Slavery in the Bible

Been struggling to reconcile the slavery laws handed down in Exodus 21. Outside of ‘context’ and ‘think of the times’, how do people justify the seemingly immoral laws handed down?

- if master gives his slave a wife she will be a slave for life

- rules on selling your daughter

- rules on beating your slave

Reading about slavery in the bible is a real difficult thing for us, especially those particular passages and it is due to the disconnection between our modern culture and theirs. You can't remove context and expect to understand. We really need to dig deeper into understanding their culture (which really, culture is mainly how a group of people think) Take verse 5, if a slave love his master... What? How can that be? There's one clue that shows slavery then, isn't what we think it is.
People sold themselves into it mainly due to poverty, it's either or struggle and possibly die.
It definitely wasn't a masters benefit if they beat their slave because the slave would like move in their 7th year.
Dig, Research and you will find the answer,

One very important thing.

This was not the slavery of Greece and Rome. When it says "selling"... kidnapping people for sale was forbidden by the Mosaic law. I'll dig out the verse later if you wish, but it was punishable by death. This was different. They were under a social contract to work for 7 years because of extreme poverty and debt, and this is what selling meant here. Slave and servant pretty much meant the same thing but they were obligated and couldn't leave until they completed 7 years.

This was people who were in debt and while other systems put them into prison, they were to work 7 years to cancel it off, and get paid as well at the end of the time period. Parents sold children to be workers, to get themselves out. Which wouldn't work terribly if people were all righteous, it would be an opportunity instead. But the rich masters beat those poor people, knowing they had an upper hand over them. So I think this is one of the things that God never originally intended, like divorce, but it was allowed by Moses for the hardness of their hearts. We can see by God's curses and admonishments that some of the masters tried to keep people longer than 7 years or get away sending them away without paying. God prescribed some things in the OT not because He wanted it done but because the people would do a lot worse if not. He said eye for an eye not because He wanted another eye out, but because they'd take an arm an a leg too in anger because that's people for you.

Another thing here is that all the law and generally Old Testament content had spiritual significance of things to be fulfilled. The law you mention with wife being a servant for life if yoking herself with one, is cruel, but has a significance, likely similar to the apostles explaining the difference between the son of a bondwoman and son of the free. There is a freedom for slaves too, and God uses it as a prophetic foreshadowing, but besides that we are instructed that everyone is one in Christ. Bondman and freeman both receive Christ and this is really God's concern, what's happening with the soul and not what's going on in this life that seems so long yet short to us. God was never out to deliver social justice.

Let's look into the New Testament now.

1 Peter 2:18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

Remember Hagar? Go back and submit to your mistress that beat you. You will either believe that God is immoral, or someone who has a plan, and that's up to each individual to decide. Jesus submitted Himself to many beatings so at least He's not a hypocrite.
It doesn't look to me that God is focused upon social status or social injustice as appalling as it may look to us. He uses it, working within it and seems to me He is only interested into our spiritual status.

"indentured servitude"
"indentured servant"

Please read on about how slaves were able to obtain their own freedom, marry into the master;s family if called for.. They were also paid, and given food to eat.

In famine, slaves were to be the first to eat before the owners, and if they could not feed them, they were to go free.

I am nof or now or ever any kind of slavery but there are varying degrees of cruelty in the history of slaves, the very worst form was that in the new world, though not all of it did have slavery.

Thanks for responses.

It’s immoral for me to own another poor person today, even if I give them food, shelter and tell them they’re free after 6 years... so why wasn’t this immoral back then?

Time shouldn’t dictate if something is immoral. It’s either moral or not. So why wasn’t owning another person in the OT immoral? Because it was culturally accepted at the time? That’s not a real answer for me. God laid out 600+ mosaic laws and was not afraid to dictate specific rules so why not say ‘don’t own another person as property’.

Instead of owning another person why not help them by giving them food and shelter, why did people have to own other people to help them out? The more I think deeply about this I struggle to comprehend how this could ever be a good thing.

Who said it is good or bad? Are you aware, or anyone else reading, that Jesus, Yeshua, taught us if a law is not applied with mercy, justice and faith, it is not understood?

Many folks back in the time of endentured servitude, would actually sell themselves into service, as a career in order to maintain. It is squite possible there were good reasons for the master and the servant. It seems everyone things of what is in the Word as what was perpetrated in the new world, and other places around the globe. It was not the same.

is why

Onesimus was a slave who was with Paul for a time while Paul was in prison. Apparently a run-away. Paul was sending him back to his owner, Philemon.

Philemon 1: 8-18

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to

Slavery has been part of human history since Adam. Through him sin entered the world (Romans 5:12) and with sin came all manner of evil.....including slavery. Jews were the slaves of Pharoh, the Irish were the slaves of the English, the first slaves in America were WHITE, and the first slaves in Africa were BLACK. Makes no difference of race, creed, or place......slavery was worldwide and had no criteria for why, who or how.

We live in better times. At the cross people were made FREE INDEED! Christianity was the foundation for the ending of slavery in most countries where Christ is Lord. Yet there is a slavery of the will that keeps men under sin until and unless they are born again to new life and gives us the mind of Christ. There can be no slavery when we love God with all our heart, mind and body and our neighbor the same as we love ourselves.

Here (<- click!) is an excellent resource that lays out how slavery in ancient Israel was superior in every way to how slaves were treated in other ancient cultures. Laws indicate that in Israel the fate of slaves was not nearly as harsh as their conditions elsewhere.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the entire formal presentation of law in the Torah begins with the laws of slavery. After the introductory verse in Exodus 21:1, “These are the rules that you shall set before them,” the Torah commences with the laws of slavery. This is unique among the law codes of antiquity.

The reason for this placement of slavery laws in primary position, and for the relatively beneficent treatment of slaves in Israel, is clear. Israel’s national experience had been one of slavery. Indeed, the people had emerged as a unified nation during the period of slavery in Egypt. This experience was so central to Israel’s consciousness that it never forgot its roots. It permeates the Bible, and thus explains both the position and the particulars of the laws of slavery in the Torah.

There is only one reason we have slavery in the Word of God, sin. There is nothing deep about. The heart of man is evil and wicked God used it to bring his people back to HIM, and HE did deliver them out of Slavery. Just as HE all who serve HIM.

The biblical context to slavery is simple To who you give yourself over too you become a servant of. either sin unto death, or a servant of righteousness unto eternal life. Slavery was never the plan of God but sin produced it. This came from hate. The same hate Cain had for Able His own brother. The same hate that the brothers of Joseph who sold him into Slavery. Just like the African slave trade Blacks supported that and held enslave their own people to another.

2 Thessalonians 3:10
For even when we were with you, we would give you this
command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

1 Timothy 5:8
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members
of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Ephesians 4:28
Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with
his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

1 Thessalonians 4:11
And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

Slaves are used as hired hand. And men bought and owned .Some were given a desire by God to get under the loving authroity of their Boss and other lorded it over man as if they had no value other than work them to death .


In the parable of the waiting father and two brothers . When the one brother left his fathers house he took the inheritance with him . Spent that wealth foolishly and when coming to his senses offered to be a willing a slave as one that lived outside the family, a room in town.

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I've been an ongoing student of the Bible since 1968 via sermons, seminars,
lectures, Sunday school classes, radio Bible programs, and various authors
of a number of Bible related books. In all those fifty-two years I've yet to be
shown even one single verse in the Bible condemning or prohibiting slavery.
Never even one time has anyone I've listened to, or anybody whose book
I've read, pointed out where the Bible condemns slavery as a moral evil.

Now, I'm not saying there are no passages in the Bible condemning or
prohibiting slavery, only that I myself have to yet to be shown any. But I
have seen passages addressing the treatment of slaves.
_

From what I have derived from the Word, slavery is most likely the wrong word for even our Lord and Savior Yeshua, makes mention of the Master and servant(s),.

I do not mind at all being a slave or servant of our master for the recompense cannot be gained by my own efforts. I need His constant guidance,.

2 Timothy 2:

24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Yes - I see the big red letters and numbers. They seem to "run against" your LARGE ALL-CAPS "admonishment"...?













(just teasing)