Exodus 21:1-11

These are the ordinances that you shall set before them:

When you buy a male Hebrew¹ slave, he shall serve for six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt.² If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone.³ But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person’,⁴ then his master shall bring him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl;⁵ and he shall serve him for life.

When a man sells his daughter as a slave,⁶ she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her.⁷ If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.⁸ If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.⁹ And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out without debt,¹⁰ without payment of money.

1 Foreigners are not protected the these limits on slavery

2 Slavery is implicitly condoned, but a six-year limit is placed on it (for males).

3 This appears to strongly restrict the rights of the slave – freedom means leaving your wife and children? Fidelity to marriage means giving up your freedom? Then again, the wife in question was the wife “the master had given him”, so perhaps the bond was not thought to be that strong.

4 Shows that at least some power is being placed in the slave's hands, and that the relationship with the master could have some ambiguity.

5 Reminiscent of branded property.

6 Slaves were being sold by their own parents, even into what appears to be sex slavery.

7 A form of sex slavery is implicitly condoned, but strong limits are set. No selling to others – either she is your wife/concubine, or she is free.

8 Again – condones buying a slave girl for your son, but forces you to treat her as a daughter.

9 Polygamy is allowed, but the woman's rights are protected.

10 For the third time in the passage, a potential path to freedom is given to the slave.

Take-home: This passage allows for a form of slavery, but sets limits on it that are stricter than most slavery I am aware of. It is clear that this would be a big step up for the era and community. However, you can imagine how it would work out in practice – the keeping of slaves would almost certainly continue unabated, but their rights must have been in constant jeopardy. Brings in the question – is a big advancement for the community good enough, or should we expect a perfect law from Exodus?