This verse highlights compassion as a guiding principle for relationships in God’s covenant community.
“He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.” (v.40) These words, spoken by the LORD to Moses (who lived from around 1526 BC to 1406 BC), remind the Israelites that a fellow Hebrew who has fallen into poverty and sold himself should still be treated with dignity and respect, like a hired worker or a foreigner passing through. Although such a person was indebted and bound to labor, they were not to be regarded as an enslaved possession, showing God’s emphasis on compassion and fair treatment within His covenant community. This teaching was recorded while Moses and the Israelites were in the wilderness after their liberation from Egypt, sometime around 1445 BC, providing a foundational blueprint for social justice among God’s chosen people.
The command also points to a future end point for such service: “he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.” (v.40) In ancient Israel, the year of Jubilee occurred every fifty years (Leviticus 25:10); it was a special time of restoration when debts were forgiven, and those enslaved could return to their families. Geographically, the Israelites were called to implement this practice throughout the land that God had promised them, emphasizing redemption within the borders of that covenant territory. Importantly, this pattern of freedom from indebtedness points forward to the deeper spiritual release taught more fully in the New Testament (Luke 4:18), culminating in Jesus’s role as Redeemer.
By highlighting the concept of hired service rather than slavery, this verse underscores the notion that each person belongs to God and is worthy of equitable treatment. The stranger or sojourner in Israel was to be welcomed and treated as part of the community, providing a glimpse of God’s inclusive character. Here, the focus is on maintaining the dignity of the impoverished individual, reflecting the social and spiritual values meant to set Israel apart. Ultimately, this instruction shows that God’s people are meant to be agents of liberty and restoration, consciously caring for their land and their neighbors.
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Leviticus 25:40 meaning
“He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a sojourner; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.” (v.40) These words, spoken by the LORD to Moses (who lived from around 1526 BC to 1406 BC), remind the Israelites that a fellow Hebrew who has fallen into poverty and sold himself should still be treated with dignity and respect, like a hired worker or a foreigner passing through. Although such a person was indebted and bound to labor, they were not to be regarded as an enslaved possession, showing God’s emphasis on compassion and fair treatment within His covenant community. This teaching was recorded while Moses and the Israelites were in the wilderness after their liberation from Egypt, sometime around 1445 BC, providing a foundational blueprint for social justice among God’s chosen people.
The command also points to a future end point for such service: “he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee.” (v.40) In ancient Israel, the year of Jubilee occurred every fifty years (Leviticus 25:10); it was a special time of restoration when debts were forgiven, and those enslaved could return to their families. Geographically, the Israelites were called to implement this practice throughout the land that God had promised them, emphasizing redemption within the borders of that covenant territory. Importantly, this pattern of freedom from indebtedness points forward to the deeper spiritual release taught more fully in the New Testament (Luke 4:18), culminating in Jesus’s role as Redeemer.
By highlighting the concept of hired service rather than slavery, this verse underscores the notion that each person belongs to God and is worthy of equitable treatment. The stranger or sojourner in Israel was to be welcomed and treated as part of the community, providing a glimpse of God’s inclusive character. Here, the focus is on maintaining the dignity of the impoverished individual, reflecting the social and spiritual values meant to set Israel apart. Ultimately, this instruction shows that God’s people are meant to be agents of liberty and restoration, consciously caring for their land and their neighbors.