Original Word: מִמְכֶּרֶת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mimkereth
Pronunciation: mim-keh-reth
Phonetic Spelling: (mim-keh'-reth)
KJV: + sold as
NASB: sale
Word Origin: [feminine of H4465 (מִמכָּר - sale)]

1. a sale

sold as

Feminine of mimkar; a sale -- + sold as.

see HEBREW mimkar

Word Origin
fem. of mimkar
Definition
a sale
NASB Translation
sale (1).

מִמְכֶּ֫רֶת noun feminine sale; — construct יִמָּֽכְרוּ מִמְכֶּרֶת עָ֑בֶד Leviticus 25:42 (H).

[מַכָּר] see נכר. [מִכְרֶה] see I. כרה.

[מְכֵרָה], [מְכֹרָה] see II. כור.

Canonical Setting

The noun מִמְכֶּרֶת appears once in Scripture, Leviticus 25:42, within the Jubilee legislation that regulates debt-slavery and land tenure. The surrounding chapter frames Israel’s socioeconomic life around divine ownership: “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is Mine, and you are but foreigners and sojourners with Me” (Leviticus 25:23). In the same way, persons may enter temporary servitude for debt relief, yet they remain God’s possession and must never be treated as chattel. “They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves” (Leviticus 25:42).

Socio-Economic Background

Ancient Near Eastern cultures commonly practiced permanent slavery through commercial sale. By contrast, Israel’s covenant law allowed only limited indenture for fellow Hebrews, always with a built-in release: either the Jubilee year or earlier redemption by kin (Leviticus 25:47-54). The use of מִמְכֶּרֶת (“sale, trafficking”) serves to outlaw any transaction that would sever that time-limited status. Debt relief could be serviced through labor, but the person could never become a commodity detached from his God-given identity.

Human Dignity and Divine Ownership

The prohibition underscores two theological truths:

1. Redemption from Egypt established the people as Yahweh’s servants alone (Exodus 20:2; Leviticus 26:13).
2. Human dignity derives from belonging to God, not from economic capacity or social rank. The law therefore guards against the dehumanizing tendency to convert people into permanent property.

Implications for the Jubilee Ethic

The wider Jubilee statutes (Leviticus 25:8-55) weave together land, labor, and liberty. מִמְכֶּרֶת functions as a boundary marker between permissible and impermissible economic activity. Because land, rest, and persons all belong to God, Israel’s economy had to mirror divine generosity and justice. The Jubilee year returned ancestral land and freed indentured servants, preventing generational cycles of poverty. The single occurrence of מִמְכֶּרֶת thus becomes a linchpin word that closes the door on perpetual bondage.

Resonances in Salvation History

The abolition of permanent human sale anticipates the New Covenant’s fuller redemption. Jesus announces the “year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61:2; Luke 4:18-19), echoing Jubilee themes. His atoning work purchases believers “not with perishable things such as silver or gold... but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Because the ultimate price has been paid, no other “sale” can lawfully claim those whom God has redeemed (1 Corinthians 7:23).

Pastoral and Missional Applications

• Human trafficking and economic exploitation violate the principle embodied in מִמְכֶּרֶת. Churches are called to protect the vulnerable and to oppose systems that commodify human life.
• Debt forgiveness ministries and fair-wage initiatives reflect the Jubilee spirit, reminding communities that all resources belong to the Lord.
• Discipleship should emphasize that every believer is Christ’s servant first; vocational roles, economic status, or cultural labels are secondary (Colossians 3:24).

Christological Foreshadowing

Where Leviticus forbids the sale of God’s servants, the Gospel records that Jesus Himself was “betrayed for thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:15). He willingly submitted to an unjust “sale” so that those enslaved to sin might be liberated. The irony magnifies grace: the only lawful Master chose to be treated as merchandise to nullify the commerce of sin.

Summary

מִמְכֶּרֶת, though appearing only once, crystallizes a biblical ethic: people redeemed by God must never be reduced to transferable property. This protection within Mosaic law prefigures the greater redemption accomplished in Christ, shaping the church’s commitment to human dignity, economic justice, and gospel freedom.

מִמְכֶּ֥רֶת ממכרת miKeret mim·ke·reṯ mimkereṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts