What to Make of the Old Testament Laws about Slavery

This article was first published in French at TPSG. It was later republishd at TGC Canada. It is part of a series on thorny questions in the Bible and how to understand them. You’ll find essential principles for Biblical interpretation in the first article in the series. 

The topic of slavery can be confounding to most believers in the West. As with any subject that makes us uncomfortable, we should begin by following certain principles of interpretation. Having done so, we need next to do our best to recognize the lenses through which we as Westerners think about slavery. For example, I as an American have a particular revulsion towards slavery, as some of my best friends growing up were African American. 

Plus, while working on my MA in African studies at UCLA, I wrote my thesis on contemporary slavery in the Sudan. So, I had to wrestle with a lot of these questions myself. Here are some truths I learned that helped me process what the Bible teaches relative to what we see in the world today and in recent history.

Slavery in the Old Testament

1. Chattel slavery as we see in the Transatlantic slave trade is vastly different from what was practiced in the ANE. (The same holds true for the lesser-known Trans-Saharan slave trade of blacks by Arabs). The traffic of Africans to the Americas was based on kidnapping, which is punishable by death in the Mosaic Law (Ex 21:16). Involuntary slavery was forbidden.
2. Some may say that God should have abolished slavery. Yet given how common a practice it was in the ANE, there’s a lot of wisdom in the way in which the Mosaic law created safeguards to protect the welfare and dignity of those who served, transforming the institution of slavery by regulating the relationship between master and slave in ways that eliminate abuse. 
3. Among the people of Israel servitude was voluntary. People hired themselves into the service of others, usually because they were poor. That was the best way to meet their needs. So, a better word for this kind of worker is servant, apprentice, hired hand, or indentured labourer. 
4. Plus, through their apprenticeship, they received on-the-job training, and learned how to work in the context of a family. Such an individual lived in his or her master’s home temporarily, working hard in exchange for room, board, and an honest wage until s/he could pay off his/her debts. 
5. Slavery in the Bible thus had a constructive purpose. Both the servant and the master benefitted, which is not the way slavery normally works. Usually, the master gets his work done at his slave’s expense. But the purpose of slavery in Israel was to train men and women to become productive members of society. They often had to become servants in the first place because they were in debt, at times due to their own negligence and at other times to make restitution for a theft. Their sin was thus the cause of their servitude in these cases. But instead of condemning them to poverty for life, the law gave them an opportunity to improve their situation. 
6. All of this prepared them for their ultimate freedom. In this way, slavery had a redemptive purpose. Perpetual bondage was not the goal, but rather responsible independence. “The Hebrew servant was bound for freedom." 
7. In addition, according to Deuteronomy 15:12-14, Hebrew slaves were to be set free in the seventh year. And they were not sent away empty-handed. Instead, masters were to give them everything they needed to make start a new life. They were supposed to set their former slaves up in business. In his covenant love, God wanted his people to show one another the same kind of grace they had received when the LORD delivered from Egypt, loaded down with silver and gold (Exod. 12:35, 36).

Conclusion

As with any difficult passage of the Bible, we need to keep in mind that God is good, that his Word is reliable, and that we can trust him. My hope is that this and other such discussions will fuel our faith by giving a deeper sense of confidence as we study the Scriptures for ourselves. In my next article in this series I will explore the question of a father selling his daughter into slavery in Exodus 21:7-11. Stay tuned. (1)

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(1) Exodus: Saved for God's Glory (Preaching the Word | PtW) by Phillip Graham Ryken was an essential resource to me in preparing this article.