Deuteronomy 15:17
Then thou shalt take an aul, 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.
Deuteronomy 15:17 in other translations
| BSB | then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way. |
|---|---|
| WEB | then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. |
| ASV | 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 maid-servant thou shalt do likewise. |
| YLT | then thou hast taken the awl, and hast put it through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so. |
| DARBY | then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door; and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy handmaid thou shalt do likewise. |
| BBE | Then take a sharp-pointed instrument, driving it through his ear into the door, and he will be your servant for ever. And you may do the same for your servant-girl. |
| Webster | Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear into the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also to thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise. |
What does Deuteronomy 15:17 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Deuteronomy 15:16-17
16-17. if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee--If they declined to avail themselves of the privilege of release and chose to remain with their master, then by a peculiar form of ceremony they became a party to the transaction, voluntarily sold themselves to their employer, and continued in his service till death.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 15:12-18
Here the law concerning Hebrew servants is repeated. There is an addition, requiring the masters to put some small stock into their servants' hands to set up with for themselves, when sent out of their servitude, wherein they had received no wages. We may expect family blessings, the springs of family prosperity, when we make conscience of our duty to our family relations. We are to remember that we are debtors to…
Deuteronomy 15:17 in the original Hebrew
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Cross references for Deuteronomy 15:17
- 1 Samuel 1:22
But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever.
- Leviticus 25:39-42
And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile: And then shall he depart from thee, both 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.
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Le 25:39-42; 1Sa 1:22
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Deuteronomy 15:16
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;
- Deuteronomy 15:17
Then thou shalt take an aul, 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.
- Deuteronomy 15:18
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.
Deuteronomy 15:17 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Entonces tomarás una lesna, y horadarás su oreja junto á la puerta, y será tu siervo para siempre: así también harás á tu criada. |
|---|---|
| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | alors tu prendras un poinçon et tu lui en perceras l’oreille contre la porte, et il sera ton serviteur pour toujours; et tu feras aussi de même avec ta servante. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | so sollst du eine Pfrieme nehmen und sie durch sein Ohr in die Tür stechen, und er wird dein Knecht sein für immer; und auch deiner Magd sollst du also tun. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | assumes subulam, et perforabis aurem ejus in janua domus tuæ, et serviet tibi usque in æternum. Ancillæ quoque similiter facies. |