Leviticus 25 40

Leviticus 25:40 kjv

But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee.

Leviticus 25:40 nkjv

As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:40 niv

They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:40 esv

he shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee.

Leviticus 25:40 nlt

Treat him instead as a hired worker or as a temporary resident who lives with you, and he will serve you only until the Year of Jubilee.

Leviticus 25 verses

Leviticus 25 40 Meaning

Leviticus 25:40 establishes a foundational principle for Israelites who, due to extreme poverty, might be compelled to sell themselves into servitude. The verse mandates that such an individual is not to be treated as a permanent chattel slave, but rather as a temporary hired worker or resident alien. This temporary status is strictly defined: their servitude can only extend "until the year of the Jubilee," at which point they are to be released and returned to their families, signifying that their service is a limited contractual arrangement, not an indefinite ownership. This ensures their dignity, prevents perpetual debt bondage among fellow Israelites, and underscores God's ultimate ownership over all His people and the land.

Leviticus 25 40 Context

Leviticus 25 is a crucial chapter outlining God's economic and social laws for the people of Israel, primarily focusing on the Sabbatical Year (every seventh year) and the Jubilee Year (every fiftieth year). These laws served to prevent permanent disparities and ensure societal balance within the Promised Land. The chapter begins with laws regarding the land resting in the Sabbatical Year (vv. 1-7) and culminates in the radical provisions of the Jubilee Year (vv. 8-12), including the return of ancestral lands to their original families and the release of all Israelite bondservants.

Verses 35-55 specifically address the treatment of impoverished Israelites. In a society without formal welfare systems, selling oneself into servitude was a means of survival. This section clarifies that while such temporary servitude was permitted, it was strictly regulated to maintain the dignity and ultimate freedom of the Israelite brother or sister. They were not to be treated as typical slaves from foreign nations, whose bondage could be permanent. The historical context reveals a sharp contrast with the surrounding Near Eastern cultures, where chattel slavery was often brutal and without an inherent end-date based on lineage. Israel's laws were designed to reflect their identity as God's redeemed people, brought out of slavery in Egypt, and thus committed to showing justice and mercy, especially to fellow covenant members. This verse, therefore, emphasizes the humane and temporary nature of any servitude among Israelites, leading inevitably to their freedom in the Jubilee.

Leviticus 25 40 Word Analysis

This analysis will focus on the standard Hebrew Masoretic Text of Leviticus 25:40: "כִּי כְשָׂכִיר כְּתוֹשָׁב יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ עַד־שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל יֵצֵא מֵעִמָּךְ׃" (For as a hired worker, as a sojourner he shall be with you; until the year of the Jubilee he shall go out from you.)

• כִּי (kî): "For," "But," "Indeed." Introduces an explanation, emphasis, or a new clause. Here, it signifies the basis for the subsequent instruction regarding the treatment of an impoverished Israelite.

• כְשָׂכִיר (ḵəśāḵîr): "as a hired worker/servant." Derived from שָׂכִיר (śāḵîr), meaning one who works for wages or is hired. This term implies a contractual relationship for labor, limited in duration and scope, distinct from permanent ownership. It immediately elevates the status of the bondservant from that of chattel.

• כְּתוֹשָׁב (kətôšāḇ): "as a sojourner/resident alien." Derived from תּוֹשָׁב (tôšāḇ), referring to a temporary resident in a place, not a native. Like the "hired worker," this term emphasizes non-permanence and limited integration into the permanent household structure of the master. Both terms together signify a status akin to an indentured servant or employee rather than property.

• יִהְיֶה (yihyeh): "he shall be." The verb הָיָה (hāyāh) signifies existence, state of being, or occurrence. It underscores the commanded manner in which this person must exist within the household – as a temporary, respected individual.

• עִמָּךְ (ʿimmāḵ): "with you." The preposition עִם (ʿim) indicates companionship, presence alongside, or participation. This contrasts sharply with treating someone merely as an object or property; it implies a relationship of being together, albeit in different roles, highlighting mutual respect and shared humanity within the covenant community.

• עַד־שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל (ʿaḏ šənaṯ hayyôḇēl): "until the year of the Jubilee."

  • עַד (ʿaḏ): "until," "up to." A crucial temporal marker, setting a definitive end-point.
  • שְׁנַת (šənaṯ): "year of."
  • הַיֹּבֵל (hayyôḇēl): "the Jubilee." From יֹבֵל (yōḇēl), literally "ram's horn," referring to the trumpet blown to announce the 50th year, consecrated as a year of liberation and restoration (Lev 25:10). This specifies the ultimate term limit for their servitude, ensuring freedom and return to ancestral family and property.

• יֵצֵא (yēṣēʾ): "he shall go out." The verb יָצָא (yāṣāʾ) means to go out, come forth, depart. This is the definitive action in the Jubilee year – their release, not merely a change in terms of service but a complete exit from servitude.

• מֵעִמָּךְ (mēʿimmāḵ): "from you." From מִן (min) "from" + עִמָּךְ "with you." It completes the picture of liberation – they are to depart from the household of their master.

• Phrase Analysis: "כְשָׂכִיר כְּתוֹשָׁב יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ" (as a hired worker, as a sojourner he shall be with you): This phrase profoundly limits the nature of Israelite-Israelite servitude. It defines it as temporary and relational, rather than ownership-based. It sets the standard for how they must relate to the person they are employing in a period of economic hardship – as a person with rights and a guaranteed future, not a permanent chattel. The repeated "as a..." stresses the desired mindset of the master.

• Phrase Analysis: "עַד־שְׁנַת הַיֹּבֵל יֵצֵא מֵעִמָּךְ" (until the year of the Jubilee he shall go out from you): This forms the core of the Jubilee's promise of liberty for those in servitude. It underscores the ultimate and divine right to freedom that cannot be negated by any human contract or economic distress. The phrase emphatically points to the release and return, reinforcing the concept that God's people are His servants, and not permanent bondservants to one another.

• Regarding the User Provided Hebrew Fragment ("יתנושׁשׁ בּעבוֹדתה"): It is important to note that the standard Masoretic Text for Leviticus 25:40 ends with "יֵצֵא מֵעִמָּךְ" ("he shall go out from you"). The fragment "יתנושׁשׁ בּעבוֹדתה" is not found in standard editions of Leviticus 25:40. If this phrase were to be present, "יתנושׁשׁ" (from a possible root נשש - nashash) could imply weakening or decaying in service, which is a less direct or more obscure meaning for "serve." "בּעבוֹדתה" (with her/its service) would further complicate its interpretation within the typical context. It is possible this reflects a rare textual variant, an interpretative gloss in some ancient traditions, or a conflation with another verse (e.g., Lev 25:53 where עֲבֹדָה - service/labor - appears in reference to hired workers, or a general conceptual translation to "he shall serve"). However, based on the overwhelmingly supported standard text, the climax of the verse for an Israelite servant is "he shall go out" (release). The intent of some English translations in adding "he shall serve with you" before "until the year of the Jubilee" (e.g., ESV, NIV) is to explicitly connect the preceding "as a hired worker" status to their temporary labor, even if the final Hebrew verb specifically highlights their going out.

Leviticus 25 40 Bonus Section

The economic structure established in Leviticus, particularly through the Jubilee, represents a form of social security and redistributive justice unlike any other ancient law code. It acknowledges the inevitability of economic hardship but provides a systemic means to mitigate its long-term, devastating effects. The principle here is that even when economic circumstances lead to severe measures like temporary self-servitude, such conditions do not erase one's identity as a free person under God or their connection to their familial heritage. This foresight built a foundation for long-term societal stability by regularly recalibrating wealth and property distribution, thereby minimizing social unrest caused by vast, perpetual disparities. The concept of the "hired worker" (śāḵîr) also subtly introduces the idea of a just wage, even for someone in dire straits, reinforcing fair compensation rather than exploitative labor. While specific ancient Israelite economic practices are not directly transferable to modern societies, the underlying principles of dignity, periodic debt relief, compassionate treatment of the poor, and the affirmation of divine ownership of all things (including human life) remain profoundly relevant in discussions of justice and economic ethics within Christian thought.

Leviticus 25 40 Commentary

Leviticus 25:40 articulates a cornerstone of Yahweh's compassionate law, contrasting sharply with the harsh realities of ancient Near Eastern servitude. By declaring that an Israelite brother, even if sold into bond-service due to dire poverty, must be treated "as a hired worker and as a sojourner," God establishes a profound standard of human dignity and respect within the covenant community. This provision inherently limits the master's authority, disallowing the typical brutal exploitation associated with permanent slavery. The temporary status underscores that the person is fundamentally a human being made in God's image, not a piece of property.

The defining characteristic of this limited servitude is its endpoint: "until the year of the Jubilee." The Jubilee year, occurring every fiftieth year, was a divinely ordained mechanism of radical socio-economic restoration. It served as a reminder that the land ultimately belonged to God (Lev 25:23), and the Israelites themselves were His servants, whom He redeemed from Egypt (Lev 25:42, 55). Therefore, no Israelite could be permanently enslaved by another, as their primary master was the Lord Himself. This law protected against the accumulation of perpetual wealth by a few, the permanent impoverishment of others, and the breakdown of tribal land inheritances, thus preventing generational destitution and preserving the social fabric of the nation. It embodied a deep theological principle: human freedom is a gift from God, reflected in the communal life of His redeemed people.

Practically, this meant empathy and restraint for the master. It meant recognizing that a fellow Israelite, though economically disadvantaged, retained full human rights and would ultimately regain full social and economic standing. This precept mirrors God's own character of justice and mercy and His act of freeing Israel from their own bondage in Egypt, becoming a model for how they should treat each other. For Christians, this echoes Christ's work, who liberates us from the slavery of sin and fear (Rom 6:17-18; Heb 2:14-15), reminding us to treat all people, especially the vulnerable, with grace and respect, for all are ultimately God's creatures (Gal 5:1).