Deuteronomy 15:16

Verse

But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,

American Standard Version (1901)

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

Bible in Basic English

But if he says to you, I have no desire to go away from you; because you and your family are dear to him and he is happy with you;

Douay-Rheims 1899

But if he say: I will not depart: because he loveth thee, and thy house, and findeth that he is well with thee:

Free Bible Version

However, if your male slave tells you, “I don't want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is better off staying with you,

Geneva Bible 1599

And if he say vnto thee, I will not go away from thee, because he loueth thee and thine house, and because he is well with thee,

King James (Authorized) Version

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

One Unity Resource Bible

It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he 'ahav ·affectionately loves· you and your house, because he is well with you;

Translation for Translators

“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.

Unlocked Literal Bible

It will happen that if he says to you, 'I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, and because he is well off with you,

Noah Webster Bible

And it shall be, if he shall say to thee, I will not leave thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

World English Bible

It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you,

Young's Literal Translation

'And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee — because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because [it is] good for him with thee —

Context

Hebrew Servants

¹⁵Remember 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.¹⁶But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,¹⁷then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.

Summary

In this verse, the concept of a servant choosing to remain with their master out of love and loyalty is highlighted. It reflects the idea of a voluntary commitment beyond the required service period, symbolizing a deep bond between the servant and the master. This voluntary decision signifies a desire to continue serving willingly, indicating a relationship based on mutual respect and trust. The verse illustrates the importance of devotion and dedication in serving God wholeheartedly, going above and beyond mere obligation.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

But if the man-servant and the maid-servant should not wish for liberty in the sixth year, because it was well with them in the house of their master, they were not to be compelled to go, but were to be bound to eternal, i.e., lifelong bondage, in the manner prescribed in Exo 21:5-6. (Note: Knobel's assertion, that the judicial process enjoined in Exo 21:6 does not seem to have been usual in the author's own time, is a worthless argumentum e silentio.) This is repeated from Ex 21, to guard against such an application of the law as might be really cruelty under the circumstances rather than love. Manumission was only an act of love, when the person to be set free had some hope of success and of getting a living for himself; and where there was no such prospect, compelling him to accept of freedom might be equivalent to thrusting him away.

Deuteronomy 15:16

Hebrew Servants

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,

American Standard Version (1901)

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go out from thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

Bible in Basic English

But if he says to you, I have no desire to go away from you; because you and your family are dear to him and he is happy with you;

Douay-Rheims 1899

But if he say: I will not depart: because he loveth thee, and thy house, and findeth that he is well with thee:

Free Bible Version

However, if your male slave tells you, “I don't want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is better off staying with you,

Geneva Bible 1599

And if he say vnto thee, I will not go away from thee, because he loueth thee and thine house, and because he is well with thee,

King James (Authorized) Version

And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

One Unity Resource Bible

It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he 'ahav ·affectionately loves· you and your house, because he is well with you;

Translation for Translators

“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.

Unlocked Literal Bible

It will happen that if he says to you, 'I will not go away from you,' because he loves you and your house, and because he is well off with you,

Noah Webster Bible

And it shall be, if he shall say to thee, I will not leave thee; because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee;

World English Bible

It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you,

Young's Literal Translation

'And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee — because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because [it is] good for him with thee —

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Deuteronomy 15:16

Verse

Context

Hebrew Servants

Summary

Commentary

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Deuteronomy 15:16

Hebrew Servants

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes