Further Regulations

(Deuteronomy 23:15 - 23:25)
“If an escaped slave has taken refuge with you, do not return him to his master, but let him live with you without persecution in whatever town he may choose.

“Israelite women or men are forbidden to become temple prostitutes and the fees that such persons may earn may not be used as payment for any vow in the house of Jehovah your god, for both are abominations to him.

“You may not charge interest to fellow Israelites, whether on money, food, or anything that might be loaned on interest.  You may charge interest to a foreigner, but not to a fellow Israelite, so that Jehovah your god may bless all your undertakings in the land you are entering to take possession of.

“If you make a vow to Jehovah your god, do not delay in fulfilling it, for he will require it of you and, failing to do so, you will be guilty a sin.  However, if you make no vow, no sin is committed. But be careful to do what you say, if you have made a voluntary vow to Jehovah your god.

“When you pass through your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, but you must not take any away in a basket.  And when you pass through your neighbor’s field of standing grain, you may pick some kernels with your hand, but you must not reap the crop with a sickle.”

Notes
1. The provision to shelter runaway slaves is an interesting one, hardly conducive to the perpetuation of the institution of slavery, of which Jehovah has never expressed any disapproval.  If there is no legal obligation for fugitive slaves to be returned, then the incentive for slaves to escape is great.  Therefore, one would think this provision would result in considerable social disruption, however humane it may seem to us.  It would be surprising if this passage was not cited when 19th century Americans were dealing with the problem of fugitive slaves.

2. One way in which Jehovah separates himself from his rival gods is his rejection of practices such as prostitution and “sacred” intercourse within the temple.  Such practices may have been widespread in the ancient world, in Greece and Rome as well as Babylonia and other Middle Eastern countries, but there is no consensus among historians as to its extent.  Prostitution was rarely condemned by ancient cultures or regarded as immoral per se.  The biblical references are obviously to the religious practices of the neighboring Canaanites, but there is no real evidence for the existence of temple prostitution in early Palestine.  The authors of the Bible had an interest in portraying their enemies in the worst possible light and using their immorality as a justification for Israel’s aggression against them.

3. The Old Testament prohibition on charging interest is curious, since the descendants of the Israelites would become notorious as moneylenders (one of the few professions the medieval Christians, conforming to this regulation, would allow the Jews to engage in).  It highlights the hallmark of tribal mentality, two different set of rules, one governing relationships within the tribe and another governing relationships with those outside it.  While foreigners dwelling among the Israelites are, in many ways, treated with equality, here we see an example of disparate treatment and of how foreigners might be exploited by Israelites.

4. It is made clear that not to fulfill a vow made to Jehovah is a sin, but that to renege on some promise not made explicit, a mere statement of intention, or some vow made perhaps to someone other than Jehovah, would not qualify as a sin.

5. Taking a few samples from a neighbor’s vineyard or field is held as permissible, not stealing, while collecting grapes in a basket or actually harvesting the grain is not.  This is quite in line with tradition and indeed, English common law.       

Sale of Slaves

(Leviticus 25:35- 25:55)

"If a fellow Israelite becomes destitute and cannot support himself, you should assist him as you would a foreigner or resident alien.  If you respect your god, then do not charge him interest or make a profit at his expense, so that he may afford to live in the community.  Do not charge interest on the money you may lend him or sell him food at a profit.  Thus says Jehovah your god, who brought you out Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your god.

"If a fellow Israelite becomes destitute and must sell himself to you, treat him not as a slave, but as any other hired hand or migrant worker.  He will only be in your service till the next Jubilee Year, at which time he and his family will have no obligation to you, but will be able to return to their own clan and ancestral lands.  Since I freed the people of Israel from Egypt, they are my servants and they must not be sold into slavery.  Show your respect for your god by not treating them as slaves.

"However, you may purchase slaves, both male and female, from neighboring countries and from among the foreigners that reside temporarily with you or even foreigners that have been born among your people.  You may treat them as your personal property, chattels that may be bequeathed to your children as a permanent inheritance.  But while you may regard foreigners as your slaves, you must never regard a fellow Israelite as such.

"If a resident alien becomes wealthy and he, or a member of his family purchases a fellow Israelite who has become impoverished, the Israelite retains the right to have his freedom bought back.  A member of his family, an uncle or cousin or any blood relation, may do so -- or even the Israelite himself, if he is able to acquire sufficient wealth.  The buyer and Israelite who has sold himself must calculate the price based upon the time to the next Jubilee Year from the date when the purchase was made and at a rate that a hired worker would normally be paid.  (If many years remain till the next Jubilee Year, then a larger price will have to be paid for the Israelite to gain his freedom; if only a few years remain till the Jubilee Year, then a proportionately smaller amount is paid.)  The foreigner must regard the purchased Israelite only as a worker who has been hired on a yearly basis and must not be allowed to treat your fellow Israelite as a slave.  Any Israelite whose freedom has not been purchased before the Jubilee Year arrives will automatically be freed at that time, along with his children. 

"The people of Israel belong to me.  They are my servants that I brought of Egypt.  Thus says Jehovah your god."

Notes
1.  We see here more indications of the tribalistic attitude being reinforced by Jehovah's commands.  These within the tribe are treated differently than those outside the tribe.  Those within must not be charged interest on loans, profit must not be taken on food sold to the needy among them, and slaves must not be taken from within the tribe.  Treatment of those outside the tribe is different.  It's OK to take them as slaves, buy and sell them as mere property, for to Jehovah human beings have a different value depending on what tribe they belong to.  Tribalism was the prevailing mindset in ancient times (and after), weakened only by the political and legal structures of the great empires, those of the Persians, the Hellenes, and the Romans.  The moral equality of men would be a concept promulgated later by philosophies such as Stoicism and religions such as Christianity.

2.  Any moral imperatives presented here are relative, not absolute: they are based solely on what is pleasing to Jehovah and what supports his personal pride.  Israelites must be treated well for the sole reason that they are Jehovah's people, his servants, his property, not because of any overarching moral responsibility or concepts of righteousness or humanity.