The law of the seventh year of remission. The firstlings of cattle are to be sanctified to the Lord.
Remission of dibtes in the seuenth yeare to the israelites, but not to strangers. 4. Albeit there wil alwayes be some poore, yet they must so lend to their needie bretheren, that none be forced to begge. 12. Abought seruant that is an hebrew must be set free in the seuenth yeare, 16. except he desire to serue stil. 19. The firstborne in al cattel must be consecrated to God, without making priuate profite therof.
1In the seventh year thou shalt make a remission,Il settimo anno farai la remissione,IN the seuenth yeare thou shalt make a remission,Septimo anno facies remissionem, 2Which shall be celebrated in this order. He to whom any thing is owing from his friend or neighbour or brother, cannot demand it again, because it is the year of remission of the Lord.La quale si adempirà in questo modo: Colui che ha qualche credito con un amico, o prossimo, o fratello suo, non potrà ripeterlo, perché questo è l'anno della remissione del Signore.which shal be celebrated in this order. He to whom any thing is owing of his freind or neighbour and brother, can not aske it againe, because it is the yeare of remission of our Lord.quæ hoc ordine celebrabitur. Cui debetur aliquid ab amico vel proximo ac fratre suo, repetere non poterit, quia annus remissionis est Domini. 3Of the foreigner or stranger thou mayst exact it: of thy countryman and neighbour thou shalt not have power to demand it again.Potrai esigere il tuo dal forestiero, e da colui che è venuto d'altronde ad abitare con te: non avrai diritto di farti pagare dal concittadino, e prossimo tuo.Of the seiourner and stranger thou shalt exact: of thy countrie man and neighbour thou shalt not haue power to require it.A peregrino et advena exiges: civem et propinquum repetendi non habebis potestatem. 4And there shall be no poor nor beggar among you: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in the land which he will give thee in possession.E generalmente non saravvi tra voi nissun povero, o che chieda limosina, affinché ti benedica il Signore Dio tuo nella terra, di cui egli ti darà il possesso;And needie person and begger there shal be none among you: that our Lord thy God may blesse thee in the land, which he wil geue thee in possession.Et omnino indigens et mendicus non erit inter vos: ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in terra, quam traditurus est tibi in possessionem. 5Yet so if thou hear the voice of the Lord thy God, and keep all things that he hath ordained, and which I command thee this day, he will bless thee, as he hath promised.Purché tu ascolti la voce del Signore Dio tuo, e facci tutte le cose, ch'egli comanda, e le quali io oggi ti annunzio, egli ti benedirà, conforme ha promesso.Yet so if thou heare the voice of our Lord thy God, and keepe al thinges that he hath bid, and which I command thee this day, he wil blesse thee, as he hath promised.Si tamen audieris vocem Domini Dei tui, et custodieris universa quæ jussit, et quæ ego hodie præcipio tibi, benedicet tibi, ut pollicitus est.
6Thou shalt lend to many nations, and thou shalt borrow of no man. Thou shalt have dominion over very many nations, and no one shall have dominion over thee.Tu impresterai a molte genti, e non prenderai in prestito da veruno. Avrai dominio sopra molte nazioni, e nissuno avrà dominio sopra di te.Thou shalt lend to manie nations, and thy selfe shalt borrow of no man. Thou shalt haue dominion ouer verie manie nations, and no man shal haue dominion ouer thee.Fœnerabis gentibus multis, et ipse a nullo accipies mutuum. Dominaberis nationibus plurimis, et tui nemo dominabitur. 7If one of thy brethren that dwelleth within thy gates of thy city in the land which the Lord thy God will give thee, come to poverty: thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor close thy hand,Se uno de' tuoi fratelli (il quale abita dentro le mura della tua patria nella terra, che il Signore Dio tuo ti darà) si è ridotto in povertà; non indurerai il cuor tuo, né ritirerai la tua mano,If one of thy brethren that abideth within the gates of thy citie in the land, which our Lord thy God wil geue thee, come to pouertie: thou shalt not harden thy hart, nor close thy hand,Si unus de fratribus tuis, qui morantur intra portas civitatis tuæ in terra quam Dominus Deus tuus daturus est tibi, ad paupertatem venerit, non obdurabis cor tuum, nec contrahes manum, 8But shalt open it to the poor man, thou shalt lend him, that which thou perceivest he hath need of.Ma l'allargherai col povero, e gli presterai quel che tu conosci, che gli abbisogna.but shalt open it to the poore man, and shalt lend him, that which thou perceiuest he hath neede of.sed aperies eam pauperi, et dabis mutuum, quo eum indigere perspexeris. 9Beware lest perhaps a wicked thought steal in upon thee, and thou say in thy heart: The seventh year of remission draweth nigh; and thou turn away thy eyes from thy poor brother, denying to lend him that which he asketh: lest he cry against thee to the Lord, and it become a sin unto thee.Bada di non lasciarti preoccupare da un empio pensiero, onde tu dica in cuor tuo: È vicino l'anno settimo di remissione: e non degni di uno sguardo il povero tuo fratello, non volendo imprestargli quel ch'ei domanda: affinché non alzi egli le grida al Signore contro di te, e tu non ti facci reo di gran peccato:Beware lest perhaps an impious cogitation steale in vpon thee, and thou say in thy hart: The seuenth yeare of remission draweth nigh; & turne away thy eies from thy poore brother denying to lend him that which he asketh: lest he crie against thee to our Lord, and it become a sinne vnto thee.Cave ne forte subrepat tibi impia cogitatio, et dicas in corde tuo: Appropinquat septimus annus remissionis: et avertas oculos tuos a paupere fratre tuo, nolens ei quod postulat mutuum commodare: ne clamet contra te ad Dominum, et fiat tibi in peccatum.
10But thou shalt give to him: neither shalt thou do any thing craftily in relieving his necessities: that the Lord thy God may bless thee at all times, and in all things to which thou shalt put thy hand.Ma gli darai volentieri: e non ti porterai con astuzia, quando fa d'uopo di provvedere alle sue indigenze, affinché ti benedica il Signore Dio tuo in ogni tempo, e in tutto quello che tu intraprenda.But thou shalt geue to him: neither shalt thou doe any thing craftely in releuing his necessities: that our Lord thy God may blesse thee at al times, and in al thinges whereunto thou shalt put thy hand.Sed dabis ei: nec ages quippiam callide in ejus necessitatibus sublevandis, ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in omni tempore, et in cunctis ad quæ manum miseris. 11There will not be wanting poor in the land of thy habitation: therefore I command thee to open thy hand to thy needy and poor brother, that liveth in the land.Non mancheranno poveri nella terra, dove tu abiterai: per questo io ti comando di allargare la mano verso il tuo fratello necessitoso e povero, che teco dimora nella stessa terra.There shal not want poore in the land of thy habitation: therfore I command thee that thou open thy hand to thy needie and poore brother, that liueth in the Land.Non deerunt pauperes in terra habitationis tuæ: idcirco ego præcipio tibi, ut aperias manum fratri tuo egeno et pauperi, qui tecum versatur in terra. 12When thy brother a Hebrew man, or Hebrew woman is sold to thee, and hath served thee six years, in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free:Quando sarà stato venduto a te un tuo fratello Ebreo, o una sorella Ebrea, dopo che ti avrà servito per sei anni, il settimo anno li rimetterai in libertà.When thy brother an Hebrew man, or Hebrew woman is sold to thee, and hath serued thee six yeares, in the seuenth yeare, thou shalt let him goe free:Cum tibi venditus fuerit frater tuus Hebræus aut Hebræa, et sex annis servierit tibi, in septimo anno dimittes eum liberum: 13And when thou sendest him out free, thou shalt not let him go away empty:E quelli, a cui dai libertà, non permetterai, che se ne vadano colle mani vote.and to whom thou geuest freedom, thou shalt in no case suffer him to depart emptie:et quem libertate donaveris, nequaquam vacuum abire patieris: 14But shall give him for his way out of thy flocks, and out of thy barnfloor, and thy winepress, wherewith the Lord thy God shall bless thee.Ma darai loro per viatico qualche cosa de' tuoi greggi, e del tuo granaio, e del tuo strettoio, dacché riguardo a queste cose il Signore Dio tuo ti ha data la benedizione.but geue him his way fare of thy flockes, and of thy barne floore, and thy presse, wherwith our Lord thy God shal blesse thee.sed dabis viaticum de gregibus, et de area, et torculari tuo, quibus Dominus Deus tuus benedixerit tibi.
15Remember that thou also wast a bondservant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God made thee free, and therefore I now command thee this.Ricordati, che tu ancora fosti schiavo nella terra d'Egitto, e il Signore Dio tuo ti liberò, e per questo io ti fo adesso questo comando.Remember that thy self also didst serue in the Land of Aegypt, and our Lord thy God made thee free, and therfore doe I now command thee.Memento quod et ipse servieris in terra Ægypti, et liberaverit te Dominus Deus tuus, et idcirco ego nunc præcipio tibi. 16But if he say: I will not depart: because he loveth thee, and thy house, and findeth that he is well with thee:Ma se quegli dirà: Io non voglio andarmene: perché vuol bene a te, e alla tua casa, e conosce di star bene con te:But if he say: I wil not depart: because he loueth thee, and thy house, and feeleth that he is wel with thee:Sin autem dixerit: Nolo egredi: eo quod diligat te, et domum tuam, et bene sibi apud te esse sentiat: 17Thou shalt take an awl, and bore through his ear in the door of thy house, and he shall serve thee for ever: thou shalt do in like manner to thy womanservant also.Prenderai una lesina, e forerai l'orecchia di lui alla porta della tua casa, ed ei ti servirà per sempre: lo stesso farai alla schiava.thou shalt take an awle, and bore through his eare in the dore of thy house, and he shal serue thee for euer. to thy woman seruant also thou shalt doe in like maner.assumes subulam, et perforabis aurem ejus in janua domus tuæ, et serviet tibi usque in æternum. Ancillæ quoque similiter facies. 18Turn not away thy eyes from them when thou makest them free: because he hath served thee six years according to the wages of a hireling: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works that thou dost.Quando li metterai in libertà, non guardarli di mal occhio: dappoiché come un mercenario, che lavora per la mercede, ha egli a te servito per sei anni: affinché il Signore Dio tuo ti benedica in tutto quello che fai.Turne not away thine eies from them, when thou makest them free: because he hath serued thee six yeares after the wages of an hireling: that our Lord thy God may blesse thee in al the workes that thou doest.Non avertas ab eis oculos tuos, quando dimiseris eos liberos, quoniam juxta mercedem mercenarii per sex annos servivit tibi: ut benedicat tibi Dominus Deus tuus in cunctis operibus quæ agis. 19Of the firstlings, that come of thy herds and thy sheep, thou shalt sanctify to the Lord thy God whatsoever is of the male sex. Thou shalt not work with the firstling of a bullock, and thou shalt not shear the firstlings of thy sheep.Consacrerai al Signore Dio tuo tutti i primogeniti maschi, che nascono da' tuoi armenti, e dalle tue pecore. Non metterai al lavoro il primogenito del bue, e non toserai i primogeniti delle pecore.Of the first borne, that come forth in thy heardes and sheepe, whatsoeuer is of the male sexe, thou shalt sanctifie to our Lord thy God. Thou shalt not worke with the first borne of an oxe, and thou shalt not sheare the first borne of thy sheepe.De primogenitis, quæ nascuntur in armentis, et in ovibus tuis, quidquid est sexus masculini, sanctificabis Domino Deo tuo. Non operaberis in primogenito bovis, et non tondebis primogenita ovium.
20In the sight of the Lord thy God shalt thou eat them every year, in the place that the Lord shall choose, thou and thy house.Nel cospetto del Signore Dio tuo li mangerai ogni anno tu, e la tua famiglia nel luogo eletto dal Signore.In the sight of our Lord thy God shalt thou eate them euerie yeare in the place, that our Lord shal choose, thou and thy house.In conspectu Domini Dei tui comedes ea per annos singulos in loco quem elegerit Dominus, tu et domus tua. 21But if it have a blemish, or be lame, or blind, or in any part disfigured or feeble, it shall not be sacrificed to the Lord thy God.Ma se avrà qualche difetto, o sarà zoppo, o cieco, o deforme in qualche parte, o stroppiato, il primogenito non sarà immolato al Signore Dio tuo:But if it haue blemish, and be either lame, or blind, or in any part diffigured or feeble, it shal not be immolated to our Lord thy God.Sin autem habuerit maculam, vel claudum fuerit, vel cæcum, aut in aliqua parte deforme vel debile, non immolabitur Domino Deo tuo: 22But thou shalt eat it within the gates of thy city: the clean and the unclean shall eat them alike, as the roe and as the hart.Ma lo mangerai dentro le porte della tua città: tanto l'uomo mondo, come l'immondo ne mangeranno egualmente, come si fa della capra, e del cervo.but within the gates of thy citie shalt thou eate it: as wel the cleane as the vncleane in like maner shal eate them as the doa, and the hart.sed intra portas urbis tuæ comedes illud: tam mundus quam immundus similiter vescentur eis, quasi caprea et cervo. 23Only thou shalt take heed not to eat their blood, but pour it out on the earth as water.Solamente osserverai di non mangiare del loro sangue; ma lo spargerai, come l'acqua, per terra.This onlie shalt thou obserue, that their bloud thou eate not, but power it out on the earth as water.Hoc solum observabis, ut sanguinem eorum non comedas, sed effundes in terram quasi aquam.
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Year of the World 2553, Year before Christ 1451.
Calmet
In the. Hebrew, "at the extremity of seven years," which some erroneously refer to the end, though the original signify also the beginning. (Calmet)
15:2
Haydock
Again. Hebrew does not mention friend. (Haydock)
Du Hamel
"He shall not exact it, (or urge) his neighbour or his brother, because," etc. Whence Cajetan gathers, that debts might be demanded after the expiration of the seventh year, on which the products of the earth did not enable the Jews to pay any thing. Grotius also asserts, that perpetual debts might be required; and Menoch, includes things lent under the same regulation. But all debts became extinct as soon as the seventh year commenced; (ver. 9.; Calmet) at least they could not be demanded till it was expired; though things merely lent, might be taken back. (Du Hamel)
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Grotius
Stranger, who has not received circumcision. Such were entitled only to the common privileges of people in distress. They could not claim a share in the feasts, made out of the tithes of the Jews, etc. (Grotius)
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Challoner
There shall be no poor, etc. It is not to be understood as a promise, that there should be no poor in Israel, as appears from ver. 11, where we learn that God's people would never be at a loss to find objects for their charity: but it is an ordinance that all should do their best endeavours to prevent any of their brethren from suffering the hardships of poverty and want. (Challoner)
Vatable
Beggar, is not expressed, though it be implied in Hebrew or the Septuagint, which connect this with the preceding verse, (Haydock) "because (or save when) there shall be no poor among you;" as if the rich could not derive the benefit from the remission of debts. (Vatable)
Calmet
God had made abundant provision for the poor. He might have prevented any from falling into distress. (Calmet)
Haydock
But he suffered this sometimes to take place, to try the dispositions both of the rich and of the poor. (Haydock)
Calmet
If they had faithfully complied with his laws, he would not have permitted them to fall into the last degree of misery. (Calmet)
Menochius
He allows no public begging, which all well regulated nations discountenance. (Menochius)
St Leo the Great † AD 461
The Jews carefully relieve their brethren. They gather alms, and one of the judges distributes what may be sufficient for the ensuing week. (Leo, p. 1:c. 14.)
Maimonides
Those who refused to give according to their abilities, were formerly ordered by the Sanhedrim to be scourged, till they had complied with their duty; and sometimes, things were taken forcibly from their houses. (Maimonides)
Selden
They relieve the distressed in proportion to their former condition. (Selden, Jur. 6:6.)
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Calmet
Lend. The Jews give a wrong interpretation to this passage, to authorize usury with regard to strangers. But God can never sanction injustice. He promises such riches to his people, if they be faithful, that they shall be in a condition to lend to many, without wanting themselves. (Calmet)
Haydock
Over thee. Hence the Jews submitted to a foreign yoke with so much reluctance. But they should have remembered to keep God's law. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Need of. The Rabbins understand this of giving freely without any prospect of receiving again, much less of any advantage by usury. They esteem themselves bound also, by the laws of humanity, to assist even idolaters, though they will not beg of such, in public. Some assert, that they never allow public beggars among themselves, and indeed such are seldom to be seen. Yet no law forbids it; and Juvenal (VI. 541,) upbraids them with begging slyly at Rome. Arcanum Judaea tremens mendicat in aurem. (Calmet)
Haydock
If people be in extreme want, the law requires that necessaries should be given them; but if they be not so far reduced, but that they may be able to pay again in a little time, it may suffice to lend. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Eyes. Hebrew, "and thy eye be evil against," etc. This expression denotes one who is a prey to the base passions of avarice, jealousy, envy, etc., chap. 28:54., and Matthew 20:15. (Calmet)
Menochius
A sin, or draw on punishment. (Menochius)
Worthington
"If thou hast not fed, thou hast killed" thy neighbour in extreme want. (St. Ambrose, Off. 2:7.) (Worthington)
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Neither. Hebrew, "thy heart shall not be evil in giving: for to this end the Lord....hath blessed thee." Imitate his clemency.
Hand, in all thy undertakings and possessions.
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Calmet
Needy. Hebrew expresses the order to be observed in giving alms, "open thy hand wide (give with profusion) to thy brother, (or relations) to thy needy, (in extreme want) and to thy poor in the land," whoever they may be. (Calmet)
Worthington
To exercise the charity of his people, God suffered some to be poor. (Worthington)
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15:14
Way. Hebrew literally, "Thou shalt put round his neck, (or furnish him abundantly) out of thy flock," etc. This is not specified in the Book of Exodus.
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Fagius
House, before a judge. It is supposed that this law regarded only those who had sold themselves, or had been condemned to be slaves. (Fagius)
For ever; that is, till the year of jubilee.
Also, not by piercing her ear, as some have thought, but by setting her at liberty, and giving her something, ver. 14.
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Calmet
Hireling. His freedom is due to him, as much as wages are due to the hireling. He is alse entitled to a decent provision, for which he has laboured. Hebrew, "he hath been worth twice as much to thee as a hired servant," by his greater diligence, labour, and fidelity. Servitude has also rendered his worth doubly severe. (Calmet)
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Calmet
Firstlings. Some belonged to the priests. Others, of which Moses speaks here, might be disposed of by the owners, chap. 12:17. (Calmet)
Haydock
Thus females, which came first, belonged to them, but they could not work with them; (Menochius) with such at least as were the best, and fattened for a religious feast. Sheep designed for this purpose were not to be shorn; or, as the original term means, their wool was not to be "torn away." Bellon observes, that this is still the custom in some parts of the East, as it was formerly in Italy, according to Varro. Pliny ([Natural History?] 8:48,) also remarks, that fleece was torn off in some places, (Calmet) and the same method is said to prevail still in Shetland. (Haydock)
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Calmet
Unclean. This shews, that they could not be peace-offerings. (Menochius) ( Deuteronomy 13:15.) (Calmet)
15:4
There shall be no poor, etc.... It is not to be understood as a promise, that there should be no poor in Israel, as appears from ver. 11, where we learn that God’s people would never be at a loss to find objects for their charity: but it is an ordinance that all should do their best endeavours to prevent any of their brethren from suffering the hardships of poverty and want.
15:4
The Israelites were boūd to do their endeuour that none should be needie among them: notwithstanding for exercise of loue & charitie Gods prouidence suffered some to be poore. •. 7. &. 11.
15:9
He that can and wil not feede his neighboure in extremitie, killeth him. S. Amb. li. 2. de Offic. c. 7.
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.17
… “Thou shalt not sleep upon his pledge; thou shalt be sure to return to him his garment about sunset, and he shall sleep in his own garment.” Clearer still is a former passage: “Thou shalt remit every debt which thy neighbour oweth thee; and of thy brother thou shalt not require it, because it is called the release of the Lord thy God.”
15:4
Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.16
… But in order that no man may be indigent, you have in Deuteronomy a provision commanded by the Creator to the creditor. “There shall not be in thine hand an indigent man; so that the Lord thy God shall bless thee with blessings,”
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Tertullian † AD 220 The Five Books Against Marcion 4.16
… “If there be among you a poor man of thy brethren, thou shalt not turn away thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him as much as he wanteth.”
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary 16
… I will show how that is. In Holy Scripture there are four kinds of brethren—by nature, race, kindred, love. Instances of brethren by nature are Esau and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, Andrew and Peter, James and John. As to race, all Jews are called brethren of one another, as in Deuteronomy,
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St Jerome † AD 420 The Letters of St. Jerome 107.6
… Whether you would offer your child or not lay within your choice, but now that you have offered her, you neglect her at your peril. I speak generally for in your case you have no discretion, having offered your child even before her conception. He who offers a victim that is lame or maimed or marked with any blemish is held guilty of sacrilege.
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2. TO WHOM SOMETHING IS OWED BY A FRIEND, OR NEIGHBOR, AND BROTHER OF HIS, — that is by a Jew, who is a brother by race, and therefore a friend and neighbor. This law therefore speaks only of a Jewish debtor, who owes something to another Jew: for in the seventh year of remission, every debt was released by the indulgence of this law; but it does not speak of proselytes, converted to Judaism: for these, in the seventh year, remained bound by their debts. Thus Abulensis. Furthermore, understand debt from a loan, or from a sale; but not from a loan of use, because this properly is not a debt, but something belonging to another, or a thing pertaining to another. Thus Abulensis. See what is said at Lev. XXV, 2 et seq.
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3. A CITIZEN AND KINSMAN YOU SHALL NOT HAVE POWER TO DEMAND AGAIN. — In Hebrew, that which shall be with you from your brother, you shall remit your hand (that is you shall remit the demand of the debt, which is made by the extension of the hand) to your brother, namely a Jew.
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4. AND THERE SHALL BE NO POOR AND NEEDY AMONG YOU, — as if to say, Take care as much as you can that there be no needy or beggars among you, by lending to the poor, especially to the infirm or weak, what they need, and by remitting to them in the seventh year, if they cannot pay and restore before that year; for this is consistent with what is said in verse 11: "The poor shall never be wanting in the land of your habitation:" for there it signifies that there will be poor, but here it commands that they be helped. For God willed that there should always be some poor among the Hebrews, so that the rich might have matter for exercising mercy toward them: hence if the Hebrews had taken care that there be no poor in Israel, they would never have actually accomplished it. Otherwise Vatablus reconciles this: for he says that among the Hebrews there were private poor, but no public beggars, as now happens in well-ordered states. Again, he translates this passage thus, except there be not a poor man in you, as if to say, You shall remit the money lent to poor brothers; but I except rich brothers, to whom you shall not remit, since they have wherewith they can repay. But this version disagrees with the Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint and ours.
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6. YOU SHALL LEND TO MANY NATIONS. — For "you shall lend" in Hebrew is haabatta, that is you shall lend, or you shall give on loan. Thus the Chaldean and Septuagint. For they translate, daneeis ethnesin pollois, su de ou danie. Whence it is clear that the Jews here have no defense of their usuries. The sense therefore is, as if to say, If in the seventh year you remit the debts of your debtors, you shall not be impoverished, but God will bless you, and will enrich you, so that you lend to others, but receive from no one; for as by the things by which one sins, by these also one is punished: so in turn by the things by which one merits, by these also one is rewarded, says Abulensis.
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9. BEWARE. — The Septuagint translates, attend to yourself. Whence St. Ambrose in Psalm CXVIII thinks that celebrated saying is derived: "Know thyself," which the Gentiles attributed to Apollo Pythius. Rightly Clement, book III of the Paedagogus: "It is the most beautiful and greatest of all disciplines, to know oneself. For if anyone knows himself, he will know God." Hence St. Augustine, book II of the Soliloquies, chapter I, says most briefly and perfectly thus to pray to God: "God ever the same, may I know you, may I know myself." And St. Francis: "Who are you, Lord? who am I?" You are the abyss of being, of goodness, of wisdom, of virtue, of perfection and of glory: I am the abyss of nothingness, of evil, of ignorance, of vices, of miseries and of all baseness. On the contrary, Plato in the Philebus calls ignorance of oneself a kind of universal wickedness; for, as he says in the Symposium, to know oneself is absolutely to be wise, and from this all the wisdom and justice of life depends. Xenophon, book IV of the Sayings of Socrates, says that those who are ignorant of themselves are fit neither for the governance of themselves, nor for the administration of a family or a state. Wherefore St. Bernard prudently admonishes in the Meditations, chapter V: Strive "to know yourself, because you are much better and more praiseworthy, if you know yourself, than if, neglecting yourself, you knew the course of the stars, the powers of herbs, the natures of men and animals, and had all the knowledge of heavenly and earthly things. Return yourself to yourself, if not always, or often, at least sometimes."
SAY NOT, etc. THE SEVENTH YEAR APPROACHES, — as if to say, Say not: The seventh year of remission is at hand, if I lend or credit something to a brother, he will not repay me, but when the seventh year comes he will be free from the debt; therefore I will not lend, I will not credit him. This was the cunning of those who lend, which is here forbidden. There could also be cunning on the part of those who borrow, if namely they were rich, and when the seventh year approached they asked for a loan, so that in the seventh year they would be freed from its repayment. But this cunning had to be met by refusing them such a loan, and by saying: You are rich, therefore you do not need a loan. Thus Abulensis. BEING UNWILLING TO LEND TO HIM WHAT HE ASKS, — that is, to give on loan: for if anyone had lent something to another, or given it for use, it was to be restored in kind in the seventh year, equally as in other years: for it was something belonging to another, as I said in verse 2. Thus Abulensis.
AND LET IT BE TO YOU FOR A SIN, — that is, and let the Lord be angry with you, and punish you severely: "sin" therefore is put for the punishment of sin, by metonymy. Thus Vatablus.
15:10
10. NOR SHALL YOU DO ANYTHING CRAFTILY, — in the manner in which I explained verse 9.
Morally, note here how extensively and earnestly God commends to the Hebrews the care and aid of the poor. The same he commends to Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel IV, 27, so that through it he might redeem his sins. Thus Christ commands the poor to be called to banquets, Luke XIV, 13, and asserts that goods bestowed upon them have been given to himself, Matthew XXV, 40, and that they will receive him giving alms to them in eternal tabernacles, Luke XVI, 9. Whence also he pronounces blessed the poor in spirit, Matthew V, 3. Indeed he himself wished to be poor; wherefore he said to a certain disciple: "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests: but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." Hence also St. Peter, imitating Christ, said to the lame man: "Silver and gold I have none; but what I have, I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk." And St. Paul said of himself and the other Apostles: "Even unto this hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked," I Corinthians IV, 11; and: "I know both how to be abased, and how to abound; everywhere, and in all things I am instructed, both to be full, and to be hungry, both to abound, and to suffer need," Philippians IV, 12. Nazianzenus, Oration 16 On the Love of the Poor: "Nothing," he says, "is so pleasing to God as mercy toward the poor. For first, God wills that some be poor, so that they may admonish us of our infirmity. Second, the poor must be helped, because they are our brothers, both by nature, and by the image of God renewed in Christ, and by faith, hope, charity and divine adoption, and with respect to blessed life. Third, because we aspire to Christ our common brother. Fourth, because since nothing is stable in the present, we must think of placing our riches in safety through the poor. Fifth, on account of the infinite benefits of this matter, which can be reduced to three things, namely, preservation from evils, certainty of salvation, and the greatest confidence in rewards. Sixth, because God, who has bestowed innumerable benefits upon us, commands that we give a few things to our brothers. Seventh, nothing is so proper to God as mercy and beneficence; and he is to be imitated by us. Eighth, the poor lie hidden under the special care and providence of God, as Scripture testifies. Ninth, because on the day of judgment the elect will be assigned to heaven on account of alms given, the reprobate to hell on account of them neglected." St. Augustine, whenever the Church's money was lacking, announced this to the people, that he had nothing to distribute to the poor: for he also ordered the vessels of the Lord to be broken on account of captives and other needy persons, and to be distributed to them, as Possidius says in his Life, chapter XXIV. Placilla, the wife of the Emperor Theodosius, with her own hand cared for the poor and the sick; and when some wished to turn her away from them, she answered: "It is fitting for an Emperor to distribute gold; but I, for the empire itself, ought to offer this work to him who gave it: " Theodoret is witness, book V of History, chapter XVIII. Acacius, Bishop of Amida, in order to redeem seven thousand Persian captives who were poor, sold the sacred vessels, saying to his clergy: "Our God needs neither dishes nor cups; wherefore it is fitting that these be distributed to his afflicted soldiers: " Socrates is witness, book VII, chapter XXI. Theophilus also: "It is better," he says, "to restore the bodies of the sick, which are truly temples of God, than to build temples of stone." Thus Sozomenus, book VIII, chapter XII.
15:12
12. IN THE SEVENTH YEAR YOU SHALL LET HIM GO FREE, — reckoning namely the seventh year not from the sale of the slave, but from the year of remission, which was the status and common to all.
15:17
17. HE SHALL SERVE YOU FOREVER, — that is, until the jubilee, after which another and new age as it were followed. It is clear from what has been said in Exodus chapter XXI, verse 6.
YOU SHALL DO LIKEWISE TO A MAIDSERVANT, — namely by giving her provisions, but not by piercing her ear, as Abulensis says: for a Hebrew maidservant was not held as a slave, but when she came of age, she ought either to be taken as a wife by her master, or by the master's son, or be let go free: but if she did not wish it, but preferred to remain in the master's house as a slave, her ear was pierced, as Cajetan says, equally as for a slave. See what has been said in Exodus XXI, 7.
15:18
Symbolically, the slave and maidservant are anger and cupidity: these throughout the whole week of years, that is, throughout the whole life, must serve and be subjected to reason, until the sabbath, or the seventh year of blessed impassibility; for then anger will be let go as free, when it shall be transformed into spiritual fervor; and cupidity will be converted into divine love and delight: thus Cyril in Collections from Deuteronomy.
18. THOU SHALT NOT TURN AWAY THY EYES FROM THEM, WHEN THOU LETTEST THEM GO FREE. — In Hebrew, Chaldean and Septuagint, thou shalt not be grieved in thy eyes, when thou lettest him go, that is, it shall not be troublesome to thee to let the servant go, and to help him with provisions for his journey. Allegorically Cyril, book VII On Adoration, page 137: Before Christ, he says, Israel was bound by the spirit of servitude, subject to the punishing law: but after the seventh year of remission, namely in the time of grace, when Emmanuel shone forth, we were given freedom and adoption as sons, with provisions given, namely the body and blood of the Lord, in the Eucharist.
BECAUSE HE HATH SERVED THEE SIX YEARS ACCORDING TO THE WAGES OF A HIRELING. — The Chaldean, Vatablus and other recent interpreters translate it, because he hath served thee six years with double wages of a hireling. Which the Hebrews explain to mean that the wages of a servant who was a servant for six years are called double, because hirelings among the Hebrews let out their labour for only three years: but this servant served six years, therefore he served in double measure, and deserved it. But the Septuagint for double wages translates emmisthon prosthin, that is, annual wages, so that the Hebrew misne is derived, not from scheni, that is second, but from schana, that is year, as if to say, For six years, with annual wages thou hast served me: which Our version equally translates with full meaning, because he hath served thee six years according to the wages of a hireling. The sense therefore is this: the servant served thee for six years as a hireling, to whom thou shouldest have paid annual wages each year, yet he received nothing during six years; it is therefore just that in his place, in the seventh year, thou shouldest free him, with some grain for his journey.
15:19
19. THOU SHALT NOT WORK WITH THE FIRSTBORN OF THY BULLOCK, — because this firstborn is owed to God, and it is unjust that from an animal of God, and his first fruits, thou shouldest take either the first labours, or the wool. NEITHER SHALT THOU SHEAR THE FIRSTLINGS OF THY SHEEP, — but with its wool thou shalt bring them to the priest, so that thou mayest give both the wool and the sheep to God, that is to the priest in God's stead. Tropologically St. Gregory, book VIII of Morals, XXXIV: "Moses here, he says, forbade the life of those beginning to be exercised in human occupations: to work with the firstborn of a bullock is indeed to show the beginnings of good conduct in the exercise of public action; to shear the firstlings of sheep is to strip from the covering of their hiddenness the good works we begin in the sight of human eyes. When therefore our life begins something simple and innocent, it is fitting that it should not leave the veils of its secrecy, lest it show this naked to human eyes as if with the fleece removed."
15:20
20. THOU SHALT EAT THEM BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD. — "Thou shalt eat," thou namely, O priest; for here there is a change of person: for Moses turns his discourse from those offering to the priests, whose it was to eat the firstborn; for to these alone did they pertain, as is clearly evident from Numbers XVIII, 17. Thus Abulensis. Moreover God here commands them to be eaten in a holy place, namely in the court of the temple, because he had commanded the same to be offered to him in the temple with their blood poured out and their fat burned, as was done in a peace offering, as is evident from Numbers XVIII, 17: "Because they are sanctified, he says, to the Lord, thou shalt pour out their blood only upon the altar, and thou shalt burn the fat for a most sweet odour to the Lord." After the immolation of the peace offering, however, the flesh of the same was to be eaten by those offering in the same place, namely in the court of the temple; for every victim, because sanctified to God, was to be eaten in a holy place, as is evident from Leviticus VI, 16, and chapter VII, verse 6. This law and phrase signifies the same thing: "Thou shalt feast before the Lord," that is, in the court of the temple, namely from peace offerings and other oblations. Whence it is repeated again and again in Deuteronomy XII, 12, and 18, and XIV, 26, and chapter XVI, verses 11 and 14, and chapter XXVII, 7. Where it is said: "Thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there and feast before the Lord thy God." Therefore on account of the similarity of the firstborn with a peace offering, God commands in like manner that the priests, to whom by divine law the firstborn fell, should offer the same to God in the temple, and after the oblation eat the same there, so that this eating might be the consummation and completion of the oblation similar to a peace sacrifice. God therefore sanctifies them, as it were holy, to be eaten by holy priests in a holy place, especially because the priests dwelt near the temple, as its perpetual guardians and ministers: but the Levites were scattered throughout all the cities of Judaea to teach the people. From what has been said it is clear that Cajetan does not rightly take the firstborn improperly for first fruits, and flesh separated to God for a sacred feast.
15:21
21 and 22. BUT IF IT HAVE A BLEMISH, OR BE LAME, etc., IT SHALL NOT BE IMMOLATED, etc. BUT THOU SHALT EAT IT IN THE GATES OF THY CITY. — If the firstborn animal had a blemish, or were lame, blind, maimed, it could not be immolated, but was to be redeemed by paying a price to the priests: then it could be eaten by laymen in any place. Thus Abulensis.
The Mystical Sense Mystically see Rabanus, who is throughout here, equally as through the rest of Holy Scripture, mystical and moral. Whence from him the Ordinary Gloss was in great part compiled.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
15:1
… In Deut. 15:1-11, on the other hand, the seventh year is spoken of as a period of remission and general cancellation of debts. …
15:3
… Both the Hebrew ἀδ. and the Greek ἀδελφός, as appears from the many sacred and profane texts, can indicate: a) a brother in the true and proper sense (Gen. 4, 8; Mt. 4, 21; 17, 1, etc.); b) a blood relative of any degree (Gen. 13, 18; 28, 2; I Par. 23, 21); c) a neighbor (Deut. 15, 3; Ios. 22, 2; Iudc. 1, 3; Ier. 7, 15; Rom. 9, 3; Iac. 1, 9; Plato, Men., 8, 239; Xenophon, Anab., 7, 2, 25, 38). Therefore the question arises: in what sense do the Evangelists use …
15:9
… "wicked" (II Sam. 23, 6; Iob. 34, 18) or "destroyer" (Nah. 2, 1), taking on a concrete sense, as a noun or adjective. B. expresses moral evil, and is applied to everything (things, thoughts, actions) that tends toward it or proceeds from it (Deut. 15, 9; Ps. 40, 9; 100, 3; Nah. 1, 11; I Sam. 20, 10 Septuagint; perhaps II Sam. 22, 5 [Vulgate Belial] and Ps. 17[18], 5 Vulgate: torrentes iniquitatis, where many see in b. the šē'ōl. …
15:11
… The Old Testament contains it expressly, for example, in Deut. 15:11; Tob. 4:7-12; Ps. 40:1-4; it proclaims blessed the one who comes to the aid of the poor (cf., for example, Ps. 111:5-9; Prov. 14:21; 22:9); it affirms that almsgiving obtains all graces, …
15:12
… The year of remission also entailed the liberation of Hebrew slaves (Deut. 15, 12). Israel, a slave, had been liberated by the Lord (v. oō'ēl) and the example of God was to be followed by his faithful.
… Indeed, he was required to grant freedom to his fellow-countrymen slaves after six years of service, assuring them a minimum essential for living (Lev. 25:39-54; Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12-18). The slave was permitted to renounce his freedom; in that case he remained the property of the master (Ex. 21:5, 6). Freedom could also be regained through flight (Deut. 23:16 ff.) …
15:19
later than Deut. 15:19-23 itself, where the flesh of the firstborn offered in a peace sacrifice was consumed, for their allotted portion, by the offerers themselves. …
… destined for pagan worship, the precept of Lev. 22, 28 and of Ex. 23, 19; 34, 26; Deut. 14, 21 and Deut. 22, 6. d) Bēkhōrōth "first-born", in 9 chapters: it concerns the precepts of Ex. 13, 2.12 f.; 34, 19 f.; Lev. 27, 26 f.; Num. 8, 16 f.; 18, 15 f. and Deut. 15, 19 f. e) 'Arākhīn "valuations": concerning vows (Lev. 25, 25 f.; 17, 2-20) and the persons who make the vows. f) Tēmūrāth "exchange", 7 chapters: substitution in the offering of animals …
15:22
… At the express request of his people, Yahweh institutes prophetism (Deut. 15, 22; v. A. Clamer, in h. l., in L. Pirot, La ste Bible, II [1946], pp. 633-35). Again out of condescension, to remove them from the temptation to turn to soothsayers and mediums (I …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.