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

10Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need. “If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free. 13“When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. 14Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 15:12 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• if thy brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
• an Hebrew manעִבְרִי‛ibrîy · HebrewH5680
• be soldמָכַרmâkar · to sellH4376
• unto thee, and serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
• thee sixשֵׁשׁshêsh shishshâh · sixH8337
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
• then in the seventhשְׁבִיעִיshebîy‛îy shebi‛îy · seventhH7637
• thou shalt let him goשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: let goH7971
• freeחׇפְשִׁיchophshîy · freeH2670

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 15:12

• Deuteronomy 15:1“At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money.
• Exodus 21:2“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom.
• Leviticus 25:39“If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and is forced to sell himself to you, do not treat him as a slave.
• Jeremiah 34:14I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But your ancestors paid no attention to me.
• John 8:35A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever.

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