Deuteronomy
Chapter 15
Law on the Forgiveness of Debts
Every seven years, you shall pardon debts.
You shall do this in the following manner: the creditor shall pardon any debt of his neighbor or brother and stop exacting it of him because the Lord’s pardon has been proclaimed.
You may demand that a foreigner repay his debts, but you shall pardon your brother’s debt.
However, you should have no poor in your midst, for the Lord will give you prosperity in the land you have conquered.
If you listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and obey all that he has commanded you, which I now remind you of, he will bless you as he promised.
You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall drive away many nations, and they shall not have dominion over you.
If there is anybody poor among your brothers, who live in your cities in the land that the Lord gives you, do not harden your heart or close your hand,
but be open-handed and lend him all that he needs.
Be careful not to harbor these perverse thoughts in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of pardon, is near,” so you look coldly at your poor brother and lend him nothing. He may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty.
When you give anything, give it willingly, and the Lord, your God, will bless you for this in all your work and all that you undertake.
The poor will not disappear from this land. Therefore, I give you this commandment: You must be open-handed to your brother, the needy, and the poor in your land.
Law on Slaves
If your fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you as a slave, he shall serve you for six years, and in the seventh, you shall set him free.
When you set him free, do not let him go empty-handed,
but give him something from your flock, from your store of wheat and wine, something from the good things that the Lord has blessed you with.
Remember that you, too, were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord, your God, has given you freedom. Because of this, I give you this commandment.
But if your slave says: “I do not want to leave,” because he loves you and your household and knows that he will be well off with you,
you shall then take an awl and thrust it through his ear into the door of your house, and he will serve you forever. You shall do likewise with your maidservant.
Do not think it hard on you to give him freedom because, for six years, you have gained twice as much from him as from a hired servant.
Consecration of the Firstborn
You shall consecrate to the Lord all the male firstlings born of your cattle or sheep. You shall not use the firstling of your cattle for work, nor shear the firstling of your sheep.
You shall eat them year after year in the presence of the Lord with all your family in the place the Lord has chosen.
You shall not sacrifice an animal to the Lord if it has any defect, if it is lame or blind,
but shall eat it in your house; the clean and the unclean may eat of it, as you would eat a gazelle or a deer.
Only take care that you do not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
Commentaries
Law on the Forgiveness of Debts.
This chapter is divided into three sections: the first covers the law regarding debt forgiveness (1-11), the second discusses the law on slaves (12-18), and the third relates to the law about the consecration of the firstborn males of animals (19-23).
Many scholars view verses 1-11 as one of the most revolutionary laws in the entire Old Testament. The forgiveness of debts may not be exclusive to Israel; it appears that whenever a new king took the throne in Mesopotamia, he would forgive his subjects’ debts to gain their favor. What is unique to Israel is the regulation that requires the Israelites to forgive debts among themselves every seventh year. This law, although originating in tribal times, reflects the social disparities of the monarchy period, when the gap between the rich and the poor widened. Its main goal is to prevent permanent poverty in Israel (4).
Law on Slaves.
This law also reminds us that we are not dealing with people who are about to “cross the Jordan,” but with individuals already settled in the Promised Land who have faced all kinds of injustices, including slavery.
Unfortunately, the Deuteronomist current (D) does not condemn slavery or the system that creates it, but it at least attempts to suggest something that, in part, seems fair to those who had to sell themselves into slavery. This was the most it could do at that point in history, and it might have been “good news” for the unfortunate slaves and “bad news” for the slaveholders. This law governs the relationship between masters and their slaves; although it reiterates Exodus 21:1-11, it expands the law by addressing slaves and female slaves separately. In both cases, the Lord’s call is one of generosity. The law also allows that a slave might not want to leave in the seventh year; in such cases, the master will mark him as property “forever.”
Slavery might not be a common form of production in any country today. However, aren’t the starvation wages and inhumane conditions that millions of men and women endure to make a living comparable to, or even worse than, those of a slave?
Consecration of the Firstborn.
Since ancient times, Israel, like many other peoples, recognized that everything belonged to the divine (cf. Ps 50:10f); therefore, they consistently practiced dedicating the first fruits of their crops and livestock to God. There was also a common tendency, shared by other nations, to offer the firstborn of the family to the Lord (cf. 2 Kgs 16:3). This passage does not mention the first fruits of the harvest or human firstborns. Only the firstborn of cattle is referenced because when the first male was consecrated, the entire flock was considered consecrated as well. The animal had to be perfect, as nothing faulty is offered to the Lord (21). The communal aspect of this offering, as a feast to be eaten in the presence of the Lord, is also emphasized (20). The text highlights God’s complete ownership of all creation, leaving no room for hoarding or depriving others of their rightful share. This passage can serve as a fitting conclusion to the laws regarding debt forgiveness and the release of slaves.