Commentary - Leviticus 25:35-46

Bird's-eye view

This section of Leviticus 25 is a beautiful outworking of the second greatest commandment: love your neighbor as yourself. It is intensely practical, dealing with the nitty gritty of economic hardship within the covenant community. The principles laid out here are not some abstract ideal, but rather concrete commands that govern how Israelites were to treat their own brothers who had fallen on hard times. The entire system is rooted in the foundational reality of God's redemption. Because God brought them out of Egypt, they belong to Him, and this reality must shape all their dealings with one another. The law here distinguishes sharply between how an Israelite treats a fellow Israelite and how he may treat a foreigner, establishing a tiered system of ethical obligations based on covenant proximity. This isn't arbitrary; it's a reflection of the family nature of the covenant. The ultimate goal is the preservation of the family, the land, and the freedom that God had graciously given them.

The progression of poverty is outlined with corresponding levels of charitable obligation. It begins with simple support, moves to interest free loans, and culminates in a form of indentured servitude that is carefully distinguished from chattel slavery. Throughout, the dignity of the impoverished brother is protected. He is never to be treated as mere property, but always as a brother, a hired man, a sojourner. The Year of Jubilee looms over every transaction, acting as a great reset button, ensuring that no Israelite family could be permanently dispossessed or enslaved. This is a robust safety net, woven into the very fabric of their economic and social life, all pointing to the ultimate Jubilee we have in Christ, who frees us from the ultimate debt of sin.

Outline

Context In Leviticus

This passage sits within the larger section of Leviticus often called the Holiness Code (chapters 17-26). The central theme is found in Leviticus 19:2, "You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy." This holiness is not merely ceremonial or ritualistic; it has sharp, practical teeth that bite into every area of life, including economics, agriculture, and social relationships. Chapter 25 is the pinnacle of this section, detailing the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee. These laws were designed to be a constant reminder to Israel that the land belonged to God, and they were merely tenants and sojourners with Him. The economic laws in our text are a direct application of this Jubilee principle to personal finance and labor. They are God's gracious provision to prevent a permanent underclass from developing within the covenant community and to preserve the tribal allotments of land which were their inheritance from the Lord.

Key Issues

Commentary

35 ‘Now if a brother of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a sojourner or a foreign resident, that he may live with you.

The law begins with the fundamental unit of the covenant community: "a brother of yours." This is not an abstract economic principle for all humanity in general, but a specific command for how those in covenant with God are to treat one another. When a brother's hand falters, when he can no longer support himself, the responsibility falls to his kinsmen. The command is to "sustain him." The Hebrew word here means to strengthen, to uphold, to make firm. It's the image of grabbing hold of someone who is stumbling to keep them from falling flat on their face. Notice the comparison: you are to treat him as you would a sojourner or foreign resident. This is remarkable. The law elsewhere commands kindness to the sojourner, but here the Israelite brother is to be given at least that same level of care. He is not to be treated as an outcast because of his poverty. He is to "live with you," meaning he is to remain a functioning, integrated member of the community.

36 Do not take usurious interest from him, but fear your God, that your brother may live with you.

Here we have the first specific prohibition. When you provide this support, likely in the form of a loan, you are not to charge interest. The word for interest here, neshekh, literally means "a bite." Usury is like a venomous snakebite, injecting poison that slowly kills the borrower. The motive for this prohibition is not economic theory, but theology: "fear your God." Your economic practices are a direct reflection of your relationship with Yahweh. Do you see your brother's need as an opportunity for personal gain, or as an opportunity to demonstrate the fear of the Lord? The goal is restated: "that your brother may live with you." The point of the loan is not to make a profit, but to preserve your brother's life and his place in the covenant family.

37 You shall not give him your silver at interest nor your food for gain.

This verse clarifies and expands the previous one. The prohibition covers both money ("silver") and goods ("food"). You cannot get around the principle by simply loaning grain and demanding more grain in return. Any kind of loan intended to relieve poverty must be interest free. This is a radical concept in a world where the poor are routinely exploited through predatory lending. But in God's economy, the welfare of the brother takes precedence over the profit of the lender. This is a practical outworking of love for neighbor.

38 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.

And here is the foundation for the whole business. Why should they act this way? Because of who God is and what He has done. "I am Yahweh." He is the self existent, covenant keeping God. He is your God. And what did He do? He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. They were a nation of impoverished slaves, and He redeemed them by grace. He then gave them the land of Canaan as a gift. Their entire economic existence is a result of God's unmerited favor. Therefore, to turn around and enslave a brother through debt is a gross form of covenantal amnesia. It is to act like an Egyptian taskmaster. Their charity toward one another is to be a reflection of God's great charity toward them.

39 ‘If a brother of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service.

The law now addresses a more severe level of poverty. The man has no assets left and must sell the only thing he has: his own labor. He "sells himself to you." In our modern context, this sounds horrific, but we must understand it within its own framework. This was the final safety net. But even here, there are strict limitations. The central command is clear: "you shall not subject him to a slave's service." A clear distinction is being drawn. Whatever this arrangement is, it is not chattel slavery as practiced by the surrounding nations.

40 He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a foreign resident; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.

So, if he is not to be treated as a slave, how is he to be treated? "As a hired man." This is a relationship based on labor for wages (or in this case, for the cancellation of debt and for room and board), not on ownership of the person. He is a brother who is working off a debt. The comparison to a "foreign resident" again emphasizes that he is to be treated with dignity and respect. And crucially, this arrangement has a built in expiration date: "until the year of jubilee." This was not a life sentence. The Jubilee principle ensured that every fifty years, all such debts were cancelled and all such servants were freed.

41 He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his family, that he may return to the possession of the land of his fathers.

The release at the Jubilee is comprehensive. It's not just him, but "his sons with him." The cycle of poverty is not to be passed down through generations. He returns to his family, to his clan, and most importantly, "to the possession of the land of his fathers." The Jubilee restores the original economic order that God established when He gave them the land. It protects the family's inheritance and prevents the permanent accumulation of land and wealth in the hands of a few.

42 For they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in a slave sale.

Here is the theological reason for the distinction. Why can't an Israelite be made a permanent chattel slave? Because he already has a Master. All Israelites are "My slaves," God says. Yahweh owns them. He bought them with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm when He redeemed them from Egypt. Since they belong to God, no Israelite has the right to treat another Israelite as his absolute property. They cannot be sold "in a slave sale," like a piece of livestock. Their ultimate allegiance and ownership is to God alone.

43 You shall not have dominion over him with brutality, but you shall fear your God.

The manner of rule is also prescribed. There is to be no "brutality." The word implies a harsh, crushing, tyrannical rule. This is how the Egyptians treated them. To rule over a brother in this way is to forget the gospel of the Exodus. And again, the motivation is the "fear of your God." A man who fears God will be gentle with the brother who is under his authority, because he knows that he himself is under the authority of a much greater Master.

44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have, you may acquire male and female slaves from the nations that are around you.

Now the law turns to the question of foreigners. And here, the rules are different. The Mosaic law permitted, and regulated, the institution of chattel slavery for non Israelites. They could acquire slaves "from the nations that are around you." This is a stark contrast to the laws regarding their brothers, and it highlights the covenantal nature of these distinctions. The law did not abolish slavery as an institution in the ancient world, but it radically transformed it within the borders of Israel, especially concerning their own people.

45 And also you may acquire from the sons of the foreign residents who sojourn among you, from them and their families who are with you; as for those whom they have begotten in your land, they also may become your possession.

This expands the pool of potential slaves to include the children of foreigners living in the land of Israel. These individuals, who were not part of the covenant people, could be bought and owned as property. This is a difficult text for modern sensibilities, but it is important that we not read our own cultural assumptions back into the text. The Bible regulates slavery as a reality of the fallen world, while simultaneously planting the seeds of its ultimate destruction in the gospel of grace.

46 You may even give them as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not have dominion over one another with brutality.

Foreign slaves could be held permanently and could be passed down as part of an inheritance. This is the definition of chattel slavery. But immediately after stating this, the law pivots back to the central point and concludes with a powerful reiteration: "But in respect to your brothers... you shall not have dominion over one another with brutality." The contrast could not be sharper. Whatever the allowances for dealing with the nations, the family of God must operate on a different principle. Within the covenant, the law of love, dignity, and mutual respect must always prevail. The final word is a warning against the kind of harsh dominion that characterizes the fallen world, and a call to the kind of brotherhood that reflects the character of their redeeming God.

Application

So what do we do with this? We are not under the Mosaic civil code, but we are under the law of Christ, which is the fulfillment of all that the Mosaic law pointed to. The principles here are eternally relevant. First, we have a special obligation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. When a fellow believer falls on hard times, the church is the first line of defense. We are to sustain them, to uphold them, to do so without a predatory spirit, not seeking to profit from their misfortune. Our giving and our lending within the church should be characterized by a radical generosity that reflects the grace we have received.

Second, we must see all our economic activity in light of God's redemption. We were slaves to sin, and Christ paid the ultimate price to set us free. He is our Jubilee. Because we have been freed from the crushing debt of sin, we must not be people who crush others with financial or any other kind of debt. Our dealings should be marked by the fear of God, which means we treat people with dignity, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Finally, this passage teaches us to make careful distinctions. While we are to love all our neighbors, we have a particular and primary responsibility to the household of faith (Gal. 6:10). The world operates on principles of power and profit. We are called to operate on the principle of covenantal love. We must constantly fight against the temptation to treat our brothers in Christ as commodities or opportunities for gain, and instead see them as fellow slaves of the Lord Jesus, bought with His precious blood. To do otherwise is to forget the Exodus, and worse, to forget the cross.