Leviticus 25 · Verse 39

Leviticus 25:39

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:
Leviticus 25:39, King James Version

Leviticus 25:39 in other translations

BSBIf a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.
WEB“‘If your brother has grown poor among you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him to serve as a slave.
ASVAnd if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bondservant.
YLT‘And when thy brother becometh poor with thee, and he hath been sold to thee, thou dost not lay on him servile service;
DARBYAnd if thy brother grow poor beside thee, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:
BBEAnd if your brother becomes poor and gives himself to you for money, do not make use of him like a servant who is your property;
WebsterAnd if thy brother that dwelleth by thee shall have become poor, and be sold to thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond servant:

What does Leviticus 25:39 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Leviticus 25:39-46
39-46. if thy brother ... be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond-servant--An Israelite might be compelled, through misfortune, not only to mortgage his inheritance, but himself. In the event of his being reduced to this distress, he was to be treated not as a slave, but a hired servant whose engagement was temporary, and who might, through the friendly aid of a relative, be redeemed at any time before the Jubilee. The ransom money was determined on a most equitable principle. Taking account of the number of years from the proposal to redeem and the Jubilee, of the current wages of labor for that time, and multiplying the remaining years by that sum, the amount was to be paid to the master for his redemption. But if no such friendly interposition was made for a Hebrew slave, he continued in servitude till the year of Jubilee, when, as a matter of course, he regained his liberty, as well as his inheritance. Viewed in the various aspects in which it is presented in this chapter, the Jubilee was an admirable institution, and subservient in an eminent degree to uphold the interests of religion, social order, and freedom among the Israelites.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Leviticus 25:39-55
A native Israelite, if sold for debt, or for a crime, was to serve but six years, and to go out the seventh. If he sold himself, through poverty, both his work and his usage must be such as were fitting for a son of Abraham. Masters are required to give to their servants that which is just and equal, Col 4:1. At the year of jubilee the servant should go out free, he and his children, and should return to his own family. This typified redemption from the service of sin and Satan, by the grace of God in Christ, whose truth makes us free, Joh 8:32. We cannot ransom our fellow-sinners, but we may point out Christ to them; while by his grace our lives may adorn his gospel, express our love, show our gratitude, and glorify his holy name.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Leviticus 25:39 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.

וְכִֽי\־ve.khi-and ifH3588
יָמ֥וּךְya.Mukhhe will become impoverishedH4134
אָחִ֛יךָ'a.Chi.khabrother yourH251
עִמָּ֖ךְ'i.Makhwith youH5973
וְנִמְכַּר\־ve.nim.kar-and he will sell himselfH4376
לָ֑ךְLakhto <the> you
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
תַעֲבֹ֥דta.'a.Vodyou will laborH5647
בּ֖וֹboby <the> him
עֲבֹ֥דַת'a.Vo.dat[the] labor ofH5656
עָֽבֶד\׃'A.veda slaveH5650

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Leviticus 25:39

  • Exodus 21:2

    If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

  • 1 Kings 9:22

    But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen.

  • Leviticus 25:46

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

  • Nehemiah 5:5

    Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

  • 2 Kings 4:1

    Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

  • Exodus 22:3

    If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.

  • Jeremiah 30:8

    For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him:

  • Jeremiah 27:7

    And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.

  • Jeremiah 25:14

    For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also: and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.

  • Jeremiah 34:14

    At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.

  • Exodus 1:14

    And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.

  • Deuteronomy 15:12-14

    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. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
be sold.
Ex 21:2; 22:3; De 15:12; 1Ki 9:22; 2Ki 4:1; Ne 5:5; Jer 34:14
compel him to serve as. Heb. serve thyself with him withthe service of, etc.
46; *marg:
Ex 1:14; Jer 25:14; 27:7; 30:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Leviticus 25:38

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

  • Leviticus 25:39

    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:

  • Leviticus 25:40

    But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

Read all of Leviticus 25

Leviticus 25:39 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y cuando tu hermano empobreciere, estando contigo, y se vendiere á ti, no le harás servir como siervo:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et si ton frère est devenu pauvre à côté de toi, et qu’il se vende à toi, tu ne lui feras pas faire un service d’esclave;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und wenn dein Bruder bei dir verarmt und sich dir verkauft, so sollst du ihn nicht Sklavendienst tun lassen; wie ein Tagelöhner,
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Si paupertate compulsus vendiderit se tibi frater tuus, non eum opprimes servitute famulorum,