Bible rules and customs regarding slaves(*hebrew, ** foreign & ***ALL)
Ok it's a little premature but here is the second part of my research. Please feel free to add points and corrections
Genesis 1: before the fall there were 0 slaves.
Genesis 17.23-... Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all the slaves born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised; 27 and all the men of his house, slaves born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
***
This should be obvious, on the seventh day everyone rested. Pretty neat, slaves do not have to work on the sabbath. Exodus 20:10
Genesis 24.52-67... quote too long click link. Woman could make choices and owned slaves.
***
Exodus 21.20-21- 20 When a slave owner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, there is no punishment; for the slave is the owner’s property.
-Slave may not be beaten to death and the owner will get the death penalty. If the slave survives a day or two than the benefit of the doubt is given that the owner did not intend to kill the slave. The man will also lose his property Also interesting note on sacred-text website. The owner is not guilty in civil court but is a murderer in the eyes of god. Furthermore it should be noted that this verse, regardless of translation, does not say beating slaves is a morally correct practice.
***Alternate translation of
Exodus 21.20-21- When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse,[
a] the owner must be punished.[
b]21 However, if the slave can stand up after a day or two, the owner should not be punished[
c] because he is his owner’s property.[
d]
-The reason for this translation is based on the hebrew words and the context of this entire chapter. Basically the entire context has to deal with the different applications of certain laws to individuals of different social and economic class. I would suggest reading the entire chapter to see all the examples. Basically punishment for a regular person is described and then punishment for a pregnant woman, slave, or animal is described in that order. So since Exodus 21.18-19 is translated as
When individuals quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or fist so that the injured party, though not dead, is confined to bed, 19 but recovers and walks around outside with the help of a staff, then the assailant shall be free of liability, except to pay for the loss of time, and to arrange for full recovery.” [nrsv]
The second reason for this is the hebrew word ‘amad which literally means to stand. This element is also found in the previous law except with the use of a different word, but this word also means to stand. Most of the times when things are repeated words will be replace or dropped and synonyms will be used. This translation is accepted by the following bible versions: NLT, NIV,HCSB,
***Exodus 21.26-27- 26 When a slave owner strikes the eye of a male or female slave, destroying it, the owner shall let the slave go, a free person, to compensate for the eye. 27 If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.
-there is a general relationship to the code of lex talionis . It is likely that any personal injury that is severe will be punishable. [OAB:NRSV, p.113]
***Deut 23.15-16: 15 Slaves[‘ebed] who have escaped to you from their owners shall not be given back to them. 16 They shall reside with you, in your midst, in any place they choose in any one of your towns, wherever they please; you shall not oppress them.
-[OAB:NRSV]States that “The law rejects the almost universal stipulation within ANE law that escaped slaves must be returned [p.288]
Leviticus 19.33-34:When an alien [ger] resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. 34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
***Exodus 12.43-49 43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised; 45 no bound or hired servant may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 The whole congregation of Israel shall celebrate it. 48 If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the Lord, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it; 49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you
-Slaves can join the covenant, but had to be circumcised. Bound servants could not however...strange. Probably pertains to being in debt.
*** Exodus 20.8-11 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.
***Leviticus 25:39
*Deut 15.12-15: If a member of your community, whether a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold[
a] to you and works for you six years, in the seventh year you shall set that person free. 13 And when you send a male slave[
b] out from you a free person, you shall not send him out empty-handed. 14 Provide liberally out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your wine press, thus giving to him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; for this reason I lay this command upon you today
***Job 31.15: If I have rejected the cause of my male or female slaves[‘amah],
when they brought a complaint against me;
14 what then shall I do when God rises up?
When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
And did not one fashion us in the womb?
*Slaves could complain to their masters, it was seen as admirable to listen, and lastly slaves were seen as equal. [OAB:NRSV] “13-15 Job goes far beyond the obligations of his time in admitting that slaves have any rights and in affirming their common humanity with him”.
***Exodus 21.16: Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death.
*It should be noted that prisoners of war were kidnapped, but this was seen as an act of mercy. Also note we are not discussing whether or not the war against the canaanites was moral, but rather the idea of enslaving. Oh and any comments and emails I see trying to change the subject will be ignored and not responded to...in this section.
**Leviticus 19.29: prohibits “pimping” out girls.
Citations:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Hjks_TlK7qK-MAnNY3mdIo8EdN3fVmkMueHBKCzWzY/edit
