Deuteronomy 15:12

12 When thy brother, an Hebrew man, either an Hebrew woman, is sold to thee, and hath served thee six years, in the seventh year thou shalt deliver him free (in the seventh year thou shalt set them free).

Deuteronomy 15:12 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 15:12

And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold
unto thee
By others, as by the sanhedrim for theft, for which a man might be sold, but not a woman, as Jarchi observes; but then a father might sell his daughter for an handmaid, if little and under age; and to such cases this law is supposed to refer; see ( Exodus 21:2 Exodus 21:7 ) ( 22:3 ) though a man on account of poverty might sell himself:

and serve thee six years;
as he was bound to do, if his master lived so long; if he died before the six years were out, he was obliged to serve his son, but not his daughter, nor his brother, nor his heirs, as the Jewish writers affirm ^F7: then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee; that is, at the end of the sixth, and beginning of the seventh year; see ( Exodus 21:2 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Kiddushin. c. 1. sect. 2.

Deuteronomy 15:12 In-Context

10 But thou shalt give to him, and thou shalt not do anything falsely in relieving his needs, that thy Lord God bless thee in all time, and in all things to which thou shalt put to thine hand. (But thou shalt give to him, and thou shalt not do anything falsely when relieving his need, so that the Lord thy God shall bless thee for all time, and in all the things to which thou shalt put thy hand.)

11 Poor men shall not fail (to be) in the land of thy dwelling; therefore I command to thee, that thou open thy hand to thy brother needy (and) poor, that live with thee in the land. (There shall always be poor people in the land of thy dwelling; and so I command thee, that thou open thy hands to thy brothers and sisters who be needy and poor, who live with thee in the land.)

12 When thy brother, an Hebrew man, either an Hebrew woman, is sold to thee, and hath served thee six years, in the seventh year thou shalt deliver him free (in the seventh year thou shalt set them free).

13 And thou shalt not suffer him (to) go away from thee void, to whom thou hast given freedom; (And when thou shalt set them free, thou shalt not allow them to go away empty-handed from thee;)

14 but thou shalt give him lifelode in the way, of thy flocks, and of thy cornfloor, and of thy presser, in which thy Lord God hath blessed thee. (but thou shalt give them sustenance for the way, out of thy flocks, and from thy threshing floor, and thy winepress, yea, out of all in which the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.)