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what problems in ancient israelite society might these debt laws have been trying to solve?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Deuteronomy 15:1-2

At the end of every seven years you shall make a release. This is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because Yahweh’s release has been proclaimed.

This passage is part of the Deuteronomic law collection, presented as Moses's farewell address to the Israelites on the plains of Moab before entering the promised land. It outlines principles for establishing a just society, including a series of laws about debt, servitude, and the treatment of the poor.

What systems or practices in our own society might benefit from a periodic re-evaluation for release or forgiveness?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 25:8-12

    Describes the Year of Jubilee, a broader release of land and slaves every 50 years, expanding on the principle of release.

  • Nehemiah 5:1-13

    Illustrates a real-life crisis of debt and oppression among the returned exiles, leading to a call for debt release and restoration.

  • Matthew 6:12

    Jesus includes 'forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors' in the Lord's Prayer, showing a spiritual dimension of release.

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