Deuteronomy 15:3 · Bible study
Deuteronomy 15:3 Commentary: Debt Release
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Israel's debt-release law treat foreigners differently from fellow Israelites?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Distinguishes between debt owed by a foreigner (nokri) and a brother Israelite (ach) in the sabbatical year release.
- Key words: nokri (foreigner), ach (brother), shamat (release), nagas (press/exact), yad (hand).
- Main debate: Whether the distinction applies to the New Covenant church as a literal command or only as a principle of special obligation toward fellow believers.
- Theological theme: Covenant community obligations and God’s provision for the poor.
- Best use: Teaching on Christian charity and the special responsibility toward the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release.
KJV King James Version 1769
Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it: but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
of the stranger thou mayest exact, and that which is thine with thy brother doth thy hand release;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Of the foreigner thou mayest demand it; but what is thine with thy brother thy hand shall release;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Of the foreigner or stranger thou mayst exact it: of thy countryman and neighbour thou shalt not have power to demand it again.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Del extranjero demandarás el reintegro: mas lo que tu hermano tuviere tuyo, lo perdonará tu mano;
Do estrangeiro exigirás o pagamento: mas o que teu irmão tiver teu, o perdoará tua mão;
Tu pourras presser l’ étranger; mais tu te relâcheras de ton droit pour ce qui t’ appartiendra chez ton frère.
Von einem Fremden magst du es einmahnen; aber dem, der dein Bruder ist, sollst du es erlassen.
Den vreemde zult gij manen; maar wat gij bij uw broeder hebt, zal uw hand vrijlaten;
Potrai esigerlo dallo straniero; ma quanto a ciò che il tuo fratello avrà del tuo, sospenderai il tuo diritto.
Od obcego wyciągać dług możesz: ale cobyś miał u brata twego, odpuści mu ręka twoja:
с иноземца взыскивай, а что будет твое у брата твоего, прости.
若借給 外邦人，你可以向他追討；但借給 你弟兄，無論是 甚麼，你要鬆手 豁免了。
A man of another nation may be forced to make payment of his debt, but if your brother has anything of yours, let it go;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Deuteronomy 15:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree the verse draws a boundary around the covenant community. The foreigner (nokri) stands outside Israel's family structure and therefore does not share in the sabbatical release. Keil and Delitzsch note that nokri is a stranger of another nation, distinct from the ger (sojourner) who lived among Israel and had claims on their protection. Barnes adds that the year of release was likely a suspension of collection for the year, not a total cancellation, and applied only to loans made because of poverty, not all debts. Calvin argues the exception is not harsh but reasonable: foreigners could earn income in the seventh year as in any other, so they had no claim to the sabbatical privilege. All agree the law aims to prevent the permanent ruin of a needy Israelite, not to express hostility toward outsiders. It reflects the principle that obligations within the covenant family are deeper than those toward outsiders, a pattern echoed in the New Testament (Galatians 6:10; 1 Corinthians 6:1, 7).
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical: Applies strictly to the theocratic nation of Israel during the sabbatical year; foreigners are not part of the covenant community and therefore are not included in the release.
- Covenantal/typological: The pattern of deeper obligation to fellow believers is a principle applicable to the New Covenant church; the release prefigures spiritual forgiveness within the household of faith (Gill, with support from Galatians 6:10 and Matthew 6:12).
What is clear: The verse commands a different treatment of debt between Israelites and foreigners during the sabbatical year release, grounded in the covenant relationship of brotherhood.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'foreigner' | Commentators agree <em>nokri</em> refers to a non-Israelite stranger outside the covenant, distinct from the <em>ger</em> (sojourner). | Some argue the <em>ger</em> is also exempt from collection because he shares in the sabbatical rest; others say only the Israelite brother is exempt. |
| Scope of the release | All agree the sabbatical debt release applies within the covenant community to prevent permanent poverty. | Barnes suggests the release was a suspension for the year, not a full cancellation. Others (e.g., some Jewish commentators) see it as a permanent forgiveness. |
| Application for today | Christians agree the text shows a special obligation to fellow believers, as in Galatians 6:10. | Some apply the release as a literal periodic practice; others treat it as a principle of generous, ungrudging forgiveness within the church. |
| Relationship to the Jubilee | Both institutions aim to prevent permanent loss of family land and chain of poverty. | Lange links the debt release closely to the Jubilee as part of the same Sabbath system; Barnes treats them as distinct provisions. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Deuteronomy 15:3 sits within the law of the sabbatical year, an institution rooted in Exodus 23:10, 11 and Leviticus 25. Every seventh year the land was to rest, and debts were to be released, or, more precisely, collection was suspended for that year (Barnes suggests the release was temporary, not absolute). The Hebrew term shamat (to release, let drop) carries the sense of letting the hand go slack, a physical image of loosening one's grip on what is owed.
The verse distinguishes two categories of people: the nokri (a foreigner, not a resident alien) and the ach (brother, fellow Israelite). The nokri had no share in the land allotment or the covenant promises; they did not participate in the sabbatical rest of the land and so could still earn income that year. Keil and Delitzsch explain that requiring payment from a foreigner was simply the normal right of a creditor, no hardship, because foreigners were not affected by the agricultural rest. The ger (sojourner), by contrast, was a resident alien who lived under Israel's protection and was included in the sabbatical provisions (Deuteronomy 14:29; 26:12, 13).
The economic backdrop is the land itself. God gave Canaan to Israel as an inheritance; no family was to lose its portion permanently. Debts that forced a sale of land were to be redeemed by a kinsman (Leviticus 25:23, 28). The sabbatical debt release functioned as a periodic reset, preventing cycles of poverty from destroying families. The law did not forbid collecting from a foreigner because that would not undermine the land-based covenant structure. The distinction thus preserves both justice and mercy: it protects the poor brother from being swallowed by debt while not imposing a system that would unfairly disadvantage the Israelite creditor dealing with outsiders.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts, and the sense is clear.
Reception History
Christian interpreters have long seen in this verse a pattern for the church’s care of its own. Calvin read the distinction as rooted in the covenant: foreigners are not bound by the law, so they gain no claim to its remission. Matthew Henry and the Geneva Bible emphasize the family obligation among Israelites, applying it to Christian charity toward “the household of faith.” Gill allegorized the verse, equating the brother with God’s elect and the foreigner with the unconverted, an interpretive move that shaped Puritan preaching. In the modern period, the passage is often used to support the principle that the church has a heightened duty of care for its members, while not requiring believers to forgo normal business practice with outsiders. Cross-references such as Galatians 6:10 and 1 Corinthians 6:1, 7 continue to anchor this reading in New Testament ethics.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The covenant creates a family. The word “brother” (ach) appears repeatedly in Deuteronomy 15, reminding Israel that their relationship with God binds them to one another with obligations deeper than mere contract. The release is not charity; it is family duty.
- The release reflects God’s grace. The year of release is called “Yahweh’s release” (v.2). It is not a human invention but a public proclamation of the Lord’s ownership of the land and His care for the poor. Forgiving a brother’s debt mirrors the forgiveness God grants His people.
- The warning against a hard heart. Verses 7, 9 warn against a stingy spirit when the seventh year draws near. The command to release is not merely legal; it tests the heart’s trust in God’s blessing. Refusing to release shows disbelief in God’s provision.
Five-point outline
- Covenantal boundaries: “brother” defines the circle of special obligation.
- The foreigner exception: God permits collection from outsiders because they do not share the covenant context.
- God’s provision: the release prevents permanent poverty and demonstrates that Yahweh is the ultimate provider.
- The heart test: the law is designed to expose greed and cultivate generosity.
- Promise of blessing: obedience to the release command brings God’s blessing on all work (v.10).
Illustration hooks
- A man hesitates to lend to a church member because the sabbatical year is approaching. The passage confronts that hesitation with a call to trust God’s blessing.
- A parent who forgives a child’s loan but expects a neighbor to repay the same amount, the text explains why the difference makes sense within a covenant family.
- A church faces a decision about forgiving a debt owed by one of its own families. The passage grounds that decision in the identity of the church as God’s household.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this law require me to forgive every debt owed by a fellow Christian, or does it only apply to loans made because of extreme poverty?
- How do we apply the foreigner distinction today, can a Christian business owner require payment from a non-Christian while forgiving a debt to a Christian?
- Is the year of release meant to be a literal, periodic practice or a principle of regular generosity?
Leading a Discussion
This verse draws a sharp line between how we treat those inside and outside our covenant family. It challenges us to consider the special obligations we have to fellow believers, and what it means to trust God as the ultimate provider. As you read Deuteronomy 15:1, 11 together, pay attention to both the commands and the motivations behind them.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What exactly does verse 3 command about foreigners? About brothers?
- Observation: Look at verse 2, what does it mean that the release is called “Yahweh’s release”?
- Interpretation: Why do you think God made this distinction between Israelites and foreigners? What does it teach about Israel’s identity as a covenant community?
- Interpretation: How does the warning in verse 9 (“Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart”) show that the law is about more than money?
- Application: In what ways might we treat fellow church members differently from outsiders when it comes to financial matters? Should we?
- Application: How does the principle of this passage connect to Galatians 6:10 (“do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith”)?
- Application: Is there a debt, financial or relational, you have been unwilling to release? What would it look like to trust God’s blessing and let it go?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 22:25 | “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor. You shall not charge him interest. |
| Deuteronomy 23:20 | You may charge a foreigner interest; but you shall not charge your brother interest, that Yahweh your God may bless you in all that you put your hand to, in the land where you go in to possess it. |
| Matthew 17:25 | He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?” |
| Matthew 17:26 | Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt. |
| John 8:35 | A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. A son remains forever. |
| I Corinthians 6:6 | But brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers! |
| I Corinthians 6:7 | Therefore it is already altogether a defect in you that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? |
| Galatians 6:10 | So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes clarifies that the release of debts in the sabbatical year was only a temporary suspension for that year, not a permanent cancellation, and applied exclusively to loans made because of poverty. He resolves the apparent contradiction between verses about no poor and always poor by explaining that the release is only required when a poor person is involved.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights that God allowed the Israelites to demand payment from foreigners during the sabbatical year because it was not fair for those who rejected God's law to enjoy the same privilege as His chosen people. He then notes that the following verse about there being no beggar among them has been interpreted in two main ways: either as a command to prevent poverty among fellow Israelites or as a promise of blessing for obedience.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge commentary notes that the Hebrew word used here for "foreigner" is a specific term distinct from both a fellow Israelite and the resident alien who lived among Israel. This foreigner was an outsider from a distant nation, not a settler within
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note explains that this law distinguishes between a foreigner and a fellow Israelite regarding debts. A debt from a stranger could still be collected, but what a brother owed was to be completely forgiven and released.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a spiritual parallel: just as Israel forgave debts to fellow Israelites but could exact them from foreigners, so God grants full forgiveness only to His own chosen, redeemed, and humble people. Those who are self-righteous and see no spiritual need are like foreigners who receive no such release.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws a clear distinction between spiritual and civil status: foreign proselytes were freely granted full religious privileges in Israel, but this spiritual incorporation did not automatically extend to equal civil rights or privileges.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch draw a sharp distinction between the foreigner passing through and the resident alien who belongs to the community. They argue that the law allows Israel to collect debts from foreigners even in the sabbatical year, not from hostility but because such foreigners could still earn their living that year like any other.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads these laws as a progressive unfolding of the Sabbath-idea: release for debts, freedom for slaves, and consecration of the firstborn all move toward the same rest God intended. The feasts then complete this pattern, turning Sabbath rest into joyful celebration of redemption. For him the whole section is about time itself being sanctified to the Lord.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that the release of debts every seventh year is called "the Lord's release," meaning God claims it as His own institution. He sees the law as a test of faith: a generous heart must not hold back from lending even when the release year is near, trusting God's blessing over human calculation. For Henry, the command checks both stinginess and unbelief.