With the beginning of a new section, translators are advised to reintroduce Moses as the speaker; for example, “Moses said to the people of Israel:….”

At the end of every seven years: this same form is used in 14.28; New Revised Standard Version has “Every seventh year.” This provision for the seventh year matches the older legislation of not cultivating the land every seventh year (see Exo 23.10-11; Lev 25.2-7).

You shall grant a release: the Hebrew noun translated release appears here, in verse 2, and in 31.10, and nowhere else in the Old Testament. Since this release means canceling debts, it is better to say, with New Revised Standard Version, “you shall grant a remission of debts.” New International Version is better still, “you must cancel debts.” Contemporary English Version has “that loans do not need to be paid back.” Good News Translation “the debts of those who owe you money” seems needlessly wordy in English. However, in some languages it will be expressed in a similar way; for example, “lift the debts of those people who have borrowed money from you,” or even “do not require that people who have borrowed money from you should pay it back.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Deut 15.2

The release is here defined in clear terms: the debt of every fellow Israelite is to be canceled.

And this is the manner of the release: simply, “This is what you must do,” or “This is how it is to be done” (Good News Translation, New International Version).

From the second person singular in verse 1 the Hebrew text switches to the third person singular in verse 2, then back to the second singular in the rest of the section. In translation it is recommended that the second singular be kept in verse 2; or else we may follow the Good News Translation, “Each of you….”

Every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor: since a creditor is a person who lends money to someone else, the word itself is redundant; see Good News Translation, “Each of you who has lent money….”

His neighbor: this is a way of speaking of a “fellow-Israelite” (Good News Translation), which should be made clear in translation.

He shall not exact it: this is the negative form of the previous shall release; thus “don’t try to collect the debt,” or “don’t ask him to pay it back.”

His neighbor, his brother: the second term defines more exactly the first one. Some think that it is a later addition to the text. (The Hebrew text as we have it is “his neighbor and his brother,” which seems to indicate additional editorial work. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “his fellow or kinsman.”) The best way to translate this is to say “his fellow-Israelite,” or even “another Israelite.”

The LORD’s release has been proclaimed: this introduces a new element. The LORD’s release means the release required by the LORD; the passive has been proclaimed suggests that there may have been a formal public proclamation of the beginning of the seventh year. But this is only a conjecture, and if the passive form of the verb cannot be used, we may say something like the following: “it is the year the LORD has ordered cancellation of all debts” or “… has ordered you to cancel [or, forgive] all debts.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .