What does "hired worker or temporary resident" imply about servitude in Leviticus 25:40? Setting the Scene • Leviticus 25 deals with the Sabbath Year and the Jubilee—times when land, property, and even people were to be released from burdens (vv. 1-55). • Verse 40 sits in the middle of a paragraph addressing an Israelite who has fallen into poverty and “sells himself” to a fellow Israelite (vv. 39-43). Defining the Terms in Leviticus 25:40 • “Hired worker” (Hebrew: śā kîr) – someone paid for labor on a day-to-day or season-to-season basis (cf. Matthew 20:1-8). • “Temporary resident” (Hebrew: tô shāḇ) – a sojourner living among Israel without permanent land rights (cf. Leviticus 22:10). Key Implications of “Hired Worker or Temporary Resident” • Limited Duration – “He shall work for you until the Year of Jubilee” (v. 40). Service could never exceed fifty years and was often much shorter (cf. Deuteronomy 15:12, “six years”). • Paid Wages, Not Owned Property – A hired worker received compensation (Leviticus 19:13; James 5:4). The text never calls him “your property,” only “with you.” • Personal Dignity Preserved – Verse 39: “You must not compel him to serve as a slave.” The master is forbidden to treat a kinsman like chattel. • Right of Redemption – Another family member could buy him back at any time (Leviticus 25:47-49). • Family Integrity – The man serves “with his children” (v. 41) rather than being split up, unlike pagan slavery practices (cf. Exodus 21:3). • Release and Restoration – At Jubilee “he…may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers” (v. 41), underscoring that the arrangement is mercy-based, not perpetual exploitation. • Ethical Witness to the Nations – Israel’s treatment of the vulnerable was to reflect God’s past redemption: “For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt” (v. 42). Practical Takeaways for Today • Work relationships should honor personhood, pay fair wages, and include clear limits (Colossians 4:1). • Stewardship means helping the struggling regain independence, not trapping them in endless debt (Proverbs 19:17). • God values both justice and mercy; believers are called to model the same balance in economic dealings (Micah 6:8). |
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