Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 15:12 
Context15:12 If your fellow Hebrew 1 – whether male or female 2 – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant 3 go free. 4
Deuteronomy 24:14
Context24:14 You must not oppress a lowly and poor servant, whether one from among your fellow Israelites 5 or from the resident foreigners who are living in your land and villages. 6
1 sn Elsewhere in the OT, the Israelites are called “Hebrews” (עִבְרִי, ’ivriy) by outsiders, rarely by themselves (cf. Gen 14:13; 39:14, 17; 41:12; Exod 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 1 Sam 4:6; Jonah 1:9). Thus, here and in the parallel passage in Exod 21:2-6 the term עִבְרִי may designate non-Israelites, specifically a people well-known throughout the ancient Near East as ’apiru or habiru. They lived a rather vagabond lifestyle, frequently hiring themselves out as laborers or mercenary soldiers. While accounting nicely for the surprising use of the term here in an Israelite law code, the suggestion has against it the unlikelihood that a set of laws would address such a marginal people so specifically (as opposed to simply calling them aliens or the like). More likely עִבְרִי is chosen as a term to remind Israel that when they were “Hebrews,” that is, when they were in Egypt, they were slaves. Now that they are free they must not keep their fellow Israelites in economic bondage. See v. 15.
2 tn Heb “your brother, a Hebrew (male) or Hebrew (female).”
3 tn Heb “him.” The singular pronoun occurs throughout the passage.
4 tn The Hebrew text includes “from you.”
5 tn Heb “your brothers,” but not limited only to actual siblings; cf. NASB “your (+ own NAB) countrymen.”
6 tn Heb “who are in your land in your gates.” The word “living” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
