Hebrew text the forms translated “you will die…and join” are imperatives, but the actions in view cannot really be commanded. The imperative is used here in a rhetorical, emphatic manner to indicate the certainty of Moses’ death on the mountain. On the rhetorical use of the imperative see IBHS 572 §34.4c.

[32:50]  ²⁶ tn Heb “be gathered to your people.” The same phrase occurs again later in this verse.

[32:50]  ²⁷ sn Mount Hor. See note on the name “Moserah” in Deut 10:6.