top of page
Does The Bible Condone Slavery?
Exodus 21:16 “He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death."
The Biblical law here reflects the high value placed on human and freedom, aligning with the broader biblical principle that every person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This commandment underscores the sanctity of human life and the importance of protecting individuals from exploitation and harm.
Exodus 21:20-21 "And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property."
The phrase underscores the severity of the action leading to death, which is a critical point in the legal stipulations of the Mosaic Law. The death of a servant due to the master's actions elevates the situation from discipline to a criminal act. The law here serves as a deterrent against excessive violence and underscores accountability.
Exodus 21:26-27 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth."
This provision highlights the concept of restitution and justice within the Mosaic Law. The freedom granted to the servant serves as a form of compensation for the injury suffered. This reflects the biblical principle of lex talionis, or the law of retaliation, which is not about revenge but about proportional justice. The release of the servant can be seen as a type of redemption, a theme that runs throughout Scripture.
Deuteronomy 23:15 “You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you."
In Israel, the law provided protection for escaped slaves, emphasizing compassion and justice. This principle aligns with the broader biblical theme of liberation and God's concern for the oppressed, as seen in the Exodus narrative, where God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. This mirrors the cities of refuge established in Israel for those seeking protection from avengers (Numbers 35:9-15). The idea of refuge is also a type of Christ, who offers ultimate refuge and salvation to all who come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30).
Deuteronomy 24:7 “If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you."
This phrase addresses the crime of kidnapping within the community of Israel. The term "Israelite brothers" emphasizes the familial and covenantal relationship among the people of Israel, highlighting the severity of the crime as it disrupts the unity and trust within the community. Kidnapping is seen as a violation of the commandment to love one's neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and is contrary to the principles of justice and righteousness that God established for His people. The act of kidnapping is not only a personal offense but also a communal one, as it threatens the social fabric of the nation. The prescribed punishment for kidnapping is the death penalty, reflecting the seriousness of the crime. The concept of purging evil is a recurring theme in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7), emphasizing the need to remove sin and its influence to preserve the holiness of the community.
Leviticus 25:44 "And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves."
In ancient Israel, servitude was a common practice, and the term "menservants and maidservants" refers to individuals who were in a position of servitude or slavery. The Israelites were instructed to acquire servants from the surrounding nations, which included groups such as the Canaanites, Moabites, and Edomites. This reflects the historical context of the ancient Near East, where nations often engaged in trade, including the exchange of labor. The act of purchasing servants from other nations was a legal transaction in the ancient world. This phrase suggests that servitude was not based on race or ethnicity, but rather on an economic arrangement. The purchase of servants from foreign nations was permitted, in contrast to the treatment of fellow Israelites, who could not be permanently enslaved (Leviticus 25:39-42). This reflects the broader biblical theme of redemption and freedom, as seen in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, which serves as a type of Christ's redemptive work (Exodus 6:6, Galatians 5:1).
Slavery in the Bible can not be viewed as the same as slavery in the modern world. What people think when it comes to slavery is America's history. You have to be intellectually dishonest with yourself and others if you say that slavery in the Bible was the same as in the history of the United States.
The verses above show the just side of God's law and equality within His creation. The death penalty applied to Jewish individuals who owned a servant if they killed them. If they beat them, they were warned about the punishment of unjustly treating their slave. Not only do we know by simply reading the verses that it was a responsibility to have a servant. If you had a servant who had children and a wife, you had to take care of the whole family by providing shelter, food, and clothes.
The most common vocabulary word for the servant is ‘ebed, which can mean ‘worker,’ ’employee,’ ‘servant,’ or ‘slave.’ Anyone in any of these categories comes under the protection of the Mosaic law.
Against this sort of historical experience, the Bible’s laws protect all sorts of workers, guaranteeing them the right to gain their freedom after a set period of time, as against the Egyptian practice of permanently enslaving Israel. Biblical law allowed service out of love rather than out of necessity, as opposed to involuntary service under oppressive masters in Egypt. Biblical law also gave immediate freedom to those who had in any way been physically abused, as opposed to the severe abuse the Egyptians had imposed on Israel.
(https://spoiledmilks.com/2015/04/21/excursus-slavery-and-slave-laws-in-ancient-israel/)
The people have been brought out of the house of slavery and, in many ways, they were to be an alternate society to their experience in Egypt. For men, and the Bible is written from a predominantly androcentric point of view, this servitude is limited to six years. Typically, it is younger, unmarried members of a family who would assume debt servitude on behalf of the family, and so a time of service of six years still allowed for the family to be debt-free and the individual to have time to begin their own family. There were apparently times when slaves married into a family or married another slave in a household, and while the male slave would be able to go free, the female and children could not. There are several situations where a person could choose to remain a slave to maintain family unity or because their life in the household of their master was better than the house they had to return to. Yet, at least in the law, the man can choose to remain a slave and must state this before the LORD and then receive a pierced ear as a sign of his lifelong servitude.
(https://signoftherose.org/2017/07/20/exodus-21-slavery-capital-crimes-and-responsibility-for-property/)
bottom of page