What is happening in this passage about Hebrew servants being freed?

This passage describes how Israel was to treat poor Hebrew men and women who became servants, either because of debt or poverty. They could serve for six years, but in the seventh year the master had to let them go free. Their service was not meant to be a lifetime of forced slavery. God reminds the people that they themselves had once been slaves in Egypt and that He redeemed them. So they were to treat their own people with kindness, limits, and respect, not keep them under endless bondage.

What does it mean to let a servant go free in the seventh year?

Letting a servant go free in the seventh year meant that, after six full years of service, a Hebrew servant could no longer be kept as a bondservant. At the start of the seventh year the master had to release that person from obligation. The servant had worked those six years without normal wages, so the release was like canceling the remaining claim on their labor. This showed that God’s people were not to live as perpetual slaves, because they belonged first to God, who had freed them from Egypt.

Why did God command masters to give gifts when sending servants away?

God told masters not to send released servants away empty. Instead they were to give generously from their flock, grain, and wine, according to how God had blessed them. The servant had worked those years without pay, so this helped them start fresh and not be left helpless. God also reminds Israel that when He brought them out of Egypt, they did not leave empty, but with goods. Remembering how God treated them was meant to shape how they treated those who had served in their homes and fields.

What does it mean that the servant could choose to stay and have his ear pierced?

If, after six years, a servant truly loved his master and the master’s household, and felt he was well treated there, he could choose not to leave. In that case, an awl was used to pierce his ear at the door, marking his decision to remain a servant for life, or at least until the wider release God had set. This was not forced on him but based on his own words. It pictured a willing, lasting service that came from love and contentment, not from fear or pressure.

Why does God remind Israel that they were bondmen in Egypt?

God points back to Israel’s own story: they had been slaves in Egypt, worked hard, and were treated harshly. He Himself redeemed them and brought them out. Because of this, they were never to forget what it felt like to be under another’s power. Remembering their own suffering and God’s kindness was meant to soften their hearts toward their servants. Instead of being hard or greedy, they were to be generous and fair, acting toward others as God had acted toward them when He set them free.

What does it mean that the servant was worth a “double hired servant”?

The passage says the servant had been worth a double hired servant in serving six years. A hired worker was paid wages, usually for a shorter period, and could leave. A bondservant, by contrast, worked those six years without regular wages, so the master benefited more from his labor. This reminder was meant to quiet any complaint in the master’s heart about giving gifts at the servant’s release. The servant’s work had already brought good profit, so sending him away generously was both fair and kind.

What does this law show about God’s character and view of people?

This law shows that God cares about justice, mercy, and human dignity, even within a system of servanthood. He sets limits on how long a Hebrew could be kept in service, commands that freed servants be supplied with goods, and roots all this in His past rescue of Israel. He does not forget the poor who must sell themselves, nor does He ignore the master’s cost. He promises to bless those who obey, showing that generosity and obedience go together in His sight.

How can this passage about servants apply to believers today?

Today, most people are not in this kind of servanthood, but the heart of the passage still speaks. It calls us to remember what God has done for us and to treat those under our authority with kindness and fairness. Employers, landlords, and anyone who benefits from others’ work should not only be just but also generous, especially when someone moves on. It also warns against holding too tightly to what we gain from others, and instead to trust God to bless us when we obey and give freely.

Deut.15.12

Deuteronomy 15:12

KJV

¶ 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.

Hebrew Servants

¶ 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.

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 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;

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.

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.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.