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Ancient Israel’s RevoltsThe Watchtower—1979 | October 15
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“This is what Jehovah has said, ‘On account of three revolts of Israel, and on account of four, I shall not turn it back, on account of their selling someone righteous for mere silver, and someone poor for the price of a pair of sandals.
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Ancient Israel’s RevoltsThe Watchtower—1979 | October 15
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In Biblical usage, the number “three” may represent intensity or emphasis. Hence, the ‘three, even four revolts’ of the 10-tribe Kingdom of Israel against Jehovah stand for the combined record of the Kingdom of Israel’s unfaithfulness.
Righteous persons would be sold for “mere silver.” The Law did stipulate that a thief who was unable to make compensation should be sold for the things he stole. (Ex. 22:3) It may be, therefore, that the influential ruling class went far beyond this, selling lowly persons for profit and not because the poor needed to make compensation. Or, the ‘selling of someone righteous for mere silver’ may be understood to mean that judges, on receiving silver as a bribe, or the promise of such, would sentence righteous persons.
Possibly because a poor man could not pay for a pair of sandals, his creditor would heartlessly sell him into slavery. Or, to get a pair of sandals or some other item of no great value, an influential man might sell a poor person.
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