Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 24:7

If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and maketh merchandise of him, or selleth him; then that thief shall die; and thou shalt put evil away from among you.

7. Against Manstealing. If a man be found (see Deu 21:1, Deu 22:22) stealing a brother (see on Deu 15:2) Israelite, and playing the owner (see Deu 21:14) he shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil, etc. (Deu 13:5 (6)). The parallel in E, Exo 21:16, has stealing a man; for D’s substitution of Israelite see on Deu 15:2, Deu 22:1-4. ammurabi ( 14) decrees death to the kidnapper.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Compare Deu 21:14; and Exo 21:16.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

See Poole “Exo 21:16“.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

7. If a man be found stealing any ofhis brethren(See Ex 21:16).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel,…. Whether grown up or little, male or female, an Israelite or a proselyte, or a freed servant; all, as Maimonides f says, are included in this general word “brethren”; though Aben Ezra observes, that it is added, “of the children of Israel”, for explanation, since an Edomite is called a “brother”. Now, a man must be “found” committing this fact; that is, it must plainly appear, there must be full proof of it by witnesses, as Jarchi explains this word:

and maketh merchandise of him; or rather uses him as a servant, and employs him in any service to the least profit and advantage by him, even to the value of a farthing; yea, if he does but lean upon him, and he supports him, though he is an old man that is stolen; this is serving a man’s self by him, as Maimonides g, which is what is forbidden as distinct from selling him, as follows:

or selleth him: to others; and both these, according to the above writer h, using him for service, and selling him, are necessary to make him guilty of death; not the one without the other; but reading them disjunctively, as we do, gives the better sense of the words:

then that thief shall die; by strangling with a napkin, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so Maimonides i says, his death is by strangling:

and thou shall put evil away from among you; both him that does evil, as the Targum of Jonathan, and the guilt of it by inflicting due punishment for it; and so deter from such practices, and prevent evil coming upon the body of the people, should such a sin be connived at; see Ex 21:16.

f Hichot Genibah, c. 9. sect. 6. g Ib. sect. 2. h Ib. sect. 3. i Hilchot Genibah, c. 9. sect. 1. So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 67. 1. interprets it of service.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Verse 7:

Compare the text with Exo 21:16.

Kidnapping was considered a capital crime. The text includes a provision that the kidnap victim was mistreated or sold as a slave.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

The same punishment is here deservedly denounced against man-stealers as against murderers; for, so wretched was the condition of slaves, that liberty was more than half of life; and hence to deprive a man of such a great blessing, was almost to destroy him. Besides, it is not man-stealing only which is here condemned, but the accompanying evils of cruelty and fraud, i. e. , if he, who had stolen a man, had likewise sold him. Now, such a sale could hardly be made among the people themselves, without the crime being immediately detected; and nothing could be more hateful than that God’s children should be alienated from the Church, and delivered over to heathen nations.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(9) KIDNAPPING A FELLOW-ISRAELITE (Deu. 24:7)

7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, or sell him; then that thief shall die: so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 24:7

414.

What is the Lindberg law on kidnapping? How does it relate here?

415.

Cf. Exo. 21:16 and notice how all encompassing was this law.

AMPLIFIED TRANSLATION 24:7

7 If a man be found kidnapping any of his brethren of the Israelites, and treats him as a slave or a servant, or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall put evil from among you.

COMMENT 24:7

Compare Exo. 21:16 The thief was to die regardless as to what he had done with his lootwhether he had made him a slave, sold him, or whatever.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(7) If a man be found stealing (a soul) any of his brethren . . .See Exo. 21:16.

(8,9) Take heed in the plague of leprosy. . . . Remember what the Lord thy God did to Miriam.The point here seems to be that though Miriam was one of the three leaders of Israel (I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and MiriamMic. 6:4), yet she was shut out of the camp seven days (Num. 12:14) when suddenly smitten with leprosy. There might be a tendency to relax the law in the case of great or wealthy persons. But this would be felt keenly by poorer lepers, who could obtain no exemption. Moses, whose own sister had suffered from the leprosy, and had been treated according to the strict letter of the law, would never consent to any relaxation of it.

The priests the Levites.The law of leprosy was one of the laws which the priests in particular were ordered to administer. Aaron looked on Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous It seems impossible to maintain that the Levites in general are meant here. The writer evidently had personal knowledge of the case of Miriam. Had he or his first readers lived in later times, he would have explained his meaning more fully.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

7. Stealing any of his brethren A repetition of the law against man-stealing. Comp. Exo 21:16.

Maketh merchandise of him The same verb is here used that is employed in Deu 21:14. It means to lay hands upon one, to use violence, to treat one as a slave.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments