Deuteronomy 15:16

Summary

This verse describes the hypothetical case of a servant who declares he does not wish to leave his master, giving as reasons his affection for the household and his good situation there. It functions as a conditional clause within the broader legal instruction on the treatment of Hebrew servants in Deuteronomy 15.

Key words

• ha.Yah ("it will be", H1961) — qal sequential perfect, opening formula that continues the narrative/legal sequence, introducing the case that follows.
• yo.Mar ("he will say", H0559) — qal imperfect, marking a future/hypothetical speech act by the servant, dependent on the particle ki ("if/that", H3588A).
• 'e.Tze' ("I will go out", H3318G) — qal imperfect, first-person, the servant's own words refusing departure, framed as direct quoted speech.
• 'a.he.ve. ("he loves", H0157G) — qal perfect, a completed state of affection, giving the stated reason (ki, "for") for the servant's refusal.
• Tov ("it has been good", H2895) — qal perfect, describing an already-realized favorable condition ("it is/has been good for him"), the second reason offered.

What the text says

The verse is built around three occurrences of the particle ki (H3588A), each introducing a different logical link: the first (ki-yoMar) marks the conditional "if he says," the second (ki 'aheveKha) gives the causal reason "for he loves you," and the third (ki-Tov lo) gives a second causal reason "for it is good for him." This triple use of the same particle in different functions (conditional and causal) is a feature of the Hebrew that translations must resolve by choosing different English/Spanish connectors ("if," "because," "porque," "for") even though the source uses one recurring word.

The servant's direct speech, lo' 'eTze' me'iMakh ("I will not go out from with you"), uses the preposition 'im ("with," H5973B) with a second-person suffix, emphasizing physical and relational proximity to the master rather than a general statement of departure. The verb 'aheveKha ("he loves you," H0157G) is qal perfect, presenting the servant's attachment as an established fact rather than an ongoing process, and it takes a compound object — "you and your household" ('et-beiteKha, H1004M, construct with pronominal suffix) — linking affection for the master personally with attachment to the household as a whole. The closing clause Tov lo 'imakh ("good for him with you") repeats the preposition 'im again, reinforcing the theme of the servant's material well-being being tied to remaining in proximity to the master.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders ki-yoMar 'eleikha ("if he says to you") more simply as ἐὰν δὲ λέγῃ πρὸς σέ ("but if he says to you"), and the Vulgate similarly abbreviates the servant's speech to "Nolo egredi" ("I do not wish to go out"), condensing the Hebrew's fuller phrase lo' 'eTze' me'iMakh ("I will not go out from with you"). The Vulgate also adds "sentiat" ("he perceives/feels"), an interpretive verb not present in the Hebrew's Tov lo ("it is good for him").