Leviticus 25:43
New International Version
Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God.

New Living Translation
Show your fear of God by not treating them harshly.

English Standard Version
You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.

Berean Standard Bible
You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.

King James Bible
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

New King James Version
You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God.

New American Standard Bible
You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.

NASB 1995
‘You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.

NASB 1977
‘You shall not rule over him with severity, but are to revere your God.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not have dominion over him with brutality, but you shall fear your God.

Amplified Bible
You shall not rule over him with harshness (severity, oppression), but you are to fear your God [with profound reverence].

Christian Standard Bible
You are not to rule over them harshly but fear your God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You are not to rule over them harshly but fear your God.

American Standard Version
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.

Contemporary English Version
So obey me, and don't be cruel to the poor.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do not treat them harshly. Fear your God.

Good News Translation
Do not treat them harshly, but obey your God.

International Standard Version
You are not to rule over them with harshness. You are to fear your God."

Majority Standard Bible
You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.

NET Bible
You must not rule over him harshly, but you must fear your God.

New Heart English Bible
You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.

World English Bible
You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
you do not rule over him with rigor, and you have been afraid of your God.

Young's Literal Translation
thou rulest not over him with rigour, and thou hast been afraid of thy God.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou shalt not rule over him with crushing, and thou shalt be afraid of thy God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Afflict him not by might, but fear thy God.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do not afflict him by power, but be fearful of your God.

New American Bible
Do not lord it over them harshly, but stand in fear of your God.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall not rule over them with harshness, but shall fear your God.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall not compel them to do hard work; but shall fear your God.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you shall not force him into hard service, and be in awe of your God.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt not oppress him with labour, and shalt fear the Lord thy God.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Redemption of Bondmen
42Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. 43You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God. 44Your menservants and maidservants shall come from the nations around you, from whom you may purchase them.…

Cross References
Exodus 1:13-14
They worked the Israelites ruthlessly / and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.

Deuteronomy 15:14-15
You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. / Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.

Ephesians 6:9
And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.

Colossians 4:1
Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

Deuteronomy 24:14-15
Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. / You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

James 5:4
Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.

Exodus 21:2-6
If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything. / If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him. / If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. ...

Matthew 7:12
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6:31
Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Jeremiah 34:14
Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.

1 Timothy 6:1-2
All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. / Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.

Philemon 1:15-16
For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good— / no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a beloved brother. He is especially beloved to me, but even more so to you, both in person and in the Lord.

Proverbs 22:16
Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

Isaiah 58:3-6
“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. / You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high. / Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the LORD? ...

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall not rule over him with rigor; but shall fear your God.

rule

Leviticus 25:46,53
And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour…

Exodus 1:13,14
And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: …

Exodus 2:23
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.

but shalt

Leviticus 25:17
Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

Exodus 1:17,21
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive…

Deuteronomy 25:18
How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.

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Afraid Fear Hard Harshness Master Revere Rigor Rigour Rulest Ruthlessly Severity
Leviticus 25
1. the Sabbath of the seventh year
8. The jubilee in the fiftieth year
14. Of oppression
18. A blessing of obedience
23. The redemption of land
29. Of houses
35. Compassion to the poor
39. The usage of bondmen
47. The redemption of servants














You are not to rule over them harshly
The phrase "rule over" comes from the Hebrew word "radah," which implies dominion or governance. In the context of Leviticus, this instruction is given to the Israelites regarding their treatment of fellow Israelites who have become servants due to poverty. The term "harshly" translates from the Hebrew "perek," which suggests severity or cruelty. Historically, this reflects God's desire for His people to exercise authority with compassion and justice, contrasting with the oppressive practices common in ancient Near Eastern cultures. This command underscores the value of human dignity and the importance of mercy, reminding believers that leadership should reflect God's character.

but you shall fear your God
The word "fear" in Hebrew is "yare," which encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. This phrase serves as a divine reminder that the ultimate authority is God Himself. The fear of God is a foundational principle in the Old Testament, encouraging believers to live in obedience and humility. It implies that one's treatment of others is directly related to their relationship with God. In a historical context, this fear was meant to prevent the abuse of power and ensure that the Israelites' social and economic interactions were governed by God's laws. For contemporary believers, it serves as a call to live with integrity and compassion, recognizing that all actions are accountable to God.

(43) Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour.--The master is forbidden to tyrannise over him as if he were a slave without any rights.

Verse 43. - Thou shalt not rule over him with rigour; but shalt fear thy God, is paralleled by the New Testament injunction, "And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him" (Ephesians 6:9).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You are not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

to rule
תִרְדֶּ֥ה (ṯir·deh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7287: To tread down, subjugate, to crumble off

over them harshly,
בְּפָ֑רֶךְ (bə·p̄ā·reḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6531: Harshness, severity

but you shall fear
וְיָרֵ֖אתָ (wə·yā·rê·ṯā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3372: To fear, to revere, caus, to frighten

your God.
מֵאֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (mê·’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Law: Leviticus 25:43 You shall not rule over him (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 25:42
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