Lexical Summary
shemittah: Release, remission, sabbatical year
Original Word:שְׁמִטָּה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:shmittah
Pronunciation:shem-ee-tah
Phonetic Spelling:(shem-it-taw')
KJV: release
NASB:remission
Word Origin:[fromH8058 (שָׁמַט - release)]
1. remission (of debt) or suspension of labor)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
release
Fromshamat; remission (of debt) or suspension of labor) -- release.
see HEBREWshamat
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
shamatDefinitiona letting drop, a (temporary) remitting
NASB Translationremission (5).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, a (temporary) :
Deuteronomy 15:1(at end of seven years),
Deuteronomy 15:2 ; whence seventh year is
Deuteronomy 15:9;
Deuteronomy 31:10.
see below . p. 1029.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and ConceptShᵉmittah designates “release” or “remission,” specifically the cancellation of debts at the close of each seven-year cycle. Although the cognate root is used for letting the land lie fallow (Exodus 23:10-11), the noun 8059 appears only five times and always concerns debt-release.
Biblical Legislation
Deuteronomy 15:1-2 sets the statute: “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is the manner of the release: Every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor”. The command is reaffirmed inDeuteronomy 15:9, warning against begrudging the needy as the seventh year approaches, and inDeuteronomy 31:10, where Moses ties the public reading of the Law at Tabernacles to “the year of canceling debts.” Thus the ordinance is woven into Israel’s civic, economic, and liturgical rhythm.
Social and Economic Implications
1. Poverty Alleviation: By erasing personal loans, Shᵉmittah prevented perpetual servitude and systemic poverty (Deuteronomy 15:4-5).
2. Equality of Brotherhood: Only loans “to his brother” are addressed, underscoring covenant solidarity. Foreigners remained liable (Deuteronomy 15:3), protecting Israel’s internal economy without outlawing international trade.
3. Trust in Divine Provision: The release year tested faith that “the LORD your God will bless you” (Deuteronomy 15:6). Obedience was inseparable from confidence in God’s sufficiency.
Spiritual and Theological Themes
• Sabbath Principle Extended: As the weekly Sabbath sanctified time and the land Sabbath sanctified soil, Shᵉmittah sanctified social relationships by interrupting profit cycles.
• Divine Ownership: Forgiving debts acknowledged that both land and produce ultimately belong to the LORD (Leviticus 25:23).
• Mercy and Covenant Grace: The creditor mirrors God’s own redemptive mercy, prefiguring the greater cancellation of sin’s debt through Christ (Colossians 2:14).
Historical Observance and Consequences of Neglect
The prophets imply Israel’s inconsistent practice. Jeremiah’s generation made a brief attempt to emancipate Hebrew slaves in a Shᵉmittah context but quickly reneged (Jeremiah 34:8-17). Chronicler theology links the seventy-year Babylonian exile to Israel’s failure to honor sabbatical years (2 Chronicles 36:21), suggesting cumulative judgment for ignoring both land rest and debt release.
Prophetic and Eschatological Dimensions
Sabbatical patterns foreshadow ultimate restoration.Isaiah 61:1-2, echoed by Jesus inLuke 4:18-19, proclaims “freedom for the captives” and “the year of the LORD’s favor,” language reminiscent of Shᵉmittah and Jubilee. These rhythms anticipate the consummate liberation of creation (Romans 8:21).
Connection with the Jubilee
Every seventh Shᵉmittah culminated in the fiftieth-year Jubilee (Leviticus 25), when land returned to ancestral families. Shᵉmittah provided the financial reset; Jubilee added territorial restoration, together portraying comprehensive redemption.
Principles Applied in the New Covenant
While Christians are not under Mosaic civil law, the apostolic writings urge voluntary generosity grounded in the same ethos:
• Forgive as forgiven (Matthew 6:12).
• Lend without expecting return (Luke 6:34-36).
• Practice mutual aid so “there may be equality” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15).
These exhortations echo Shᵉmittah’s spirit of release.
Contemporary Ministry Applications
1. Debt Relief Initiatives: Churches facilitate benevolence funds, medical debt retirement, and micro-loans, embodying tangible grace.
2. Sabbath Economics Teaching: Stewardship curricula highlight cyclical rest, margin, and compassion over unrestrained accumulation.
3. Public Reading of Scripture: FollowingDeuteronomy 31:10-13, some congregations schedule complete readings of the Pentateuch or whole Bible in sabbatical intervals, renewing covenant awareness.
Key References
Deuteronomy 15:1;Deuteronomy 15:2;Deuteronomy 15:9;Deuteronomy 31:10;Jeremiah 34:8-17;2 Chronicles 36:21;Luke 4:18-19;Colossians 2:14.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשְּׁמִטָּ֖ה הַשְּׁמִטָּה֒ השמטה שְׁמִטָּ֖ה שְׁמִטָּֽה׃ שמטה שמטה׃ haš·šə·miṭ·ṭāh hashshemitTah haššəmiṭṭāh šə·miṭ·ṭāh šəmiṭṭāh shemitTah
Links
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