What does it mean when it says, "if thy brother be waxen poor"?

When the passage says, "if thy brother be waxen poor," it is talking about a fellow Israelite who has fallen into hard times. His money, work, or land has failed, and he can no longer support himself. The picture is of someone whose strength or “hand” is shaking and who must reach out for help. God commands His people not to ignore this, but to step in and support him so that he can keep living among them. This care is to be given freely, with no interest or extra charge added to make his situation worse.

Why does God forbid taking usury or increase from a poor brother here?

God forbids taking usury or increase, meaning interest or profit, from a poor brother because it would take advantage of someone who is already struggling. Instead of turning his trouble into a way to gain more money, God’s people are told to “fear thy God” and remember how God rescued them from Egypt. They were once helpless slaves, and God helped them without charging them. In the same way, they must lend to the poor in a way that truly helps, so that “thy brother may live with thee,” not sink deeper into debt.

What is the difference between a hired servant and a bondservant in this passage?

In this passage, a hired servant is someone who works for wages for a set time and keeps a basic sense of freedom and dignity. A bondservant is someone under stronger ownership, more like a slave. When an Israelite became so poor that he sold himself, God said he must not be treated as a bondservant but as a hired servant and a sojourner. His service was to be temporary, ending in the year of jubilee. This shows God’s care that His people, whom He freed from Egypt, are not pressed down in harsh, endless slavery.

What is the year of jubile and how does it affect servants here?

The year of jubilee is a special fiftieth year in Israel’s calendar when land returns to its original family and people who had sold themselves are set free. In this passage, if a poor Israelite sold himself to his brother, he was to serve only until the jubilee. Then he and his children were to go out together and return to their own family and ancestral land. This stopped poverty from becoming a permanent trap. It reminded everyone that God owns the land and the people, and that His purpose for them is freedom, not endless bondage.

What does it teach when God says, "For they are my servants"?

When God says, "For they are my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt," He is saying that the Israelites belong first to Him, not to any human master. He bought them, in a sense, when He freed them from slavery in Egypt. Because of that, no one among them has the right to claim a fellow Israelite as a permanent slave. Any service must be limited and humane. Treating a brother harshly would be an attack on God’s own claim over that person. This reminds masters that they answer to God for how they use their power.

Why does this passage allow buying bondmen and bondmaids from other nations?

The passage says that bondmen and bondmaids could be taken from the nations around Israel and from the children of foreigners living in the land. These servants could be kept longer and even passed down as an inheritance. This shows there was a difference in how Israelites and non-Israelites were treated in the laws of that time. Still, this did not give Israel permission to be cruel. Elsewhere the same chapter speaks against ruling with harshness. The special limits placed on enslaving Israelites highlight God’s rescue of His people and mark them out as having a different, protected status.

What does "thou shalt not rule over him with rigour" mean here?

“Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour” means that an Israelite who has become a servant must not be driven, threatened, or crushed as a harsh slave. God points back to Egypt, where Israel was treated with bitterness and heavy labor, and tells His people not to copy that. A brother is to be treated more like a hired worker than a captive. There should be restraint, patience, and basic respect. The fear of God is meant to check the natural tendency to use power harshly, reminding masters that God sees and will judge their treatment of others.

How does this passage show God’s concern for the poor and the weak?

This passage shows God’s concern in several ways. He commands His people to support a brother whose “hand” has failed, even if that person is a stranger or a guest living among them. He forbids interest on loans to the poor so they are not squeezed even more. If poverty forces someone to sell himself, God limits the time and insists he be treated as a hired worker, not crushed as a slave. The year of jubilee lets families go back to their land. Behind all this, God reminds them that He is their God who set them free.

How can a modern reader apply the teaching of this passage today?

A modern reader can see that God cares deeply about how we treat people who are poor, in debt, or under our authority. While these exact laws were given to Israel in a certain time, the heart behind them still speaks. We should help those in financial trouble without looking for ways to profit from their pain. Employers and leaders should not use harsh or threatening methods, but remember that people ultimately belong to God. Remembering how God has helped us should move us to mercy, fairness, and patience toward others who are struggling.

Lev.25.35

Leviticus 25:35

KJV GOD

¶ And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

Redemption of the Poor

Of Poor Countrymen

35 ¶ And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

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.

¶ 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.

Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.

Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.

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.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.