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What the Bible Says About Debtor

Overview

The Bible addresses debtor across 74 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Leviticus, Matthew and Exodus. Closely related themes include Creditor, Jubilee, Servants and Land. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Elisha.

Key Bible verses about debtor

Old Testament

Exodus

Exodus 21:2

If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

Exodus 21:3

If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. by himself: Heb. with his body

Exodus 21:4

If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

Exodus 21:5

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: shall: Heb. saying shall say

Exodus 21:6

Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.

Exodus 22:10

If a man deliver unto his neighbour an ass, or an ox, or a sheep, or any beast, to keep; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man seeing it:

Exodus 22:11

Then shall an oath of the LORD be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods; and the owner of it shall accept thereof, and he shall not make it good.

Exodus 22:12

And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.

Exodus 22:13

If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

Exodus 22:14

And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.

Exodus 22:15

But if the owner thereof be with it, he shall not make it good: if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire.

Leviticus

Leviticus 25:14

And if thou sell ought unto thy neighbour, or buyest ought of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not oppress one another:

Leviticus 25:15

According to the number of years after the jubile thou shalt buy of thy neighbour, and according unto the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee:

Leviticus 25:16

According to the multitude of years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years thou shalt diminish the price of it: for according to the number of the years of the fruits doth he sell unto thee.

Leviticus 25:17

Ye shall not therefore oppress one another; but thou shalt fear thy God: for I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 25:25

If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

Leviticus 25:26

And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it; himself: Heb. his hand hath attained and found sufficiency

Leviticus 25:27

Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.

Leviticus 25:28

But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall return unto his possession.

Leviticus 25:29

And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.

Leviticus 25:30

And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubile.

Leviticus 25:31

But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile. they may: Heb. redemption belongeth unto it

Leviticus 25:32

Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time.

Leviticus 25:33

And if a man purchase of the Levites, then the house that was sold, and the city of his possession, shall go out in the year of jubile: for the houses of the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. a man: or, one of the Levites redeem them

Leviticus 25:34

But the field of the suburbs of their cities may not be sold; for it is their perpetual possession.

Leviticus 25:35

And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. fallen: Heb. his hand faileth relieve: Heb. strengthen

Leviticus 25:36

Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee.

Leviticus 25:37

Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.

Leviticus 25:38

I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

Leviticus 25:39

And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant: compel: Heb. serve thyself with him with the service, etc

Leviticus 25:40

But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubile:

Leviticus 25:41

And then shall he depart from thee, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

Leviticus 25:47

And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee, or to the stock of the stranger's family: wax rich: Heb. his hand obtain, etc

Leviticus 25:48

After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him:

Leviticus 25:49

Either his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he be able, he may redeem himself.

Leviticus 25:50

And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the year that he was sold to him unto the year of jubile: and the price of his sale shall be according unto the number of years, according to the time of an hired servant shall it be with him.

Leviticus 25:51

If there be yet many years behind, according unto them he shall give again the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for.

Leviticus 25:52

And if there remain but few years unto the year of jubile, then he shall count with him, and according unto his years shall he give him again the price of his redemption.

Leviticus 25:53

And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him: and the other shall not rule with rigour over him in thy sight.

Leviticus 25:54

And if he be not redeemed in these years, then he shall go out in the year of jubile, both he, and his children with him. in these: or, by these means

Leviticus 25:55

For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

2 Kings

2 Kings 4:1

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

2 Kings 4:2

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

2 Kings 4:3

Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. borrow not: or, scant not

2 Kings 4:4

And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

2 Kings 4:5

So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

2 Kings 4:6

And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

2 Kings 4:7

Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. debt: or, creditor

New Testament

Matthew

Matthew 5:25

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Matthew 5:26

Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Matthew 18:23

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

Matthew 18:24

And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. talents: a talent is.ounces of silver, which after five shillings the ounce is.li..s.

Matthew 18:25

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

Matthew 18:26

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. worshipped him: or, besought him

Matthew 18:27

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

Matthew 18:28

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. pence: the Roman penny is the eighth part of an ounce, which after five shillings the ounce is seven pence halfpenny; about fourteen cents

Matthew 18:29

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Matthew 18:30

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

Matthew 18:31

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

Matthew 18:32

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Matthew 18:33

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

Luke

Luke 20:9

Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time.

Luke 20:10

And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.

Luke 20:11

And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.

Luke 20:12

And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.

Luke 20:13

Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.

Luke 20:14

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.

Luke 20:15

So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?

Luke 20:16

He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.

People in the Bible and debtor

Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.

In the Bible dictionary

Studying debtor for yourself

  • Begin with Exodus 21:2, then read the passages below in canonical order.
  • Compare how Leviticus, Matthew and Exodus each treat the theme.
  • Consider the lives of Elisha and how their stories intersect with it.
  • Widen the study to related themes: Creditor, Jubilee, Servants and Land.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Bible say about debtor?

The Bible addresses debtor across 74 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Leviticus, Matthew and Exodus. Closely related themes include Creditor, Jubilee, Servants and Land. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Elisha.

How many Bible verses are about debtor?

The Bible references debtor in 74 verses (King James Version).

Where does the Bible first mention debtor?

In canonical order, the first of these passages is Exodus 21:2: “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.”

Which people in the Bible are associated with debtor?

Elisha.

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