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Leviticus 25:42

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Leviticus 25:42 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Leviticus 25:42 — American Standard Version

Context — Leviticus 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
39And if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bond-servant.
40As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee:
41then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
42For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
43Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.
44And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou shalt have; of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
45Moreover of the children of the strangers that sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land: and they shall be your possession.
← Leviticus 25:41Leviticus 25:43 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For they [are] my servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt, etc.] The Lord redeemed them out of Egypt, made a purchase of them, and had a prior right unto them, and being his servants first, they cannot be the servants of others; his right unto them as such antecedes and prevents any other claim upon them: they shall not be sold as bondmen; or, “with”, or, “according to the sale of a bondman” f890; in the manner they are sold, or according to the laws of selling of servants; not in such a public manner as they are sold in markets, nor for such purposes to be used as slaves in a rigorous manner, nor so as to be retained for ever in servitude; not to be sold by proclamation, as…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“They are my servants - They, no less than you, are members of my church and people; such as I have chosen out of all the world to serve me here, and to enjoy me hereafter, and therefore are not to be oppressed, neither are you absolute lords over them to deal with them as you please. Leviticus 25:43”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“25:42 The same Hebrew word is translated as both servants and slaves. Because the Israelites were God’s slaves/servants, they could not be slaves/servants to other human beings, except temporarily to work off a debt.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“my servants: Lev 25:55; Rom 6:22; Co1 7:21-23 as bondmen: Heb. with the sale of a bondman Leviticus 25:43”
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Related study paths

Read Leviticus 25 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification