Have you ever read through the Bible and noticed that frequently in both the new and old testaments, slavery is mentioned and even condoned? How can a God as loving as ours, who gave his own son for us allow for such a practice? This is an incredibly charged subject and one that has been debated amongst both lost people and Christians alike. What does the Bible say?

Let’s quickly cover some common misconceptions in the Bible about slavery, and then we’ll look at the individual verses that apply.

1. Some forms of slavery were disallowed in the Bible!
   Slavery has some forms that are listed as wrong biblically! First racial slavery is never condoned in the Bible. When we think of slavery today, most people picture white > black slavery that occurred during the 1800′s. When the Egyptians did this with the Hebrews, they were punished severely for it (the 10 plagues) and we see that racism or racial slavery is never allowed.
2. Slavery was always voluntary!
   Yes, some of the terms of being a slave were not ideal, but this is very important to note! Nobody was forced into being a slave!

   Lev 25:39  And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant:

   First notice that men sold themselves into slavery in order to pay their debts or if they could not afford to feed themselves. This is completely voluntary because of the passive verbs. Some newer translations corrupt this and use the phrase “purchase a slave” this is incorrect because it was voluntary.

   Not enough proof? Consider the following verse:

   Exo 21:16  And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

   This plainly states that anyone who forces another into slavery is guilty of death. This was a completely voluntary process!

3. Slavery was very similar to an employer/employee relationship!
   Deut. 15:12 and Exodus 21 all put out limitations on how slaves could be treated, and they all were to be provided with food, shelter, and clothing. Slaves were not to be beaten or treated unfairly. They were essentially employees without pay.

The last passage I want to cover is this one:

Exo 21:18  And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
Exo 21:19  If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
Exo 21:20  And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
Exo 21:21  Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.

Many people have taken this passage as an example of how “evil the bible is” or some other nonsense, because it appears to say that a master may beat his slave as long as he doesn’t die. This is completely false.

The preceding verses cover in detail the punishment for the murder and beating of another man. Is this behavior appropriate? Absolutely not. What we are seeing here is how to deal with inappropriate behavior of a master to his slave!

In verses 18-19 we see an example of two free men where one man is smitten. If he kills the man, he has to die. If the man is just injured for a few days, then the offender has to pay for the lost time.

In verse 20-21 we see the same situation except in the master slave relationship. If the master kills the slave, then the master has to be punished (put to death!) if the master beats the slave and he is only injured for a few days, then there is no punishment because there is no lost wages to repay. In fact, the punishment is that the attacker does not have a tenable worker as long as he is injured. Is either situation condoned? No! These are just the Bible’s way of dealing with these trespasses in the Old Testament.

Interesting to note that God never changes. Anything that was sin in the Old Testament is still sin the New Testament, but under grace, the punishment that is needed to cover this sin is no longer the same.

Related posts:

1. Opposites in the Bible
2. A Few “What Ifs…” From the Bible