Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 15:14

Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: [of that] wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

14. thou shalt furnish him liberally ] Lit. make-him-a-necklace (with emphatic repetition of the vb.). In this metaphor is the idea of loading or that of ornamenting (embellishing, equipping) the governing one? Probably both are combined; the metaphor rising from the primitive custom of hoarding the family wealth in heavy necklaces or headdresses. Less likely is the derivation from the use of the collar or necklace as a badge of rank or office (as it was in Egypt, Gen 41:42, and Persia, 1Es 3:6).

A similar liberality is exercised in Arabia (Doughty, Ar. Des. i. 554).

‘It is not many years, “if their house-lord fears Ullah,” before he will give them their liberty; and then he sends them not away empty; but in Upland Arabia (where only substantial persons are slave-holders) the good man will marry out his freed servants, male and female, endowing them with somewhat of his own substance, whether camels or palm-stems.’ Cp. Snouck-Hurgronje, Mekka, ii. 14: ‘the well-to-do owner feels himself bound where possible to provide for his loyal servant an establishment, and emancipation ranks in itself as a meritorious act: the family bond remains after as before it unbroken.’ Musil ( Ethn. Ber. 225) quotes as part of the emancipation formula: ‘I dismiss my slave and endow him.’

flock, threshing-floor and wine-press ] Cp. Deu 14:23, Deu 16:13.

as the Lord thy God hath blessed thee ] Deu 7:13, Deu 12:15, Deu 16:17.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Thou shalt furnish him liberally – The verb in the Hebrew is remarkable. It means thou shalt lay on his neck, adorn his neck with thy gifts.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Thou shalt furnish him – out of thy flock] Thou shalt give him some cattle to breed with; out of thy floor – some corn for seed and for bread; and out of thy wine press – an adequate provision of wine for present necessity.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Thou shalt furnish him liberally,…. Not only to supply his present wants, but for his future use, and to set him up in the world: “loading thou shall load him” h, so some render the words; give him as much as he can carry, and well stand up under; the word used has the signification of chains wore about the neck for honour or ornament, and so may signify he should be very honourably dismissed, with plain marks of honour and respect; and the order is, to supply him

out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress; with sheep or lambs out of the flock, with corn out of the floor, wheat, or barley, or both, and wine out of the winepress; which take in all the necessaries and comforts of life: of that

wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shall give unto him; be it what it will, and in proportion to it, as of money as well as goods; it is asked, how much shall be given to him? not less than the value of thirty shekels, whether of one kind or whether of many kinds, according to the thirty shekels for the price of a servant, Ex 21:32 i. All this may be an emblem both of the servitude the people of God are in to sin, Satan, and the law, while in a state of nature; and of their freedom from it by Christ, and of the sufficiency and fulness of food and raiment, and large measures of divine grace; even all things richly to enjoy, all things pertaining to life and godliness, which are given to them when brought out of that state; who otherwise come out of it destitute of all good things, having neither food nor clothes, nor money to buy either, but have all from Christ freely and fully.

h “onerando oneratis”, Munster, Pagninus, Vatablus. i Maimon. Hilchot Obedim, c. 3. sect. 14.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(14) Thou shalt furnish him liberally.The beneficence of this provision is noticeable. Those who had fallen into poverty, when they had served their time, must be provided with means for a fresh start in life. And since the Jewish commentator regards the slavery of Hebrew men as chiefly a consequence of theft (If he be sold unto thee, when the supreme court has sold him for his theft ), it would seem that, under Jewish law, even convicted thieves, when the term of their servitude was over, were to be provided with the means of obtaining an honest livelihood. This state of things is above the attainments of Christian England at the present date.

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

14. Thou shalt furnish him liberally The Hebrew verb that is used makes the expression very emphatic, Thou shalt load him bountifully.

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