EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Deuteronomy 15:17
17If he says that, you must take a tool with a sharp point. Push it through his ear, into your door. After that, he will be your servant for his whole life. Do the same thing for any female servant who wants to stay with you.
Deuteronomy 15:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.
- New International Version (NIV)then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
- English Standard Version (ESV)then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.
- New King James Version (NKJV)then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.
Context of Deuteronomy 15:17
15Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt. But the Lord your God rescued you from there. This is why I am giving you this command today. 16But perhaps your servant will say to you, ‘I do not want to leave you!’ He may say that because he loves you and your family. He enjoys his life with you. If he says that, you must take a tool with a sharp point. Push it through his ear, into your door. After that, he will be your servant for his whole life. Do the same thing for any female servant who wants to stay with you. 18Do not think that it will be difficult for you if he goes free. Remember that he has served you well for six years. He has been worth twice as much as a servant that you pay to do your work. The Lord your God will bless you in everything that you do. 19You must keep separate every firstborn male animal that is born from your cows, sheep or goats. They belong to the Lord your God. Do not make these firstborn animals do any work for you. Do not cut off the wool from your firstborn sheep.
Read all of Deuteronomy 15Deuteronomy 15:17 word by word
וְלָקַחְתָּ֣ אֶת־הַמַּרְצֵ֗עַ וְנָתַתָּ֤ה בְאָזְנוֹ֙ וּבַדֶּ֔לֶת וְהָיָ֥ה לְךָ֖ עֶ֣בֶד עוֹלָ֑ם וְאַ֥ף לַאֲמָתְךָ֖ תַּעֲשֶׂה־כֵּֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then thou shalt takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- an aulמַרְצֵעַmartsêa‛ · awlH4836
- and thrustנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- through his earאֹ֫זֶן'ôzen · earH241
- unto the doorדֶּ֫לֶתdeleth · doorH1817
- and he shall be thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
- And also unto thy maidservantאָמָה'âmâh · maidservantH519
- thou shalt doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:17
- Leviticus 25:39If an Israelite becomes poor, he might sell himself to you. But he must not work for you as a slave. You must pay him to work as your servant.
- 1 Samuel 1:22But Hannah did not go as well. She said to her husband, ‘I will not go until the boy is older. When he can eat proper food, I will take him to Shiloh to give him to the Lord. Then he will live there for all his life.’
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Thou shalt take an awl - See the note on Exodus 21:6.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 The commands here are repeated from Exodus 21:2-6, with amplifications relative to the maidservant Deuteronomy 15:12 and to the making (Deuteronomy 15:13 ff) liberal provision for launching the freedman on an independent course of life. The release of the servant is connected with the sabbatical principle though not with the sabbatical year. It is noteworthy also that the prospect of a gift of this sort, the amount of which was left to the…Read the comment
- 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. 17pierce it through his ear: Piercing the servant’s ear was a public sign. It showed that the bondservant had chosen to serve his master for life. This mark identified him as permanently belonging to that household. Some believe this background may help explain Paul’s words, “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--If they declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their employer, and continued in his service till death.Read the comment
Topics related to Deuteronomy 15:17
In the dictionaries
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
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