SEV Biblia, Chapter 25:39
¶ Y cuando tu hermano empobreciere, estando contigo, y se vendiere a ti, no le harás servir como esclavo.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 39. And if thy brother [that dwelleth] by thee be waxen poor , etc.] The above laws and instructions seem designed to prevent such extreme poverty as obliged to what follows, namely, a brother being sold either to an Israelite or to a stranger, by relieving his wants or lending him money; but when these were insufficient to support him, and keep him from sinking into the lowest state of distress and misery, then he was obliged to be sold, as follows: and be sold unto thee ; either by himself, being ready to starve and perish, or by the sanhedrim, having stolen something, as Aben Ezra observes; in such a case the civil magistrate had a power of selling a man, ( Exodus 22:3); thou shall not compel him to serve as a bondservant ; such as were Heathens, and bought of them, or taken in war and made slaves of; but an Israelite sold was not to serve as they, either with respect to matter or manner, or time of service; such as were bondmen were put to the hardest service, the greatest drudgery, as well as what was mean and reproachful, and were used in the most rigorous and despotic manner, and were obliged to serve for ever, and were never released; but a brother, an Israelite, sold to another through extreme poverty, was not to be put to any low, mean, base, and disgraceful service, by which it would be known that he was a servant, as Jarchi notes; such as to carry his master’s vessels or instruments after him to the bath, or to unloose his shoes; but, as the same writer observes, he was to be employed in the business of the farm, or in some handicraft work, and was to be kindly and gently used, rather as a brother than a servant, and to be freed in the year of jubilee.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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, throug poverty, both his work and his usage must be such as were fitting for son of Abraham. Masters are required to give to their servants tha which is just and equal, Col 4:1. At the year of jubilee the servan should go out free, he and his children, and should return to his ow 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 __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
וכי 3588 ימוך 4134 אחיך 251 עמך 5973 ונמכר 4376 לך לא 3808 תעבד 5647 בו עבדת 5656 עבד׃ 5650
