Slavery and the Bible

Slavery And The Bible  

 The Bible is very clear, slavery is not only something that’s expected, it’s something that’s good, even a blessing from God. In Genesis 24:35 it says “The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys.”. This shows that slaves are treated as a gift from the Lord.

    In Ephesians 6:5-9 the bible says “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ, not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul.” It also says, “...whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.”. This shows that slaves were told to obey their masters as they obey Christ. It also says that both slaves and masters will receive the same good they do again by the Lord, showing that even though they are slaves, masters and slaves will go to the same place in death.

    Lastly in Exodus 21:2-11 the bible says “When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt.”. This shows that you cannot have a slave for longer than six years, that after a slave has served for seven years he will be free. However, the bible also says in Leviticus 24:44-46 “You may keep them as a possession for your children after you, for them to inherit as property.”. This directly goes against what is said in Exodus 21:2-11, because it says you may keep them and your children after you may inherit them, which signals that slaves are allowed to be kept for longer than 7 years. 

    As we can see through my evidence, the bible is very clear, it condones slavery. It is iffy on the finer details-how long you can have them, where you can take them from, who they serve-but it is clear, slavery, in the eyes of the Lord, is approved.