Understanding Slavery in the Bible

• The Bible does not promote or command slavery but regulates it within its historical and cultural context, reflecting the social realities of the ancient world.
• Ancient slavery differed significantly from modern racial slavery, particularly the brutal transatlantic slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries, requiring careful interpretation to avoid anachronistic misunderstandings.

 Understanding the historical context

• Biblical slavery is often misunderstood due to modern associations with the inhumane practices of racial slavery, especially the transatlantic slave trade.
• Understanding the biblical terminology and cultural context is essential for accurately interpreting references to slavery in Scripture, as the ancient systems were rooted in different social, economic, and legal structures.

[1]Slaves in the Old Testament

• In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term often translated as “slave” encompasses various forms of service, appearing over 700 times, with approximately 57 instances specifically translated as “slave.”
• Unlike modern slavery, which was often based on race and perpetual enslavement, biblical slavery was not race-based, a critical distinction for understanding its context and purpose.

 Types of Servants in Ancient Israel

Contract Hebrew slaves

• These individuals voluntarily sold their labour for a fixed term, typically six years, to settle debts or achieve financial stability in the absence of bankruptcy laws.
• This system served as a form of labour and a social safety net for the poor, providing structure in an agrarian society.
• Exodus 21:2 (NIV): “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.”

Foreign slaves

• Foreigners did not automatically gain freedom after six years, unlike Hebrew slaves, but they had protections, including the right to leave if mistreated.
• Escaped foreign slaves were not returned to their masters, ensuring their safety and autonomy.
• Deuteronomy 23:15-16 (NIV): “If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand them over to their master. Let them live among you wherever they like and in whatever town they choose. Do not oppress them.”

Handmaids

• Handmaids, often female servants, were granted special rights and protections, particularly regarding their treatment.
• If treated harshly, a handmaid had the right to freedom without repayment, and family members could redeem her, emphasizing her dignity.

Voluntary slaves

• Some individuals chose lifelong service out of love or loyalty to their master, formalizing this commitment through a symbolic ear-piercing ceremony.
• Exodus 21:5-6 (NIV): “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.”

Ways to obtain freedom

• Completing the contract: Hebrew slaves were freed after serving their agreed term, typically six years, restoring their autonomy.
• Redemption: A family member or friend could pay to free a slave, providing a pathway to liberation.
• Escape: If treated harshly, slaves had the right to flee, with the community obligated to protect them, ensuring humane treatment.
• Old Testament laws emphasized humane treatment, guaranteeing dignity and fairness for slaves.
• Exodus 21:26-27 (NIV): “An owner who hits a male or female slave in the eye and destroys it must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And an owner who knocks out the tooth of a male or female slave must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.”

Treatment of slaves according to the Law

Compassionate treatment

• A well-treated slave was considered part of the master’s household, fostering a relationship built on mutual respect and care rather than mere ownership.
• This integration reflected the communal values of ancient Israelite society, where slaves were not dehumanized as in later systems.

Protection from mistreatment

• The Old Testament strictly prohibited mistreatment; significant harm, such as knocking out a tooth, resulted in the slave’s immediate freedom.
• These laws aimed to uphold the inherent dignity of slaves as human beings created in God’s image.

Compensation for damage

• Masters were obligated to compensate injured slaves and ensure their care, recognizing their value and rights.

Rights of Handmaids

• Handmaids enjoyed additional protections, including the right to freedom without repayment if treated harshly.
• Exodus 21:8-11 (NIV): “If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.”

[2] Slavery in the New Testament

• The New Testament was written under Roman rule, where slavery was deeply entrenched, and the freedom to emancipate slaves was heavily restricted.
• God prioritises spiritual slavery to sin as a greater concern, encouraging believers to embrace “slavery” to righteousness through faith in Christ.

Equality before God

• The New Testament emphasises the spiritual equality of all people, regardless of social status, race, or gender.
• Galatians 3:28 (NIV): “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Treatment of slaves

• Christian masters were urged to treat slaves with justice and love, recognising their shared accountability to God.
• Colossians 4:1 (NIV): “Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.”
• Christian masters were called to serve their slaves with love, using their authority to benefit rather than oppress them, reflecting Christ’s servant leadership.

The social and political context in the Roman Empire

• Slavery in the New Testament was shaped by Roman laws, where frequent emancipation threatened social and economic stability, leading to legal restrictions.
• As a result, Roman Christians often lacked the legal authority to free their slaves, navigating a complex socio-political environment.

God’s perspective on slavery in the New Testament

• The New Testament prioritises liberation from the bondage of sin, encouraging believers to become “slaves” of God and righteousness.
• Philemon 1:16 (NIV): “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.”
• The New Testament underscores the equality of believers, fostering a vision of spiritual unity.
• 1 Corinthians 7:21-22 (NIV): “Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you, although if you can gain your freedom, do so. For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave.”
• Ephesians 6:9 (NIV): “And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favouritism with him.”
• Luke 4:18 (NIV): “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

Conclusion

• Biblical slavery was fundamentally different from modern racial slavery, functioning as a system of debt repayment or a social safety net rather than forced coercion.
• Biblical laws mandated humane treatment, protection, and eventual release of slaves, emphasizing justice, dignity, and mercy.
• In the New Testament, biblical principles of love, fairness, and equality persisted despite Roman restrictions, inspiring later abolitionist movements.
• The existence of slavery reflects humanity’s fallen nature, but God’s purpose is to redeem and restore a world free from injustice.
• Galatians 3:28 (NIV): “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
• John 8:36 (NIV): “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

[1] https://ab-melchizedek.medium.com/on-the-bible-christianity-and-slavery-part-1-the-old-testament-11412299ed25

[2] How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-women, Anti-science, Pro-violence, Pro-slavery and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture by Dan Kimball