Deuteronômio 15

ARC · Chapter 15/34

1Ao fim dos sete annos farás remissão.

2Este pois é o modo da remissão: que todo o credor, que emprestou ao seu proximo uma coisa, permittirá: não a exigirá do seu proximo ou do seu irmão, pois a remissão do Senhor é apregoada.

3Do estranho a exigirás; mas o que tiveres em poder de teu irmão a tua mão o permittirá:

4Sómente para que entre ti não haja pobre: pois o Senhor abundantemente te abençoará na terra que o Senhor teu Deus te dará por herança, para possuil-a.

5Se sómente ouvires diligentemente a voz do Senhor teu Deus para cuidares em fazer todos estes mandamentos que hoje te ordeno:

6Porque o Senhor teu Deus te abençoará, como te tem dito: assim, emprestarás a muitas nações, mas não tomarás emprestimos: e dominarás sobre muitas nações, mas ellas não dominarão sobre ti.

7Quando entre ti houver algum pobre de teus irmãos, em alguma das tuas portas, na tua terra que o Senhor teu Deus te dá, não endurecerás o teu coração, nem fecharás a tua mão a teu irmão que fôr pobre;

8Antes lhe abrirás de todo a tua mão, e livremente lhe emprestarás o que lhe falta, quanto baste para a sua necessidade.

9Guarda-te, que não haja palavra de Belial no teu coração, dizendo: Vae-se approximando o setimo anno, o anno da remissão: e que o teu olho seja maligno para com teu irmão pobre, e não lhe dês nada; e que elle clame contra ti ao Senhor, e que haja em ti peccado.

10Livremente lhe darás e que o teu coração não seja maligno, quando lhe déres: pois por esta causa te abençoará o Senhor teu Deus em toda a tua obra, e em tudo no que pozeres a tua mão.

11Pois nunca cessará o pobre do meio da terra: pelo que te ordeno, dizendo: Livremente abrirás a tua mão para o teu irmão, para o teu necessitado, e para o teu pobre na tua terra.

12Quando teu irmão hebreo ou irmã hebrea se vender a ti, seis annos te servirá, mas no setimo anno o despedirás forro de ti.

13E, quando o despedires de ti forro, não o despedirás vazio.

14Liberalmente o fornecerás do teu rebanho, e da tua eira, e do teu lagar: d'aquillo com que o Senhor teu Deus te tiver abençoado lhe darás.

15E lembrar-te-has de que foste servo na terra do Egypto, e de que o Senhor teu Deus te resgatou: pelo que te ordeno hoje esta coisa.

16Porém será que, dizendo-te elle: Não sairei de ti; porquanto te ama a ti e a tua casa, por estar bem comtigo;

17Então tomarás uma sovela, e lhe furarás a orelha, á porta, e teu servo será para sempre: e tambem assim farás á tua serva.

18Não seja aos teus olhos coisa dura, quando o despedires forro de ti; pois seis annos te serviu em dobro do salario do jornaleiro: assim o Senhor teu Deus te abençoará em tudo o que fizeres.

19Todo o primogenito que nascer entre as tuas vaccas e entre as tuas ovelhas, o macho sanctificarás ao Senhor teu Deus: com primogenito do teu boi não trabalharás, nem tosquiarás o primogenito das tuas ovelhas.

20Perante o Senhor teu Deus os comerás de anno em anno, no logar que o Senhor escolher, tu e a tua casa.

21Porém, havendo n'elle algum defeito, se fôr coxo, ou cego, ou tiver qualquer defeito, não o sacrificarás ao Senhor teu Deus.

22Nas tuas portas o comerás: o immundo e o limpo o comerão juntamente, como da corça ou do veado.

23Sómente o seu sangue não comerás: sobre a terra o derramarás como agua.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

God institutes the year of release every seven years, when debts between Israelites were to be forgiven and Hebrew slaves set free with generosity, along with instructions to lend open-heartedly to the poor without resentment over the approaching year of forgiveness.

Explanation

The year of debt release created an economic system that prevented perpetual indebtedness and permanent structural poverty, recognizing that adverse circumstances can bring anyone into temporary need, but that this condition should not become hereditary and hopeless. The specific warning against the selfish calculation of refusing loans near the seventh year ('and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother') shows that God cared not only about the legal structure of generosity but also about the inner attitude behind it. The promise that 'the poor shall never cease out of the land' honestly acknowledges that poverty would continue to exist even with these laws — the biblical solution was not to eliminate poverty structurally once and for all, but to establish continual, recurring generosity as a practical and permanent response.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'the poor shall never cease out of the land' (v. 11) is echoed by Jesus in Matthew 26:11 ('for ye have the poor always with you') during the anointing at Bethany, showing how deeply He knew and naturally quoted the texts of Deuteronomy.
  • The practice of piercing the ear of a servant who chose to remain voluntarily with his master beyond the required six years (v. 17) symbolized a perpetual and visible commitment, and curiously contrasts with Esau's selling of his birthright, showing different symbolic ways of formalizing agreements in ancient Hebrew culture.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Deuteronômio 15:1Every seven years there was a release: whoever had lent to a fellow Israelite had to forgive the debt. The idea was to keep poverty from becoming permanent, giving a periodic fresh start to anyone who had fallen into debt.
  2. Deuteronômio 15:2It explains the mechanism of the release: every debt between Israelites was to be forgiven, with no forced collection.
  3. Deuteronômio 15:3It draws a distinction: debts owed by foreigners could still be collected normally, but not those owed by fellow Israelites.
  4. Deuteronômio 15:4The promise behind the law is that, if followed closely, there would be no structural poverty among the people, because of God’s blessing on the land.
  5. Deuteronômio 15:5This absence of poverty is conditioned on carefully obeying all the commandments.
  6. Deuteronômio 15:6The promised blessing would even include economic prosperity over other nations: lending without needing to borrow.
  7. Deuteronômio 15:7If there was still a poor person among the people, the instruction was not to harden the heart or shut the hand against him.
  8. Deuteronômio 15:8It calls for active generosity: opening the hand and lending enough to meet the real need of the poor person.
  9. Deuteronômio 15:9It warns against a mean-spirited calculation: refusing help close to the year of release, out of fear of not getting the money back, would be counted as sin.
  10. Deuteronômio 15:10It asks that generosity come without resentment, because that generous attitude would also bring a blessing on one’s own work.
  11. Deuteronômio 15:11It realistically acknowledges that poverty would never disappear entirely, which is why the command to keep being generous always remains in force.
  12. Deuteronômio 15:12A Hebrew servant was freed after six years of service, and the owner still had to send him away with provisions, not empty-handed. If he preferred to stay because he loved the household, his ear was pierced at the door as a sign that he chose to stay forever, a custom common in the ancient world for marking that kind of commitment.
  13. Deuteronômio 15:13When freeing a Hebrew servant after six years, the law forbids sending him away empty-handed.
  14. Deuteronômio 15:14It requires the owner to furnish him generously from his own flock, threshing floor, and winepress — a share of the prosperity received from God.
  15. Deuteronômio 15:15The reason given once again is the memory of slavery in Egypt: whoever was freed by God must also free others generously.
  16. Deuteronômio 15:16It provides for the case of the servant who prefers to stay, because he loves the household and the owner’s family.
  17. Deuteronômio 15:17In that case, a simple ritual — piercing the ear at the door — marked the commitment to serve forever, a common practice at the time.
  18. Deuteronômio 15:18It asks that the owner not see the release as a loss, since six years of work were already worth double the normal wage of a hired hand.
  19. Deuteronômio 15:19Every firstborn male of the flock and herd was born already set apart for the LORD and could not be used for work or shorn: it was as if, from birth, part of the livestock already belonged to God before the owner made any decision.
  20. Deuteronômio 15:20It requires that the firstborn of the flock be eaten yearly before God, at the place He chose, by the whole family.
  21. Deuteronômio 15:21Important exception: an animal with a defect — lame, blind, or with any flaw — could not be offered as a sacrifice.
  22. Deuteronômio 15:22In that case of a defect, the animal could be eaten normally at home, by anyone, as ordinary meat.
  23. Deuteronômio 15:23Even in this exception, the rule about blood still applies: never eat it, always pour it out on the ground.

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