Deuteronomy 15:9
Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God warns against a specific internal trap: using the upcoming year of release not as a reminder of His mercy, but as an excuse to withhold help. The verse highlights that even the thought of being stingy because relief is near is considered a "wicked heart" issue, showing how easily our hearts can twist God's good provisions into reasons for selfishness.
God is laying out the laws for Israel regarding the year of release, a time when debts were to be forgiven. This verse specifically warns against a selfish mindset that emerges as this year approaches, urging people not to withhold help from their poor neighbors out of fear of losing out on a debt. Failing to show compassion, especially when the poor person appeals to God, is presented as a serious sin.
The year of release was meant to bring relief, but in this verse, it becomes a twisted excuse. What happens when we pervert God's good intentions?
God established the seventh year, the year of release, as a vital part of the covenant community. It was a time to cancel debts and offer freedom, reflecting God's own liberating grace.
However, as this verse warns, proximity to this year could breed a dangerous internal thought: 'The seventh year, the year of release is near.' This wasn't a joyful anticipation of shared relief, but a selfish calculation. Instead of seeing it as an opportunity for God's mercy to flow through them, people started to view it as a reason not to help.
This inner dialogue became a justification for stinginess. It's a powerful reminder that even good intentions and divine commands can be twisted by a heart focused on self-preservation rather than compassion. The 'release' meant for the poor became a reason to withhold from them.
What does it mean to have an "evil eye," and why is it so serious in God's sight?
The phrase 'your eye look grudgingly' (or 'evil eye') captures a deep-seated attitude of resentment and covetousness. It’s not just about withholding a loan or a gift; it's about the internal disposition – a heart that begrudges the less fortunate their need.
This 'evil eye' is the opposite of a generous, open heart. It sees the poor brother not with empathy, but with suspicion or annoyance, especially when the year of release looms, making the potential loss of a loan feel more significant.
This internal sin has external consequences. The verse states plainly: 'he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin.' The cry of the oppressed reaches God, and the refusal to help, fueled by this grudging spirit, is marked as a sin. It highlights that our relationship with our neighbor is intrinsically linked to our relationship with God.
Understand the original words
shemittah · Hebrew Noun
A reference to the Sabbatical year (also called the year of remission) occurring every seventh year, in which debts were to be forgiven or released among Israelites. It functioned as a mechanism for social restoration and trust in God's provision.
chatta'ah · Hebrew Noun
A state of falling short of God's holy standard, or an act of rebellion against His law. It brings guilt upon the individual and breaks fellowship with God, requiring repentance and atonement.
ra'a' · Hebrew Adjective/Verb
Refers to having a stingy, mean, or envious spirit, specifically regarding the possessor's wealth. It stands in direct opposition to the biblical command to be generous and compassionate toward the needy.
This proverb directly echoes the warning in Deuteronomy, stating that ignoring the cry of the poor will result in the Lord ignoring your own pleas, highlighting the serious consequences of uncharitable thoughts and actions.
Matthew 6:23Jesus uses the metaphor of the 'evil eye' to describe a covetous and ungenerous heart, directly connecting to the 'evil eye' mentioned in Deuteronomy that grudgingly withholds from the poor.
2 Corinthians 9:7This passage speaks about giving generously and cheerfully, which is the heart posture commanded in Deuteronomy as the antidote to the grudging spirit that the year of release was meant to guard against.
1 John 3:17This verse starkly contrasts the ability to help a neighbor with closing one's heart to them, directly mirroring the warning in Deuteronomy against withholding aid from a poor brother.
calvinDeuteronomy 15:1-11: "At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release."
And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release.
Haec autem est ratio remissionis, ut remittat omnis qui mutuum dederit manu sua, id quod mutuum dederit amico suo: non reposcet ab amico suo, aut a fratre suo, quia proclamata est remissio Jehovae.
3.…
clarkeDeuteronomy 15:9: "Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee."
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart - לבבך בליעל lebabecha beliyaal, thy belial heart, that is, thy good-for-nothing or unprofitable heart; See on Deuteronomy 13:13 (note). And thine eye be evil - An evil…
God warns against a specific internal trap: using the upcoming year of release not as a reminder of His mercy, but as an excuse to withhold help. The verse highlights that even the thought of being stingy because relief is near is considered a "wicked heart" issue, showing how easily our hearts can twist God's good provisions into reasons for selfishness.
God is laying out the laws for Israel regarding the year of release, a time when debts were to be forgiven. This verse specifically warns against a selfish mindset that emerges as this year approaches, urging people not to withhold help from their poor neighbors out of fear of losing out on a debt. Failing to show compassion, especially when the poor person appeals to God, is presented as a serious sin.
God is laying out the laws for Israel regarding the year of release, a time when debts were to be forgiven. This verse specifically warns against a selfish mindset that emerges as this year approaches, urging people not to withhold help from their poor neighbors out of fear of losing out on a debt. Failing to show compassion, especially when the poor person appeals to God, is presented as a serious sin.
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"Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and yo…" — God warns against a specific internal trap: using the upcoming year of release not as a reminder of His mercy, but as an excuse to withhold help. The verse highlights that even the thought of being…
