Lev 25:35 | NET2full | STEP | “‘ If your brother becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, you must support him; he must live with you like a foreign resident .

‏ Leviticus 25:35

Debt and Slave Regulations

35 “‘If your brother ^{▼▼tn It is not clear to whom this refers. It is probably broader than “sibling” (cf. NRSV “any of your kin”; NLT “any of your Israelite relatives”) but some English versions take it to mean “fellow Israelite” (so NIV11, TEV; cf. NIV84, NAB “countrymen”) and others are ambiguous (cf. CEV “any of your people”).} becomes impoverished and is indebted to you, ^{▼▼tn Heb “and his hand slips with you.”} you must support ^{▼▼tn Heb “strengthen”; NASB “sustain.”} him; he must live ^{▼▼tn The form וָחַי (vakhay, “and shall live”) looks like the adjective “living,” but the MT form is simply the same verb written as a double ayin verb (see HALOT 309 s.v. חיה qal, and GKC 218 §76.i; cf. Lev 18:5).} with you like a foreign resident. ^{▼▼tn Heb “a foreigner and resident,” which is probably to be combined (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 170-71). tn The Hebrew terms ger (גֵּר; “resident foreigner”) and toshav (תּוֹשָׁב; “resident/dweller”) have similar meaning. The toshav was less integrated into Israelite society, had less rights, and had not fully committed to the religion of Israel. Here the combination emphasizes the impoverished Israelites change in status. Note that the native born citizen and the resident foreigner (or naturalized citizen) were equal under the law (Exod 12:49; Lev 24:22; Num 9:14; 15:15, 16, 26, 29; 19:10; 35:15; Deut 1:16) or similar obligations (Exod 20:10; 23:12; Lev 16:29; 17:10, 12, 13; 18:26; 24:16; Num 15:14).}