Imamat 25:35-37

Debt and Slave Regulations

25:35 “‘If your brother ¹  becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, ²  you must support ³  him; he must live ⁴  with you like a foreign resident. ⁵  25:36 Do not take interest or profit from him, ⁶  but you must fear your God and your brother must live ⁷  with you. 25:37 You must not lend him your money at interest and you must not sell him food for profit. ⁸ 

Ulangan 15:7-11

The Spirit of Liberality

15:7 If a fellow Israelite ⁹  from one of your villages ¹⁰  in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive ¹¹  to his impoverished condition. ¹²  15:8 Instead, you must be sure to open your hand to him and generously lend ¹³  him whatever he needs. ¹⁴  15:9 Be careful lest you entertain the wicked thought that the seventh year, the year of cancellation of debts, has almost arrived, and your attitude ¹⁵  be wrong toward your impoverished fellow Israelite ¹⁶  and you do not lend ¹⁷  him anything; he will cry out to the Lord against you and you will be regarded as having sinned. ¹⁸  15:10 You must by all means lend ¹⁹  to him and not be upset by doing it, ²⁰  for because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you attempt. 15:11 There will never cease to be some poor people in the land; therefore, I am commanding you to make sure you open ²¹  your hand to your fellow Israelites ²²  who are needy and poor in your land.

[25:35]  ¹ tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so TEV; cf. NAB, NIV “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).

[25:35]  ² tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”

[25:35]  ³ tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”

[25:35]  ⁴ tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).

[25:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71).

[25:36]  ⁶ tn The meaning of the terms rendered “interest” and “profit” is much debated (see the summaries in P. J. Budd, Leviticus [NCBC], 354-55 and B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 178). Verse 37, however, suggests that the first refers to a percentage of money and the second percentage of produce (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 421).

[25:36]  ⁷ tn In form the Hebrew term וְחֵי (vÿkhey, “shall live”) is the construct plural noun (i.e., “the life of”), but here it is used as the finite verb (cf. v. 35 and GKC 218 §76.i).

[25:37]  ⁸ tn Heb “your money” and “your food.” With regard to “interest” and “profit” see the note on v. 36 above.

[15:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “one of your brothers” (so NASB); NAB “one of your kinsmen”; NRSV “a member of your community.” See the note at v. 2.

[15:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “gates.”

[15:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “withdraw your hand.” Cf. NIV “hardhearted or tightfisted” (NRSV and NLT similar).

[15:7]  ¹² tn Heb “from your needy brother.”

[15:8]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute before both verbs. The translation indicates the emphasis with the words “be sure to” and “generously,” respectively.

[15:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “whatever his need that he needs for himself.” This redundant expression has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “your eye.”

[15:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your needy brother.”

[15:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “give” (likewise in v. 10).

[15:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it will be a sin to you.”

[15:10]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “by all means.”

[15:10]  ²⁰ tc Heb “your heart must not be grieved in giving to him.” The LXX and Orig add, “you shall surely lend to him sufficient for his need,” a suggestion based on the same basic idea in v. 8. Such slavish adherence to stock phrases is without warrant in most cases, and certainly here.

[15:11]  ²¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the infinitive absolute for emphasis, which the translation indicates with “make sure.”

[15:11]  ²² tn Heb “your brother.”