The Bible and Slavery?

Question

I have heard people say the Bible doesn't support slavery. I know there are lots of verses and stories about owning slaves, how to treat your slaves, selling your slaves, etc. I would like to know if there is one single verse or chapter that actually says that slavery is wrong. And it can't be a verse that needs to be interpreted, it has to say in a plain language that slavery is wrong.

How is slavery different in the past? Did they use a different type of whip on Assyrians, than on Africans? Did the southerners use a special brand of chains than the Israelites?

Slavery is taking a person against thier will (finacially, or by force) and making them into property that is forced to work for the rest of thier life, with no say on how they are treated, or fed. Slavery is the SAME no matter who did it, or who was enslaved.

So far I haven't seen one chapter or verse condeming slavery. Keep reading your bibles so you can prove me wrong.

Answer 1

No there isn't. The bible endorses the use of slavery. Jesus himself spoke on the subject and never said it was unrightous or unjust.

Answer 2

Bible mentions the institution of slavery because it was part of life at that time, this does not mean however that God approved of it. How about everything Jesus has said as an ex. for slavery being wrong?
The info about the treatment of slaves was written so that the slaves would not be mistreated, not to encourage slavery.

Read Luke 4:18 for example Jesus came to end slavery.

Keep in mind that we may associate slavery with the blacks in the USA but slavery then was much different!
Ex. A person is enslaved to pay off debts and is eventually released.

Answer 3

You can find biblical scripture in both the new and old testaments supporting slavery.

If there is one line from the Bible against it, it is some line from Jesus. It doesn't mention actual slavery, just the blind obedience some people have to religious leader.

He said don't call anybody your master because we're all equals before God. He said the religious leaders are all show, but that they do not follow what they say.

Answer 4

Slavery has existed since the beginning of time and not just with African people.God does not approve of this,however some became slaves by their own will,take for example Isaac he wanted Rebbecca so he was a slave to her father for 14 years.He did this to show how much he would do for her.We are all slaves to something,so I choose to be a slave for God.Shalom

Answer 5

There are many passages in the bible about slavery, OT and NT.

Slavery is NOT wrong in the bible.

Her is a good passage to reflect on:
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)

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)


Then their is Jesus:
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)

Answer 6

There is a letter that is attributed to Paul, in which he asks a friend to release his slave, and to accept him as a brother in Christ.

It's short, you can read it here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=64&chapter=1&version=31

Remember, slavery in the Hebrew culture wasn't permanent, and could NEVER be the result of kidnapping a person in order to sell them. If a man was found to have kidnapped someone to sell them into slavery, they were to be put to death, and the would-be slave released.

Answer 7

Read Romans chapter 6; the slavery that it actually says is wrong is slavery to sin.

Answer 8

firstly slavery in the bible was very different than pressent day
this is the cruisal part slavery in that time you were not a slave for life. you normaly were a slave to repay or to pay somthing or other purposes it was more of a job really

Answer 9

I don't think there are verses that oppose. If there are, then they are few. The Bible accepts and promotes slavery in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus never spoke against it.

Answer 10

Slavery was permitted in the Bible because of sin in the world. It existed before the Jews were formed as a nation and it existed after Israel was conquered. God allows many things to happen in the world such as storms, famine, murder, etc. Slavery, like divorce, is not preferred by God. Instead, it is allowed. Where many nations treated their slaves very badly, the Bible gave many rights and privileges to slaves. So, even though it isn't the best way to deal with people, because God has allowed man freedom, slavery then exists. God instructed the Israelites to treat them properly.

The Bible acknowledged the slave’s status as the property of the master (Ex. 21:23; Lev. 25:46),
The Bible restricted the master’s power over the slave. Ex. 21:20).
The slave was a member of the master’s household (Lev. 22:11)
The slave was required to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10; Deut. 5:14)
The slave was required and to participate in religious observances (Gen. 17:13; Exodus 12:44; Lev. 22:11).
The Bible prohibited extradition of slaves and granted them asylum (Deut. 23:16-17).
The servitude of a Hebrew debt-slave was limited to six years (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:12).
When a slave was freed, he was to receive gifts that enabled him to survive economically (Deut. 15:14)
The reality of slavery cannot be denied. Slaves were "slave labor played a minor economic role in the ancient Near East, for privately owned slaves functioned more as domestic servants than as an agricultural or industrial labor force."1

God permitted slavery to exist in both Old and New Testament times. But this does not mean that slavery was a God-ordained system. Slavery was an invention of fallen man, not of God. Nevertheless, God allowed it to exist the way He allows other things to exist that He does not approve of: murder, lying, rape, theft, etc.
God also works within the system of fallen man and makes allowances for the freedom and failures of mankind within that system. We see this, for example, in Jesus saying that God allowed divorce because of the hardness of peoples' hearts (Matt. 19:8). The fact is, people are sinners and do things contrary to the will of God. But, even though people have murdered, lied, raped, and stolen, God has still used people who've committed these sins to accomplish His divine will. Moses murdered an Egyptian but was used by God to deliver Israel. David committed adultery but was promised to have the Messiah descend from his seed. This is proof that though God desires that people not do much of what they do, He permits them their freedom, yet uses the system and the people according to His divine will.
In the case of a slave being property, that is simply the way things were done back then. As I said, God worked within the fallen system of man and put limits and guidelines concerning the treatment of slaves.