Nine Clarifications Before Critiquing Old Testament Slavery

Slavery in the Old Testament is a favourite topic among critics who wish to denigrate the moral character of the God of Israel.

In my experience, critics will predominantly cite Exodus 21:20-21 or Leviticus 25:44-46 to appeal to a notion of horrendous oppression towards foreign slaves within the nation of ancient Israel – even though there are, by my count, at least 20 other passages in the Torah that are relevant to having a well-informed conversation on the topic.

Still, the above two passages need to be engaged with, and I refer readers to a host of excellent resources that respond to the claim that the Old Testament endorses chattel slavery.[1]

What do you mean by Old Testament slavery?

In this article, I wish to propose a simple tactic for when the topic of Old Testament slavery comes up. I propose that you ask the person to explain what he means by ‘Old Testament slavery’. More than that, I propose that you ask your interlocutor to explain it in light of the following nine clarifications from the Torah:

Foreigners can be grafted into Israel’s covenant life, where there will be one impartial law for the “sojourner” and the native (Exod 12:48-49; Lev 24:16, 22; Num 9:14b; 15:15-16, 29-30; 19:10; Deut 1:16-17; 24:17-18; 27:19).[2]

Slaves and sojourners can share in the celebrations of Israel (Exod 12:43-48; 20:8-11; 23:12; Lev 25:6; Num 9:14a; Deut 5:12-15; 12:12; 16:11-14).

Israel is commanded to do good to the sojourner and the destitute (Exod 22:21-25; 23:9-11; Lev 19:9-10, 33-34; 23:22; 25:36-37; Deut 10:18-19; 14:21; 24:19-22; 26:12-13), as well as giving protection to runaway slaves rather than re-enslaving them (Deut 23:15-16).[3]

Israel’s civil law allows both sojourners (Lev 25:47-48) and Hebrew slaves (Deut 15:16) to become wealthy.

Israel’s legislation guarantees freedom for all citizens of the land, either every seventh year or every fiftieth year at the Year of Jubilee (Exod 21:2; Lev 25:10, 23, 40, 53-54; Deut 15:15-18). Note, however, that many interpreters take Lev 25:46 to teach that slaves from surrounding nations are an exception; they do not go free at the Year of Jubilee.

There is to be fair treatment of slaves and hired workers, where mistreatment is justly punished (Exod 21:26-27; Deut 24:14-15). Exodus 21:27 states that a slave is to be set free if even his tooth is knocked out in a beating by his master.

Kidnapping is forbidden (Exod 21:16; Deut 24:7).

The meaning of the noun “slave” (Heb e.ved) must be considered in its context. It occurs about 808 times across the Old Testament, and it certainly has negative meanings, not least in its description of Israel’s time in Egypt. But Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are each called an “ebed” – servant – of God (Exod 32:13), as is Moses (for example, in Num 12:7; Jos 1:2). My point here is that, if we don’t see the patriarchs as being oppressed in their servanthood of the Lord, then we should be slow to claim that the Lord allows his people to rule their slaves oppressively – given the Torah’s commands for Israel to walk in the ways of the Lord (cf. Deut 6:4-5, 10:12) and not in the ways of other nations (cf. Lev 18:3).

The meaning of the verb “to serve” (Heb avad) – used in the famous passage of Lev 25:46 – must also be considered in its broader context. It occurs about 288 times across the Old Testament, including before the Fall (Gen 2:5), of Moses and Aaron (Exod 12:31). As part of the 10 Commandments (Exod 20:9). Similarly to point eight, I contend that if Adam and Eve’s, Moses and Aaron’s, and Israel’s servanthood of the Lord is not oppressive, then the critic should be slow to claim that servanthood of the Lord’s people is dissimilarly oppressive.

To be fair to the critic, slavery in the Old Testament needs to be addressed. And I’m not claiming to have all the answers in these nine points. But every worldview has tough terrain. It is too common for critics to assume the absolute worst from passages like Lev 25:44-46, and so these nine clarifications help clarify what slavery truly looks like in the Old Testament – and they safeguard against loaded assumptions about what it might have looked like.

The trend in the Torah is towards honourable treatment of the sojourner, with Israel called to reflect the character of God and remember how they were once slaves in Egypt. To argue in the opposite direction, that Israel’s treatment of foreign slaves is a harsh, oppressive break away from this broader trend, is an ad hoc claim that needs support beyond the mere citation of Exod 21:20-21 or Lev 25:44-46.

Stand To Reason’s classic warning, Never Read A Bible Verse, is just as applicable to Bible critics as it is to Christians. The critic ought to be wary of cherry-picking when he condemns the Old Testament for slavery without considering the fullness of what the biblical text says.

Therefore, the critic should be asked to explain what he means by Old Testament slavery, if for nothing else but to check whether he has done his homework.

References:

[1] See Paul Copan, “Chapters 12-14,” in Is God A Moral Monster (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 124-157; Copan, “Of Human Bondage,” in Is God A Vindictive Bully (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022), 197-248; For podcast material, listen to Dr Copan and Dr Frank Turek in conversation: Old Testament Slavery: Fact vs. Fiction; For video material, see Peter J. Williams’ lecture, Does the Bible Support Slavery?, Rebecca McLaughlin’s interview on Logos, Does the Bible Condone Slavery? , Gavin Ortlund’s YouTube video: Slavery in the Bible: Answering Atheist Critiques , and J. Warner Wallace’s short video: Does the Bible Condone Slavery?

[2] Note that Israel is referred to as “sojourners” from their time in Egypt (cf. Lev 19:33-34; Deut 10:19; 23:7). Because Israel was also enslaved in Egypt (cf. Exod 2:23, Deut 15:15), the critic should be cautious about sharply differentiating the status of “slaves” from the status of “sojourners.” Israel is also referred to as “sojourners and strangers” of the promised land (cf. Lev 25:23).

[3] And so runaway slaves are not to be slaves in Israel – because slavery in Israel is not based on class superiority, since all humans are made in God’s image (cf. Job 31:13-15).

Recommended Resources:

How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series , INSTRUCTOR Study Guide , and STUDENT Study Guide

Stealing From God by Dr. Frank Turek ( Book , 10-Part DVD Set , STUDENT Study Guide , TEACHER Study Guide )

Is Morality Absolute or Relative? by Dr. Frank Turek Mp3 and Mp4

If God, Why Evil? ( DVD Set ), ( MP3 Set ), and ( mp4 Download Set ) by Frank Turek

Sean Redfearn is a former Community Youth Worker who now works for Christian Concern in Central London, UK. He completed an MA in Religion at King’s College London, is in the process of completing the MA Philosophy program at Southern Evangelical Seminary, and is a 2022 CrossExamined Instructor Academy graduate. Passionate about Jesus, he is grateful for the impact that apologetics has had on his faith.