Matthew Poole and continuators on Deuteronomy 15

1 AT the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.

(i. e.) In the last year of the seven, as is most evident from ver. 9. Exod. 21. 2. Ier. 34. 14. So the like phrase is oft used, as Deut. 14. 28. Ios. 3. 2. Ier. 25. 12. Luk. 2. 21. Act. 2. 1. And this year of release, as it is called below ver. 9. is the same with the Sabbatical year, Exod. 23. 11. Levit. 25. 4.

Marginal references: Lev. 25. 2. 4.

2 And this is the manner of the release. Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour, shall release it : he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother , because it is called the LORDS release .

Not absolutely and finally forgive it, but forbear it for that year, as may appear, 1. because the word doth not signifie a total dismission or acquitting, but an intermission for a time, as Exod. 23. 11. He shall not exact it, as it here follows, i. e. force it from him by course of Law or otherwise, to wit, that year, which is easily understood out of the whole context. 2. Because the person releasing is called a creditor, and his communicating to him what he desires and needs is called lending here and ver. 8. whereas it were giving, and the person giving it were no creditor but a donor, if it were to be wholly forgiven to him. [illegible: 1+ letters]3. Because the reason of this Law is temporary and peculiar to that year, wherein there being no sowing, nor reaping, they were not in a capacity to pay their debts. 4. Because it seems unjust and unreasonable, and contrary to other Scriptures, which require men to pay what they borrow, as Ps. 37. 21. Yet I deny not that in case of poverty the debt was to be forgiven, but that was not by vertue of this law, but of other commands, of God.

This is added to explain and limit the word neighbour, which is more general unto a brother, to wit, in Nation and Religion, to an Israelite, who is opposed to a forreigner, ver. 3. Heb. and a brother, for that is a brother, the particle and being oft so used, as Gen. 13. 15. &c.

Or. a release to or for the Lord, in obedience to his command, for his honour, and as an acknowledgment of his right in your estates and of his kindness in giving and continuing them to you. If you are unwilling to release this for your brothers sake, yet do it for Gods sake your Lord and the chief creditor.

Marginal references: Heb. master of the lendings of his hand.

3 Of a forreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother, thine hand shall release.

Or stranger, yea though a proselyte, for 1. They are oft called by this name, as Gen. 17. 12. Ruth 2. 10. 2. Though proselytes were admitted to the Church-priviledges of the Israelites, yet they were not admitted to all their civil immunities or priviledges. See 1 Chron. 22. 2. and 2 Chron. 2. 17. 3. Such were not then freed from their personal debt, to wit, of their service, Levit. 25. 44. Deut. 15. 12. Ier. 34. 14. therefore not from their real debt.

To wit, by right though lent to him.

4 Save when there shall be no poor among you : for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:

So the words are an exception to the foregoing clause, which they restrain to the poor, and imply that if his brother was rich, he might exact his debt of him, in that year. And indeed this Law seems to be chiefly if not wholly designed and given in favour to the poor and to the borrower, as is manifest from ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. But the words are and may be rendred thus, as in the margent of our Bibles, To the end that there be no poor among you. And so they contain a reason of this Law, to wit, that none be impoverished and ruined by a rigid and unseasonable exaction of debts. They may also be translated thus, Nevertheless of a truth or, assuredly (as the particle chi is oft used) there shall be no poor among you, and the sense may be this, Though I impose this Law upon you, which may seem hard and grievous, yet the truth is, supposing your performance of the conditions of Gods Covenant, you shall not have any great occasion to exercise your charity and kindness in this matter, for God will greatly bless you, &c. so as you shall be in a capacity of lending, and few or none of you will have any need to borrow and thereby to expose his brethren to the inconvenience and burden of this Law. Thus the connexion is plain and easie both with the foregoing and following words. Object. It is said, the poor should never cease, ver. 11. Answ. That also is true and affirmed by God, because he foresaw they would not perform their duty, and therefore would bereave themselves of the promised blessing.

And therefore this will be no great inconvenience nor burden to thee.

Marginal references: Or, to the end that there be no poor among you.

6 For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee, and thou shalt lend unto many nations , but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

Thou shalt be rich and able to lend not onely to thy poor brother, but even to strangers of other nations, yea to many of them.

Marginal references: chap. 28. 12, 44.

8 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him , and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.

(i. e.) Deal bountifully and liberally with him, giving him as it were by handfuls.

Marginal references: Mat. 5. 42. Luk. 6. 34, 3[illegible: 1+ letters].

9 Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart , saying, The seventh year, the year of release is at hand, and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee.

Suppress the first risings and inward motions of such uncharitableness.

(i. e.) Envious, unmerciful, unkind, as this phrase is used Prov. 23. 6. Matth. 20. 15. as a good eye notes the contrary disposition, Prov. 22. 9.

(i. e.) It be charged upon thee as a sin, and as a great sin, as the word sin sometimes signifies, as Prov. 24. 9. Iohn 15. 24. Iam. 4. 17.

Marginal references: Heb. word.; Heb. Be[illegible: 1+ letters].

10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him : because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto .

(i. e.) Thou shalt give not onely with an open hand, but with a willing and chearful mind and heart, Rom. 12. 8. 2. Cor. 9. 7. without which thy very charity is uncharitable and not accepted by God, who requires the heart in all his services.

(i. e.) In all thy works, as before, for the hand is the great instrument of action.

11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land : therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy in the land.

God by his providence will so order it, partly for the punishment of your disobedience, and partly for the trial and exercise of your obedience to me and charity to your brother, both which are best discovered by your performance of costly duties.

Marginal references: Mat. [illegible: 1+ letters]. [illegible: 1 word] Joh. 12. [illegible: 1+ letters].

12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman be sold unto thee , and serve thee six years , then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

See on Exod. 22. 3.

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 expresly 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 ver. 18. and Exod, 21. 2. Ier. 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 an 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, ver. 18. Adde to this, that it is mentioned as the peculiar priviledge of the year of Jubilee, that such servants were then freed though their six years of service were not expired.

Marginal references: Exod. [illegible: 1 word] Jer. 34. [illegible: 1 word]

15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee : therefore I command thee this thing to day.

And brought thee out with triumph and with riches, which because they would not, God did, give to thee as a just recompence for thy service, and therefore thou shalt sollow his example, and send out thy servant furnished with all convenient provisions.

16 And it shall be if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee (because he loveth thee, and thine house, because he is well with thee) .

Because he is sensible that he fares well with thee. Or, because it is good, i. e. acceptable in his eyes or pleasing to him, to be with thee.

17 Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever : and also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise .

(i. e.) All the time of his Life, or, at least, till the year of Jubile. See on Exod. 21. 6.

(i. e.) Either dismiss her honourably and with plenty of provision: or engage her to perpetual servitude in the same manner and by the same Rites. Whence it appears, that this case differs from that Exod. 21. 7. and that the maid-servant there was taken in upon other and better terms than this here.

Marginal references: Exod. 21. 6.

18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee: for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee , in serving thee six years, and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

Or, he deserves double wages to an hired servant, because he served thee upon better terms, both without wages, which hired servants require, and for a longer time, even for six years, as it here follows, whereas servants were ordinarily hired but from year to year, Levit. 25. 53. or at most but for three years, as they gather from this place and Isa. 16. 14.

Marginal references: See Isa. 16. 14.

19 All the firstling males that come of thy herd, and of thy flock, thou shalt sanctifie unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

This is meant, either 1. Of the male firstlings; which, they say, is forbidden here, because some did plow with the firstlings of their Oxen, and shear the firstlings of their sheep before they were offered. But this seems absurd and incredible, because they were to be offered upon the eighth day, Exod. 22. 30. when they were very unfit for such uses. Or rather 2. The second firstlings, of which see on Deut. 12. 17.

Marginal references: Exod. 34. 19. [illegible: 1+ letters]ev. 27. 26. Num. 3. 13.

20 Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year , in the place which the LORD shall chuse, thou and thy houshold.

Either 1. Thou, O Priest. Or rather 2. Thou, O Israelite▪ for it is evident that the same person who was forbidden to work with these, verse 19. is here commanded to eat them, &c.

Together with the Levites, as is to be understood from Deut. 12. 18. and 14. 27, 29. where that is expressed in like cases.

To wit, in the solemn feasts which returned upon them every year. See Deut. 16. 11, 14.