If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
If you buy a Hebrew servant, he must work for six years. In the seventh year, he goes free without having to pay anything.
This verse establishes that Hebrew servants could only be required to serve for six years maximum before being set free without payment.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of the Mosaic Law given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, shortly after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, as a blueprint for a just society that reflected God's standards. In the ancient Near East, debt and poverty often led people to sell themselves into servitude, so this law limited a Hebrew servant's term to six years to prevent lifelong bondage and promote restoration. It highlights God's concern for human dignity and His call for periodic release as a safeguard against exploitation.
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