15:1 the end of seven years you shall grant a remission of debt Commands the forgiveness of debts burdening the poor and the release of indentured servants every seventh year. See v. 8.

15:2 his claim that he holds against his neighbor This command is directed at anyone who holds a debt owed by a fellow Israelite. Since the overall concern of the passage is fair treatment of the poor, the debtors are likely impoverished people with no other means to pay the debt. The law may not apply to all types of debt obligations.

15:3 foreigner you may exact payment The remission described does not apply to non-Israelites.

15:4 there shall not be among you a poor person The absence of poverty in the Israelite community is contingent on Israel’s complete obedience to Yahweh’s law. The conditional nature of this assertion is clear from the rest of vv. 4–6, which alludes to the description of covenantal blessings found in 28:1–14.

15:6 they will not rule over you If Israel obeys the laws of Yahweh, then no one will be poor and Israel will be wealthy enough to lend resources to other nations. This statement is echoed in the blessing of Deut 28:12. A reversal is seen in the curse of 28:44.

15:7 your brother who is poor The instructions about caring for the impoverished of the community in vv. 7–11 are echoed in Lev 25:35–38. Care for the poor should be motivated by concern for the need of others, not by a desire to make a profit from their misfortune.

15:8 whatever it is Lenders may be tempted to avoid helping fellow Israelites as the Sabbath Year approaches because the Sabbath Year would put them at risk of never recouping their loans (expressed in Deut 15:9). Israelites should disregard these fears, trusting that God will restore any loss with greater prosperity for obeying the divine law (v. 10).

15:11 the poor will not cease to be Moses’ statement here (in contrast to v. 4) may reflect his pessimism about the people’s obedience (see 31:27–29).

15:12 a Hebrew man The Hebrew word used here, ivri, is the ancient term for Israelites prior to the time of Jacob (Gen 25–50), though it occasionally appears in historical books relating events during the time of Israel’s monarchy (1 Sam 13:3, 7; 14:21).

you shall send that person out free It is not just debts that are to be forgiven (Deut 15:5); indentured servants are also to be released in the Sabbath Year (compare Lev 25:39–43). Biblical law distinguished between indentured servants—those who must work for a creditor either to repay loans or due to extreme poverty—and full slaves. The ot uses the Hebrew word eved (“servant”) for both types.

15:13 you shall not send him away empty-handed The person in authority over an indentured servant was obligated to provide material for the released servant to start his new life. Deuteronomy’s requirement modifies the law from Exodus where the owner had no obligation to give the released servant anything (compare Exod 21:1–4). Compare note on Deut 15:1–18.

15:17 he shall be to you a slave forever This procedure for the slave’s joining of his or her master’s household is essentially the same as that of Exod 21:6.

you shall also do likewise for your slave woman Unlike the laws of Exodus, Deuteronomy provides the same law for female servants as it does for male servants. In Exod 21:7–11, the rules for freeing female servants differ from those for male servants. In Exodus, a man selling his daughter as a maidservant creates a more permanent arrangement since it is treated as a marriage (compare Gen 30:1–13). Compare note on Deut 15:1–18.

15:18 Yahweh your God will bless you While the master may regret the release of a servant and the loss of his or her services, the law reminds him that he has had six years of benefit.

15:20 at the place Yahweh will choose These animals were to be sacrificed as offerings to Yahweh and eaten at the central sanctuary. See Deut 12:5 and note.

15:21 any serious defect Any physical defect disqualified an animal for sacrifice to Yahweh. These animals could still be slaughtered and consumed, but they were not brought to the sanctuary. Rather, they could be slaughtered according to the rules for wild game (see 12:15 and note). Offering an animal with a physical defect shows contempt for God and involves little personal sacrifice (see Mal 1:6–9; Lev 22:3, 17–25, 32).

15:23 But you shall not eat its blood Repeats the prohibition against eating blood from Deut 12:23 (compare Lev 3:17; 7:26–27; 17:11–14). As the fluid of life, blood belonged only to God, the life-giver.