Exodus 21:1-11 presents to us a cultural crisis of sorts, the big question we walk away with in this passage is, does God actually condone slavery. My answer to this question in short is absolutely not, specifically in the terms of how we as a culture define the word slavery.
The misinterpretation of this text is has caused an incredible amount of pain, this is why it is vital that we as Christians dedicate ourselves to understanding the Bible, not just reading it and interpreting it on our own.
First let’s address the question, “does Israelite slavery compare to the evil institution of slavery that we understand today?”
Understand that being a Hebrew slave was voluntary, and had more to do with paying off debts. Being a Hebrew slave or servant was more like getting a job and working for someone that you submitted to, as opposed to being taken against your will. In fact, Exodus 21:16 explicitly and clearly condemns this practice “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”
This shows us that God, in no way promotes, and in fact condemns any type of slave trading. Therefore anytime in the Bible you read a passage where a master buys a slave, we know that according to God’s law, that slave was sold to their master on their own, and not by any 3rd party.
