God’s Word Translation
Deuteronomy 15:16
16But suppose a male slave says to you, “I don’t want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is happy with you.
Deuteronomy 15:16 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;
- New International Version (NIV)But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you,
- English Standard Version (ESV)But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you,
Context of Deuteronomy 15:16
14Generously give them provisions—sheep from your flocks, grain from your threshing floor, and wine from your winepress. Be as generous to them as the Lord your God has been to you. 15Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God freed you. That’s why I’m giving you this command today. But suppose a male slave says to you, “I don’t want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is happy with you. 17Then take an awl and pierce it through his ear lobe into a door, and he will be your slave for life. Do the same to a female slave ⌞if she doesn’t want to leave⌟. 18If you have to let your slave go free, it won’t be a hardship for you. It would have cost you twice as much to hire someone to do the same work for those six years. Besides, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
Read all of Deuteronomy 15Deuteronomy 15:16 word by word
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־יֹאמַ֣ר אֵלֶ֔יךָ לֹ֥א אֵצֵ֖א מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֤י אֲהֵֽבְךָ֙ וְאֶת־בֵּיתֶ֔ךָ כִּי־ט֥וֹב ל֖וֹ עִמָּֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:16
- Exodus 21:5But if he makes this statement: ‘I hereby declare my love for my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to leave as a free man,’
- Psalms 40:6You were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings. You have dug out two ears for me. You did not ask for burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.
Commentaries on Deuteronomy 15:16
- 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. 16he loves you: In the setting of a covenant, this phrase describes a committed relationship. This relationship includes both faithfulness to promises and deep personal care.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 15:16
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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