“If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 21:2 Mean?
"If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing." The very first case law after the Ten Commandments addresses slavery — specifically, limiting it. A Hebrew servant serves six years maximum and goes free in the seventh. The first application of the principles is a freedom regulation.
The seventh-year release mirrors the sabbath principle: six days of work, seventh day of rest. Six years of service, seventh year of freedom. The sabbath rhythm extends from the weekly cycle to the economic cycle. The liberation is built into the calendar.
The phrase "for nothing" (chinnam — freely, without payment) means the released servant owes nothing for their freedom. No buyout. No debt repayment. No final fee. The freedom is free. The release comes as a right, not as a purchase. After six years, you simply walk away — owing nothing.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Why is the limitation of slavery God's very first case law after the commandments?
- 2.How does the sabbath pattern (six and seven) extend from the weekly cycle to economic structures?
- 3.What systems in your life are designed to retain people rather than release them?
- 4.What does 'free for nothing' teach about freedom as a right rather than a purchase?
Devotional
The first case law is about limiting slavery. Before God addresses theft, injury, or property damage — He addresses freedom. The very first application of the commandments is: there's a limit to how long you can hold someone. The seventh year, they go free. For nothing.
The priority is the principle: freedom matters first. In a world where slavery was universal, permanent, and unquestioned, God's first case law says: six years, then free. The regulation doesn't abolish slavery (the ancient economy couldn't absorb that), but it radically limits it. The limit is the revolution.
The sabbath pattern is unmistakable: six and seven. Work and rest. Service and freedom. The rhythm that governs the week now governs the economic structure. You can't hold someone forever because the seventh-year release is built into the system. The calendar itself produces liberation.
The 'for nothing' is the economic miracle: the servant doesn't have to buy their freedom. They don't work off a debt in the seventh year. They simply go free. The freedom is a right, not a purchase. After six years of service, the servant walks away owing nothing — because the system was designed to release, not to retain.
What systems in your life are designed to retain rather than release? What seventh-year freedom are you denying someone — or being denied? God's first case law says: there's a limit. There's a release. And it costs nothing.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
If thou buy an Hebrew servant,.... Who sells himself either through poverty, or rather is sold because of his theft, see…
A Hebrew might be sold as a bondman in consequence either of debt Lev 25:39 or of the commission of theft Exo 22:3. But…
If thou buy a Hebrew servant - Calmet enumerates six different ways in which a Hebrew might lose his liberty:
1. In…
The first verse is the general title of the laws contained in this and the two following chapters, some of them relating…
The law of slavery. Cf. Deu 15:12-18; Lev 25:39-55 (H and P), where there are other regulations on the same subject, in…
Cross References
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