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H2670 · Hebrew · Old Testament
חׇפְשִׁי
Chophshi
Adjective
Free / Freeman / Liberated

Definition

The Hebrew adjective chophshi (חׇפְשִׁי) means free, freed, exempt — specifically describing a person released from servitude, bondage, or obligation. It is the condition of the slave who has been legally freed, the debtor released from debt, the one loosed from a binding obligation. The word appears in laws about the release of Hebrew servants (Exodus 21:2) and in the prophetic vision of liberty.

Usage & Theological Significance

Chophshi represents a legal and relational transformation: the one who was bound becomes unbound; the one who belonged to another is now free. Isaiah 58:6 calls Israel to 'let the oppressed go free (chophshi)' as the true fast. This word anticipates the New Testament proclamation of freedom in Christ. Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1–2 ('to proclaim liberty to the captives') in Luke 4:18 — the same freedom-language. Paul declares: 'For freedom Christ has set us free' (Galatians 5:1). The freed slave in the OT is a type of the believer released from the slavery of sin by the atoning work of Christ.

Key Bible Verses

Exodus 21:2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free (chophshi), for nothing.
Exodus 21:5 But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master... I will not go out free (chophshi),'
Isaiah 58:6 Is not this the fast that I choose: to let the oppressed go free (chophshi), and to break every yoke?
Job 3:19 The small and the great are there, and the slave is free (chophshi) from his master.
Galatians 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Related Words

External Resources

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