Deuteronomy 15:12

(12) If thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee. —This law is expressly referred to in Jeremiah 34:9 ; Jeremiah 34:13-14 , as given in the time of the Exodus, and as applicable both to men and women. It first appears in Exodus 21:2-11 , where it occupies the first section of the Sinaitic code. There is no need to suppose that anything enacted here is contradictory to the Law as given there; but there are certain peculiarities about the case of the female slave which create exceptions. (See below on Deuteronomy 15:17 .) Rashi notes two fresh points in the Law as given in Deuteronomy: one concerning the Hebrew woman (an Hebrew “or an Hebrewess”— Deuteronomy 15:12 ; Jeremiah 34:9 ) and another concerning the “furnishing” ( Deuteronomy 15:14 ). (12) In the seventh year.—This is to be understood of the Sabbatical year whenever it came. It would rarely happen that the Hebrew slave would serve for the full period of six years.

Verses 12-18. - From injunctions regarding the treatment of the poor and of debtors the transition is easy to the law concerning slaves, inasmuch as it was through the stress of poverty that any became such from among their brethren. The law, as here laid down, is the same as that in Exodus 21:2-6 , somewhat expanded; the most important addition being that the slave is not only to go free after six years of service, but is to be furnished by his master with the means of setting up a home for himself. The six years here specified are not to be confounded with the years ending at the sabbatical year; they are any six years during which the individual has been in bondage. Deuteronomy 15:12

If thy brother be sold unto thee. See Poole "Exodus 22:3" . Six years; to be computed, either, 1. From the year of release; as they gather from hence that personal and real debts were both released together. But that seems to be supposed rather than proved; nay, there is a manifest difference between them, for the release of real debts is expressly mentioned and required in the year of release, but so is not the release of the personal debt of servitude, either here or elsewhere. Or rather, 2. From the beginning of this servitude, which is every where limited unto the space of six years, as here and below, Deu 15:18 Exodus 21:2 Jeremiah 34:14 . And it seems a strange and forced exposition, to take these six years for so much of the six years as remains until the year of release, which possibly might not be one quarter of a year, whereas a hired servant serves for a far longer time, and this is said to be worth a double-hired servant , in regard of the longer time of his service, Deu 15:18 . Add to this, that it is mentioned as the peculiar privilege of the year of jubilee, that such servants were then freed, though their six years of service were not expired.

De 15:12-19. Hebrew Servants' Freedom. 12. 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 of jubilee, such slaves were emancipated even if their six years of service were not completed [see on [142]Le 25:39].

12 . thy brother ] See on Deuteronomy 15:2 . an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman ] E, Exodus 21:2 , an Hebrew slave . In O.T. Hebrew is used either when foreigners are speaking of Israelites, or in order to distinguish Israelites from foreigners. Here the Heb. gives only the adj. masc. and fem., Hebrew and Hebrewess , without adding man (so Jeremiah 34:9 ; Jeremiah 34:14 ; cp. Genesis 14:13 , Abram the Hebrew and Genesis 39:17 (J) the Hebrew slave ). The fuller phrase Hebrew man occurs in J and E ( Genesis 39:14 ; Exodus 2:11 ), also the plur. Hebrews ( Genesis 40:15 ; Exodus 2:6 ; Exodus 2:13 , etc.). Fem. sing. only here and Jeremiah 34:9 , plur. in E ( Exodus 1:15 , etc.). Not found in P. On the addition Hebrew woman , see Introd. § 3. be sold unto thee ] Leviticus 25:39 A.V.: but the vb. equally means sell himself . E, Exodus 21:2 , has if thou buy . and serve ] more probably he shall serve (cp. Exodus 21:2 ). in the seventh year thou shalt let him go ] send or dismiss him . Neither in E nor D is there any hint of this number being suggested by the weekly sabbath; this association first appears in H’s law of the seventh fallow year, Leviticus 25:2 ff. free ] the same adj. in Exodus 21:2 ; Exodus 21:5 , and elsewhere of freedom from slavery. 12–18.

The Year of Remission: (2) of Slaves If a Hebrew, man or woman, serves as a slave for six years, in the seventh he shall not only go free but be liberally equipped from his owner’s property; as Israel was a slave and redeemed by God ( Deuteronomy 15:12-15 ). If, however, the slave elects to remain with his owner because he loves him, then he shall be bound to his service for ever ( Deuteronomy 15:16 f.). Nor must his emancipation seem hard to the owner: six years’ profit from a slave is double the hire of a hireling ( Deuteronomy 15:18 ).—Sg. throughout. Whether there are any editorial additions is uncertain: the prevailing use of the masc. for slave seems to some to point to the phrase or an Hebrew woman ( Deuteronomy 15:12; Deuteronomy 15:17 b ) as such [Holzinger, Einleitung , 313, n . 1; cp. Steuern.). The corresponding law in E, Exodus 21:1-6 (see Driver’s notes), also directs the emancipation of a Hebrew bondman after six years’ service, does not mention bondwoman (for the slave-concubine he has a further law, Deuteronomy 15:7-11 ) but provides (as D does not) for the bondman’s wife: if he has entered service married he takes his wife out; if his master has given him a wife she and their children remain his master’s property; and to his love for his master E adds that for his wife and children as a motive for his electing to remain. The ceremony of binding him to the service is the same as in D with an addition (see on Deuteronomy 15:17 ).