Deuteronomy 15:12

Deuteronomy 15:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
• New International Version (NIV)If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.

Context of Deuteronomy 15:12

10Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand. 11For the needy shall never cease from within the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land. If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, have been sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years, and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 13And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty; 14thou shalt certainly furnish him from thy sheep, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of what Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee with shalt thou give unto him.

Deuteronomy 15:12 word by word

כִּֽי־יִמָּכֵ֨ר לְךָ֜ אָחִ֣יךָ הָֽעִבְרִ֗י א֚וֹ הָֽעִבְרִיָּ֔ה וַעֲבָֽדְךָ֖ שֵׁ֣שׁ שָׁנִ֑ים וּבַשָּׁנָה֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔ת תְּשַׁלְּחֶ֥נּוּ חָפְשִׁ֖י מֵעִמָּֽךְ׃Read the interlinear

• brotherאָח'âch · brother: male-siblingH251
• Hebrewעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
• soldמָכַרmâkar · to sellH4376
• serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• sixשֵׁשׁshêsh shishshâh · sixH8337
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• seventhשְׁבִיעִיshebîy‛îy shebi‛îy · seventhH7637
• goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
• freeחׇפְשִׁיchophshîy · freeH2670

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:12

• Deuteronomy 15:1At the end of seven years thou shalt make a release,
• Exodus 21:2If thou buy a Hebrew bondman, six years shall he serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
• Leviticus 25:39And if thy brother grow poor beside thee, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
• Jeremiah 34:14At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother, a Hebrew, who hath sold himself unto thee; when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee. But your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
• John 8:35Now the bondman abides not in the house for ever: the son abides for ever.

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15:12

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 12-18 Here the law concerning Hebrew servants is repeated. There is an addition, requiring the masters to put some small stock into their servants' hands to set up with for themselves, when sent out of their servitude, wherein they had received no wages. We may expect family blessings, the springs of family prosperity, when we make conscience of our duty to our family relations. We are to remember that we are debtors to Divine justice, and have…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you: This arrangement allowed a person who owed money to work and repay the debt. In this way, the debtor could meet financial obligations to the creditor. The service could last no more than seven years (but see 15:16–17 for exceptions).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1912. if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee--The last extremity of an insolvent debtor, when his house or land was not sufficient to cancel his debt, was to be sold as a slave with his family (Le 25:39; 2Ki 4:1; Ne 5:1-13; Job 24:9; Mt 18:25). The term of servitude could not last beyond six years. They obtained their freedom either after six years from the time of their sale or before the end of the seventh year. At the year…Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 15:12

• Beneficence
• Fraternity
• Hebrew
• Liberality
• Poor
• Sabbatic Year
• Servant

In the dictionaries

• Bless
• Cease
• Debtor
• Firstling
• Freedom
• Hebrew
• Poor
• Release
• Atonement, Day of
• Criticism

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings