Leviticus 25:35-55

TREATMENT OF THE POOR 25:35-55
TEXT 25:35-55

35

And if thy brother be waxed poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee.

36

Take thou no interest of him or increase, but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

37

Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase.

38

I am Jehovah your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

39

And if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant.

40

As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee:

41

then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

42

For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

43

Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.

44

And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou shalt have; of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

45

Moreover of the children of the strangers that sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land: and they shall be your possession.

46

And ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigor.

47

And if a stranger or sojourner with thee be waxed rich, and thy brother be waxed poor beside him, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner with thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family;

48

after that he is sold he may be redeemed: one of his brethren may redeem him;

49

or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be waxed rich, he may redeem himself.

50

And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him.

51

If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

52

And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption.

53

As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight.

54

And if he be not redeemed by these means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him.

55

For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 25:35-55

612.

A special type of poverty seems to be described in Leviticus 25:35. What is it? What is to be done?

613.

What does the fear of God have to do with offering free board and room to our neighbor?

614.

What is meant by the phrase, ... nor give him thy victuals for increase?

615.

God used His deliverance of Israel as a motivation for kindness and hospitality. How so?

616.

Selling of one's self into slavery is one thing not discussed in Leviticus 25:39. What is discussed?

617.

What circumstances could cause such a condition as that described in Leviticus 25:39-40?

618.

Why insist that the servants and family return at the year of Jubilee? Cf. Leviticus 25:42.

619.

If a master did rule over his servants with rigor what would happen to him?

620.

Does God approve of slavery in Leviticus 25:44 through 46? Discuss. (Notice the careful regulations for the continuance of this practice.)

621.

Could we infer from Leviticus 25:46 that Israel was permitted to rule over their slaves with rigor?

622.

What good would money be to a slave? i.e. if an Israelite sold himself to a stranger or sojourner, what would he do with the money?

623.

Why identify the possible redeemers as in Leviticus 25:49?

624.

Once again the year of Jubilee controls the redemption. Explain.

625.

Did the owner of the Hebrew slave have the right of life and death over him? Discuss. Cf. Leviticus 25:53.

626.

There was no perpetual slavery among the Hebrews, but they could perpetually own slaves. Is this right? Discuss.

627.

How does deliverance from Egyptian bondage relate to this section?

PARAPHRASE 25:35-55

If your brother becomes poor, you are responsible to help him; invite him to live with you as a guest in your home. Fear your God and let your brother live with you; and don-'t charge him interest on the money you lend him. Rememberno interest; and give him what he needs, at your cost: don-'t try to make a profit! For I, the Lord your God, brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. If a fellow Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, you must not treat him as an ordinary slave, but rather as a hired servant or as a guest; and he shall serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. At that time he can leave with his children, and return to his own family and possessions. For I brought you from the land of Egypt, and you are My servants; so you may not be sold as ordinary slaves, or treated harshly; fear your God. However, you may purchase slaves from the foreign nations living around you, and you may purchase the children of the foreigners living among you, even though they have been born in your land. They will be permanent slaves for you to pass on to your children after you; but your brothers, the people of Israel, shall not be treated so. If a foreigner living among you becomes rich, and an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to the foreigner or to the foreigner's family, he may be redeemed by one of his brothers, his uncle, nephew, or anyone else who is a near relative. He may also redeem himself if he can find the money. The price of his freedom shall be in proportion to the number of years left before the Year of Jubileewhatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. If there are still many years until the Jubilee, he shall pay almost the amount he received when he sold himself; if the years have passed and only a few remain until the Jubilee, then he will repay only a small part of the amount he received when he sold himself. If he sells himself to a foreigner, the foreigner must treat him as a hired servant rather than as a slave or as property. If he has not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then he and his children shall be freed at that time. For the people of Israel are My servants; I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.

COMMENT 25:35-55

Leviticus 25:35-55 Again we are indebted to S. H. Kellogg for a splendid exposition of these verses:

The relation of the jubilee law to personal rights in the land having been thus determined and expounded, in the next place (Leviticus 25:35-55) is considered the application of the law to slavery. Quite naturally, this section begins (Leviticus 25:35-37) with a general injunction to assist and deal mercifully with any brother who has become poor. If thy brother be waxen poor, and his hand fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger and a sojourner shall he live with thee. Take thou no usury of him or increase; but fear thy God: that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give thy money upon usury, nor give him thy victuals for increase.

The evident object of this law is to prevent, as far as possible, that extreme of poverty which might compel a man to sell himself in order to live. Debt is a burden in any case, to a poor man especially; but debt is the heavier burden when to the original debt is added the constant payment of interest. Hence, not merely usury in the modern sense of excessive interest, but it is forbidden to claim or take any interest whatever from any Hebrew debtor. On the same principle, it is forbidden to take increase for food which may be lent to a poor brother; as when one lets a man have twenty bushels of wheat on condition that in due time he shall return for it twenty-two. This command is enforced (Leviticus 25:38) by reminding them from whom they have received what they have, and on what easy terms, as a gift; from their covenant God, who is Himself their security that by so doing they shall not lose: I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God. They need not therefore have recourse to the exaction of interest and increase from their poor brethren in order to make a living, but are to be merciful, even as Jehovah their God is merciful.

Even with the burdensomeness of debt lightened as above, it was yet possible that a man might be reduced to poverty so extreme that he should feel compelled to sell himself as a slave. Hence arises the question of slavery, and its relation to the law of the jubilee. Under this head two cases were possible: the first, where a man has sold himself to a fellow-Hebrew (Leviticus 25:39-46): and second, where a man had sold himself to a foreigner resident in the land (Leviticus 25:47-55).

With the Hebrews and all the neighboring peoples, slavery was, and had been from of old, a settled institution. Regarded simply as an abstract question of morals, it might seem as if the Lord might once for all have abolished it by an absolute prohibition; after the manner in which many modern reformers would deal with such evils as the liquor traffic, etc. But the Lord was wiser than many such. As had been remarked already, in connection with the question of concubinage, that law is not in every case the best which may be the best intrinsically and ideally. That law is the best which can be best enforced in the actual moral status of the people, and consequent condition of public opinion. So the Lord did not at once prohibit slavery; but He ordained laws which would restrict it, and modify and ameliorate the condition of the slave wherever slavery was permitted to exist; laws, moreover, which have had such an educational power as to have banished slavery from the Hebrew people.

In the first place, slavery, in the unqualified sense of the word, is allowed only in the case of non-Israelites. That it was permitted to hold these as bondmen is explicitly declared (Leviticus 25:44-46). It is, however, important, in order to form a correct idea of Hebrew slavery, to observe that, according to Exodus 21:16, man-stealing was made a capital offence; and the law also carefully guarded from violence and tyranny on the part of the master the non-Israelite slave lawfully gotten, even decreeing his emancipation from his master in extreme cases of this kind (Exodus 21:20-21; Exodus 21:26-27).

With regard to the Hebrew bondman, the law recognizes no property of the master in his person; that a servant of Jehovah should be a slave of another servant of Jehovah is denied; because they are His servants, no other can own them (Leviticus 25:42; Leviticus 25:55). Thus, while the case is supposed (Leviticus 25:39) that a man through stress of poverty may sell himself to a fellow-Hebrew as a bondservant, the sale is held as affecting only the master's right to his service, but not to his person. Thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant: as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee.

Further, it is elsewhere provided (Exodus 21:2) that in no case shall such sale hold valid for a longer time than six years; in the seventh year the man was to have the privilege of going out free for nothing. And in this chapter is added a further alleviation of the bondage (Leviticus 25:40-41): He shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee: then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return. For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

That is, if it so happened that before the six years of his prescribed service had been completed the jubilee year came in, he was to be exempted from the obligation to service for the remainder of that period.

The remaining verses of this part of the law (Leviticus 25:44-46) provide that the Israelite may take to himself bondmen of the children of the strangers that sojourn among them; and that to such the law of the periodic release shall not be held to apply. Such are bondmen for ever. Ye shall make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession; of them shall ye take your bondmen for ever.

It is to be borne in mind that even in such cases the law which commanded the kind treatment of all the strangers in the land (Leviticus 19:33-34) would apply; so that even where permanent slavery was allowed it was placed under humanising restriction.

In Leviticus 25:47-55 is taken up, finally, the case where a poor Israelite should have sold himself as a slave to a foreigner resident in the land. In all such cases it is ordered that the owner of the man must recognize the right of redemption. That is, it was the privilege of the man himself, or of any of his near kindred, to buy him out of bondage. Compensation to the owner is, however, enjoined in such cases according to the number of the years remaining to the next jubilee, at which time he would be obliged to release him (Leviticus 25:54), whether redeemed or not. Thus we read (Leviticus 25:50-52): He shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of an hired servant shall he be with him. If there be yet many years, according unto them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him.

Furthermore, it is commanded (Leviticus 25:53) that the owner of the Israelite, for so long time as he may remain in bondage, shall not rule over him with rigour; and by the addition of the words in thy sight it is intimated that God would hold the collective nation responsible for seeing that no oppression was exercised by any alien over any of their enslaved brethren. To which it should also be added, finally, that the regulations for the release of the slave carefully provided for the maintenance of the family relation. Families were not to be parted in the emancipation of the jubilee; the man who went out free was to take his children with him (Leviticus 25:41; Leviticus 25:54). In the case, however, where the wife had been given him by his master, she and her children remained in bondage after his emancipation in the seventh year; but of course only until she had reached her seventh year of service. But if the slave already had his wife when he became a slave, then she and their children went out with him in the seventh year (Exodus 21:3-4). The contrast in the spirit of these laws with that of the institution of slavery as it formerly existed in The Southern States of America, and elsewhere in Christendom, is obvious.

These, then, were the regulations connected with the application of the ordinance of the jubilee year to rights of property, whether in real estate or in slaves. In respect to the cessation from the cultivation of the soil which was enjoined for the year, the law was essentially the same as that for the sabbatic year, except that, apparently, the right of property in the spontaneous produce of the land, which was in abeyance in the former case, was in so far recognized in the latter that each man was allowed to eat the increase of the jubilee year out of the field (Leviticus 25:12).

FACT QUESTIONS 25:35-55

623.

What is the total subject of Leviticus 25:35-55? What is the subject of Leviticus 25:35-37?

624.

What was the purpose of the provision of the law in Leviticus 25:35-37?

625.

Why no interest at all upon what is given to a poor brother? What is meant by increase as in Leviticus 25:36-37?

626.

Israel had been charged no interest by God on the gifts they received from Him. When? Where? What is the principle?

627.

Two cases of slavery are to be considered. What are they?

628.

Why not pass a law to forbid slavery? How was slavery banished from the Hebrew people?

629.

Show how Exodus 21:16; Exodus 21:20-21; Exodus 21:26-27 relate to slavery.

630.

When one Hebrew sold himself to another Hebrew he was yet not the property of his master. Explain why.

631.

For how long would a Hebrew be held as a slave? i.e., what was the total time of his slavery? Cf. Exodus 21:2.

632.

There were exceptional cases when even this time was shortened. Explain.

633.

When was permanent human slavery allowed? What were the restrictions on it?