At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother a Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
14. At the end of seven years ] As we should say of six (so LXX) years. In Hebrew counting of this kind both the first and the last items were reckoned in. So the jubilee was in strictness the forty-ninth (the seventh Sabbatical) not the fiftieth year. Compare the rite of circumcision administered on the eighth (seventh) day after birth, and our Lord’s Resurrection on “the third (second) day.” The words are quoted somewhat freely from Deu 15:12, rather than from the parallel passage Exo 21:2 (“The Book of the Covenant”).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This is but a repetition of the law, Exo 21:2; Deu 15:12, which concerned such persons as were sold by others, or had sold themselves. God would not have his people take advantage of the sudden and rash acts of their brethren, which were the effects of passion. Notwithstanding this law the Jews, who were always a very covetous, griping people, did otherwise.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. At the end of seven yearsthatis, not on the eighth year, but within the limit of theseventh year, not later than the end of the seventh year (Exo 21:2;Exo 23:10; Deu 15:12).So “at the end of three years” (Deu 14:28;2Ki 18:10), and “afterthree days, I will rise again” (Mt27:63), that is, on the third day (compare Mt27:64).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
At the end of seven years,…. Not when seven years were elapsed and fully completed; but within the compass of seven years, or as soon as the seventh year was began; for this term of seven years is the term of the seventh year coming in, and not going out, as appears from the law itself, Ex 21:9; and from an after clause in this verse, “when he hath served thee six years”; at the end of which, and the beginning of the seventh: and so Maimonides m interprets this law,
“he whom the sanhedrim sold served six years from the day of his sale, and at the beginning of the seventh year he was free:”
though the Vulgate Latin version very wrongly renders it, “when seven years are completed”; which version Sanctius takes a good deal of pains to reconcile to the original law. A Hebrew might sell himself for more years than six; he might sell himself for ten or twelve, as the above Jewish writer says, and nothing could release him but the year of jubilee; and that would do it, if he had served but one year n;
let ye go every man his brother, an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; or, “hath sold himself unto thee” o; to be a servant; for money was not given with apprentices to their masters, as is usual with us; but masters gave money for their servants, and bought them either of themselves, or of the magistrates; hence it is said, “if thou buy an Hebrew servant”, c. Ex 21:2. A Hebrew servant was sold either against his will, or with it if a man committed a theft, and he had not wherewith to make restoration, the sanhedrim or magistrates said him: if he was exceeding poor, the law gave him liberty to sell himself; but he might not sell himself as long as he had anything left, even a covering; and after that was gone, he might sell himself; and he was bought with silver or the value of silver or by contract or bond p;
and when he hath served thee six years, thou shall let him go free from thee; or “from with thee” q; from being with thee, from being in thy house, as well as from being in thy service; he was to be dismissed, so as to go where he pleased, and work for himself, or another, as he thought fit;
but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear; to obey the laws of God, and particularly this concerning servants. This is not to be understood of the fathers with whom the covenant was first made, and to whom this law was first given; but their posterity in later times, who yet lived long before the present generation, and so might with great propriety be called their fathers; and by which it appears that this law had been long neglected.
m Hilchot Abadim, c. 2. sect. 2. n Ibid. o “se ventdiderit tibi”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. p Hilchot Abadim, c. 1. sect. 1, 2. & c. 2. sect. 1. q “acuta te”, Schmidt.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
This passage, as many others, clearly shews the great perverseness of the people. Certainly the Law spoken of here ought to have been well approved by the Jews, for they found that they were by a privilege exempted from the common lot of men, and had been preferred before all nations. As, then, they saw that it was a signal evidence of God’s bounty towards the seed of Abraham, this ought to have allured them to observe the Law, inasmuch as they found in it what was especially suitable to them; but as every one became addicted to his own private advantage, the poor were oppressed, and a temporary servitude was changed into what was perpetual. There is no wonder then that men soon forgot what was right, though they seemed to have hearkened for a short time to God. It has been the common vice of all ages that the laws of God became soon forgotten and disregarded; so the law of freedom, though especially excellent, became, as we see, neglected.
He adds, Nor inclined their ear We have stated elsewhere that this phrase is emphatic, when added to the expression of not hearkening; for it is a proof of deliberate wickedness, when men close up their ears, and listen not to what is right. It is possible for one to neglect what is said, or not to understand it; but when one intentionally closes his ears, it is a proof of hopeless obstinacy. God, then, is wont to express by this mode of speaking, the perverseness and hardness that prevailed in the ancient people, through which they rejected all sound doctrine. And this ought to be carefully noticed; for where the word of God is made clearly known, in vain we excuse ourselves for not following what he commands, for he speaks not obscurely, as he says by Isaiah. (Isa 45:19) How comes it, then, that doctrine does not produce fruit in us? even because we wilfully reject it, closing our cars and disregarding God himself when he speaks. Now the reason why God brings a charge against the fathers is, that the comparison might enhance the wickedness of their children, who, after having professed that they had some regard for religion and some feeling of mercy, soon returned to their old ways, according to what follows —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(14) At the end of seven years . . .The immediate context, when he hath served thee six years, shows that the liberation was intended to take place at the beginning of the seventh year. The Sabbath-year was to bring its rest to the slave as well as to the land.
Your fathers hearkened not unto me . . .The words imply the fact already stated, that there had been a long-continued violation of the law to which the prophet refers. In Isa. 58:6; Isa. 61:1 (assuming the earlier date of those prophecies) we may trace a protest against that violation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
14. Seven years At the close of six years the bondage of a Hebrew ceased. See Deu 15:12.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 34:14. At the end, &c. Within the term of seven years.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jer 34:14 At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
Ver. 14. At the end of seven years let ye go. ] He layeth before them God’s law, which they had transgressed, out of Exo 21:2 Deu 15:12 . A law so full of equity, humanity, and benignity, that the more honest heathens approved and observed it, as the Romans and Athenians. Only these latter had an action at law (which they called ‘ A ) for a master against his servant, ungrateful for his manumission, and not doing his duty to his master, for such were again to be made bondslaves, if the crime could be proved against them. a
a Val. Max., lib. ii. cap. 1.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
At the: Jer 34:8, Jer 34:9, Exo 21:1-4, Exo 23:10, Exo 23:11, Deu 15:12, 1Ki 9:22, 2Ch 28:10, Isa 58:6, Amo 2:6, Amo 8:6
been sold: or, sold himself, 1Ki 21:25, Isa 50:1, Rom 7:14-17, Rom 7:24
but: It appears from this and several other passages, that the sabbatical year had been wholly neglected some centuries before the captivity; and the author of the second book of Chronicles – Jer 36:21 assigns this as a reason for the captivity, “that the land might enjoy her sabbaths.” Now, if we reckon the seventy years’ captivity as a punishment for this neglect, it will follow that the law on this subject had been disregarded for about 490 years. Jer 7:25, Jer 7:26, Jer 11:8-10, Jer 32:30, 1Sa 8:7, 1Sa 8:8, 2Ki 17:13, 2Ki 17:14, 2Ch 36:16, Neh 9:30, Eze 20:4, Eze 20:8, Zec 7:11, Zec 7:12
Reciprocal: Lev 25:39 – be sold 2Ki 4:1 – the creditor 2Ch 28:11 – deliver Job 31:13 – the cause Jer 13:10 – evil Jer 31:32 – Not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 34:14. Many of the regulations under the Mosaic system were related to the idea of the unit seven.” They had the seventh day of the week as a holy day, the seventh-year rest fot- the land, and the seventh-year release for the servants. The last was the ordinance involved in the truce breaking charged against the princes.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Part of the Mosaic Covenant specified that the Israelites should liberate their servants, who had sold themselves to them, after six years of service (cf. Exo 21:2-6; Deu 15:12-18). But the forefathers had disobeyed the Lord and disregarded His word.