Slavery in the Bible

 

by Johnny Reb

 

"Slavery was established by decree of Almighty God...it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation...it has existed in all ages, has been found among the people of the highest civilization, and in nations of the highest proficiency in the arts." -  Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America

 

The Bible is a book of atrocities, absurdities, rape, incest, sadism, torture, genocide, murder and mayhem ("weeping, wailing and the gnashing of teeth"). We're informed by the clergy and devout followers that it's written by a benevolent, omniscient and omnipotent God. But if you actually take the time to read this book from cover to cover, the God of Christianity is not only immoral and ignorant, he (she, it) is quite clearly a vengeful egotistical psychopathic monster that not only sanctions all of these heinous crimes, he is the author of most of them.  

 

Slavery is merely one of many crimes and injustices that are sanctioned throughout the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. In fact the Bible was invoked to justify the brutality of slavery for the past 2000 years, but in most recent history from slave trader Christopher Columbus to the other  Christian Europeans who followed, enslaving indigenous peoples in the Americas, Africa, Asia and elsewhere wherever their rapacious and vile colonialism triumphed. And it has not ended yet; within capitalism we've just given it another label -imperialism and its endless wars.

 

Eventually, the abolitionists gained sufficient influence to eradicate the evils of slavery in most areas of the world by the end of the 19th century. Surely Christians who have actually read the Bible must have wondered why their sacred book was so supportive of such an cruel and highly immoral practice.

 

Slavery and its adjunct racism have continued to exist well into the 20th century. The apartheid system of the Christian Dutch and British in South Africa is a case in point. Slavery still exists today is many parts of the world. Surely if someone labours under a wage or compensation that is insufficient for that person to subsist, it's still slavery. In that sense slavery exists in our own country.

 

The "Good Book" clearly approves of slavery in many passages, and it goes so far as to instruct how to go about obtaining slaves, how harshly you can treat them, and when you can have sex with the females.

 

    Many Jews and Christians will try to ignore the ethical prohibitions against slavery by claiming that these slaves were actually servants or indentured servants.  Many translations of the Bible use the word "servant", "bondservant", or "manservant" instead of "slave" to make the Bible appear less offensive and immoral than it really is.  While many slaves may have worked as household servants, that doesn't mean that they were not slaves who were bought, sold, and treated worse than livestock. We are referring to the P G Woodhouse variety, but rather human chattel.

 

    The following passages from the "good book" illustrate that slaves are clearly property to be bought and sold like chattel.

 

And he entreated Abram well for her sake and he had sheep and oxen, asses, menservants and maidservants...(Gen 12:16)

 

    However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you.  You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land.  You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance.  You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)

 

    The following passage describes how the Hebrew slaves are to be treated.

 

    If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve for only six years.  Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom.  If he was single when he became your slave and then married afterward, only he will go free in the seventh year.  But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife will be freed with him.  If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master.  But the slave may plainly declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children.  I would rather not go free.'  If he does this, his master must present him before God.  Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl.  After that, the slave will belong to his master forever.  (Exodus 21:2-6 NLT)

 

    Notice how a male Hebrew slave can become a permanent slave by keeping his wife and children hostage until he submits to becoming a permanent slave.  Are these the family values that Christians are always talking about?

 

    The following passage describes the revolting practice of sex slavery.  Selling your daughter into sex bondage is just fine according to scripture.

 

    When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.  If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again.  But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her.  And if the slave girl's owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave girl, but he must treat her as his daughter.  If he himself marries her and then takes another wife, he may not reduce her food or clothing or fail to sleep with her as his wife.  If he fails in any of these three ways, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment.  (Exodus 21:7-11 NLT)

 

    So this is what the Bible means by family values!  A man can buy as many sex slaves as he wants provided that he cares for their basic needs.

 

    What does the Bible say about punishing slaves?  It informs that one can beat both male and female slaves with a rod to the point of death. As long as the slave does not die one can have a clear conscience and not face any punitive consequences.

 

    When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished.  If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property.  (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)

 

    You would think that Jesus and the New Testament would have a more enlightened view of slavery. But no. Jesus is no meek messiah.

 

    Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear.  Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ.  (Ephesians 6:5 NLT)

 

    Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed.  If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful.  You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts.  Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.  (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

 

    In the following parable, Jesus clearly approves of beating slaves even if they didn't know they did not realize they were doing anything wrong.

 

    The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it.  "But people who are not aware that they are doing wrong will be punished only lightly.  Much is required from those to whom much is given, and much more is required from those to whom much more is given."  (Luke 12:47-48 NLT)

 

Servants, be subject to your master with all fear... (1 Peter 2:18)

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And you thought you would not be quizzed on this? WRONG!

 

 The Slavery Bible Quiz

 

1. How did Jesus say a slave should treat his master?

A. Since the Bible contains timeless moral truths, and slavery is clearly immoral, Jesus expressly prohibited His followers from owning other humans as property.
B. A slave should listen to his master’s commands, but is free to reject them when they are unjust.
C. A slave must completely obey and fear his master, even if his master is cruel and unjust.
D. A slave should treat his master as the master treats the slave.

2. What is God's policy on physical punishment of your slave?

A. None. God would not implicitly endorse slavery by having such a policy.
B. It is necessary because words alone will not overcome a slave’s misconduct.
C. If you blind the slave or knock his (or her) teeth out, you’ll have to let the slave go.
D. B and C.

3. Whom did God tell the Israelites they should turn into their slaves?

A. Only those people who had formerly made the Israelites slaves.
B. The people of other tribes living around them.
C. Those guilty of violent crime.
D. None of the above.

4. What does God say is to happen to a male slave after six years of service?

A. He is free to leave with his wife and children, so long as he was married when enslaved.
B. He is free to depart but has to leave his wife and children with the master if the master introduced him to his wife.
C. If he wants to stay behind with his wife and children, his master must bore a hole in his ear with an aul.
D. All of the above.

5. What does God say should happen to a master who beats his slave to death?

A. Nothing. Because God does not endorse slavery, the Bible does not address this subject.
B. He should be punished just as he would be for killing any other individual.
C. He should avoid all punishment if the slave survives for a couple days after the beating.
D. None of the above.

6. Does God allow you to sell your daughter into slavery?

A. Yes. And the situation is not unbearable for her since, if her master takes her as his wife and she does not please him, he must set her free.
B. Yes. But only step daughters. Blood relatives may not be sold.
C. No. Only strangers may be bought and sold.
D. No. A female child must be cherished and cannot be dealt with so harshly.

7. What punishments does God mandate when an ox gores a free man and when an ox gores a slave?

A. If the ox is a first time offender that kills a free man, the ox, alone, should be stoned.
B. If the ox is a known recidivist and kills a free man, both the ox and his owner should be killed.
C. If the ox kills a slave, the ox’s owner must merely give the slave’s owner 30 shekels of silver (and, to be fair, the ox should be stoned).
D. All of the above.

8. What was the plight of those not born Israelites?

A. Trick question. God never differentiated people by race.
B. They had to work harder and earn more money for their status.
C. They were to be taken by the Israelites as slaves, and their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. were destined to be slaves.
D. None of the above.

9. What conduct by slaves does Jesus dislike?

A. Insincerity. Slaves pretending to respect their masters when they’re really just trying to curry favor.
B. Rudeness.
C. A and B.
D. None of the above.

10. What effect does God say warfare has on slavery?

A. Whereas the men in any community invaded must be killed, the women and children are to be taken as slaves.
B. Slaves who serve in battle with their masters should be freed when the conflict had ended.
C. When leaving their homes to participate in the battle, masters should free their slaves.
D. B and C.

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Answers To "The Bible Slavery Quiz"

1.  How did Jesus say a slave should treat his master?

Correct Answer: C. (A slave must completely obey and fear his master, even if his master is cruel and unjust) “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward" (1 Peter 2:18). "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ" (Ephesians 6:5).
 

2.  What is God's policy on physical punishment of your slave?

Correct Answer: D. “A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer” (Proverbs 29:19). “And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake” (Exodus 21:26-27).
 

3.  Whom did God tell the Israelites they should turn into their slaves?

Correct Answer: B. (The people of other tribes living around them) "Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids” (Leviticus 25:44).
 

4.  What does God say is to happen to a male slave after six years of service?

Correct Answer: D. “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever” (Exodus 21:2-6).
 

5.  What does God say should happen to a master who beats his slave to death?

Correct Answer: C. (He should avoid all punishment if the slave survives for a couple days after the beating) “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money” (Exodus 21:20-21).
 

6.  Does God allow you to sell your daughter into slavery?

Correct Answer: A. (Yes. And the situation is not unbearable for her since, if her master takes her as his wife and she does not please him, he must set her free) “And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation, he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him another wife: her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish” (Exodus 21:7-10).
 

7.  What punishments does God mandate when an ox gores a free man and when an ox gores a slave?

Correct Answer: D. “If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit. But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death. . . . If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned” (Exodus 21:28-32).
 

8.  What was the plight of those not born Israelites?

Correct Answer: C. (They were to be taken by the Israelites as slaves, and their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. were destined to be slaves) “Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever" (Leviticus 25:44-46).
 

9. What conduct by slaves does Jesus dislike?

Correct Answer: C. (Insincerity and Rudeness) “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God” (Colossians 3:22; see also Ephesians 6:5-6). “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Titus 2:9-10).
 

10. What effect does God say warfare has on slavery?

Correct Answer: A. (Whereas the men in any community invaded must be killed, the women and children are to be taken as slaves) “And when the Lord thy God hath delivered [a city] into thine hands, thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the sword: But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the Lord thy God hath given thee” (Deuteronomy 20:13-14).