Debtor, (חוֹב, chob, debt, Ezekiel 18:7; χρεωφειλέτης, ower of money, Luke 7:41; 16:5;. elsewhere simply ὀφειλέτης. See generally the prop. Hebrew words לָוָה נָשָׁא, G, Gesenius, Thes. eb. p. 920. The Mosaic laws respecting pecuniary obligations differ in many points from those of modern nations, but this is no proof that they were not suitable to the people for whom they were designed, and it is certain that they are pervaded by a spirit of kindness to the debtor to which no parallel is to be found in the codes of antiquity. SEE LOAN. Though they at least tacitly allow of the sale of a debtor as a slave (Leviticus 25:39-40), they also direct that his treatment shall be that of “an hired servant and a sojourner,” while the law of the Twelve Tables authorized putting an insolvent debtor to death, and both Grecian and Roman history abound with instances of the disturbances caused in those states by the severity with which this class was dealt with. The laws of Moses are, however, by no means regardless of the rights of creditors, as we find that persons who had property due to them might, if they chose, secure it either by means of a mortgage, or by a pledge, or by a bondsman or surety. The chief provisions in the Scripture on the subject are the following:
1. The creditor, when about to receive a pledge for a debt, was not allowed to enter the debtor’s house and take what he pleased, but was to wait before the door till the debtor should deliver up the pledge with which he could most easily dispense (Deuteronomy 24:10-11; Job 22:6; 24:3,7,9).
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Author: McClintock and Strong Cyclopedia
Keywords: Debtor
Bible reference(s): 2 Kings 4:1, Deuteronomy 15:1, Deuteronomy 24:10, Exodus 22:26, Ezekiel 18:7, Job 22:6, Job 24:3, Leviticus 25:39, Luke 16:5, Luke 7:41, Matthew 18:25, Nehemiah 5:13, Proverbs 11:15, Proverbs 17:18, Proverbs 22:27
Source: John McClintock and James Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature.
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