Lexical Summary shemittah: Release, remission, sabbatical year Original Word: שְׁמִטָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance release From shamat; remission (of debt) or suspension of labor) -- release. see HEBREW shamat NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shamat Definition a letting drop, a (temporary) remitting NASB Translation remission (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁמִטָּה noun feminine a letting drop of exactions, a (temporary) remitting: ׳תַּעֲשֶׂה שׁ Deuteronomy 15:1(at end of seven years), Deuteronomy 15:2 ׳לי ׳כִּי קָרָא שׁ; whence seventh year is ׳שְׁנַת הַשּׁ Deuteronomy 15:9; Deuteronomy 31:10. שְׁמִירָמוֺת see below שֵׁם. p. 1029. Topical Lexicon Meaning and ConceptShᵉmittah designates “release” or “remission,” specifically the cancellation of debts at the close of each seven-year cycle. Although the cognate root is used for letting the land lie fallow (Exodus 23:10-11), the noun 8059 appears only five times and always concerns debt-release. Biblical Legislation Deuteronomy 15:1-2 sets the statute: “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of the release: Every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor”. The command is reaffirmed in Deuteronomy 15:9, warning against begrudging the needy as the seventh year approaches, and in Deuteronomy 31:10, where Moses ties the public reading of the Law at Tabernacles to “the year of canceling debts.” Thus the ordinance is woven into Israel’s civic, economic, and liturgical rhythm. Social and Economic Implications 1. Poverty Alleviation: By erasing personal loans, Shᵉmittah prevented perpetual servitude and systemic poverty (Deuteronomy 15:4-5). Spiritual and Theological Themes • Sabbath Principle Extended: As the weekly Sabbath sanctified time and the land Sabbath sanctified soil, Shᵉmittah sanctified social relationships by interrupting profit cycles. Historical Observance and Consequences of Neglect The prophets imply Israel’s inconsistent practice. Jeremiah’s generation made a brief attempt to emancipate Hebrew slaves in a Shᵉmittah context but quickly reneged (Jeremiah 34:8-17). Chronicler theology links the seventy-year Babylonian exile to Israel’s failure to honor sabbatical years (2 Chronicles 36:21), suggesting cumulative judgment for ignoring both land rest and debt release. Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions Sabbatical patterns foreshadow ultimate restoration. Isaiah 61:1-2, echoed by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19, proclaims “freedom for the captives” and “the year of the LORD’s favor,” language reminiscent of Shᵉmittah and Jubilee. These rhythms anticipate the consummate liberation of creation (Romans 8:21). Connection with the Jubilee Every seventh Shᵉmittah culminated in the fiftieth-year Jubilee (Leviticus 25), when land returned to ancestral families. Shᵉmittah provided the financial reset; Jubilee added territorial restoration, together portraying comprehensive redemption. Principles Applied in the New Covenant While Christians are not under Mosaic civil law, the apostolic writings urge voluntary generosity grounded in the same ethos: • Forgive as forgiven (Matthew 6:12). These exhortations echo Shᵉmittah’s spirit of release. Contemporary Ministry Applications 1. Debt Relief Initiatives: Churches facilitate benevolence funds, medical debt retirement, and micro-loans, embodying tangible grace. Key References Deuteronomy 15:1; Deuteronomy 15:2; Deuteronomy 15:9; Deuteronomy 31:10; Jeremiah 34:8-17; 2 Chronicles 36:21; Luke 4:18-19; Colossians 2:14. Forms and Transliterations הַשְּׁמִטָּ֖ה הַשְּׁמִטָּה֒ השמטה שְׁמִטָּ֖ה שְׁמִטָּֽה׃ שמטה שמטה׃ haš·šə·miṭ·ṭāh hashshemitTah haššəmiṭṭāh šə·miṭ·ṭāh šəmiṭṭāh shemitTahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 15:1 HEB: שָׁנִ֖ים תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה שְׁמִטָּֽה׃ NAS: you shall grant a remission [of debts]. KJV: years thou shalt make a release. INT: years shall grant A remission Deuteronomy 15:2 Deuteronomy 15:2 Deuteronomy 15:9 Deuteronomy 31:10 5 Occurrences |