Exodus 21

Treatment of male slaves (vs. 1-6)—Slavery was very common in the ancient world; indeed, it wasn’t until the 19th century of our era that it began to be looked upon with disfavor. In most places, slavery was very brutal. The Israelites had it, but God regulated it. A Jew could enslave another Jew for only six years; he had to be released in the seventh (v. 2). If he was alone when he became a slave (not married), he was to be freed like that, even if he married while a slave. However, if he was married when he became a slave, he could take his wife with him when emancipated (vs. 3-4). Anything he acquired while a slave belonged to his master (v. 4). Interestingly, the slave had the option to remain with his master for life; instructions are given concerning that in verses 5 and 6. This probably happened frequently when the slave married during his tenure as a slave. Notice that such a slave was to serve his master “forever” (v. 6)—obviously, only until the end of life. The word “forever” in Hebrew does not always mean eternal duration, and there are a lot of people who need to understand that.

Interestingly, the ASV, KJV, and NKJV all use the word “servant,” and not “slave.” The New American Standard Version and the English Standard Version use “slave,” and this is more accurate. These people were slaves, involuntary servitude, not servants, a term which implies voluntary service and thus the right to leave at any time.

Treatment of female slaves (vs. 7-11)—Even though the modern mindset would not approve of the Law of Moses’ treatment of women, the Lord does regulate behavior relating to the opposite sex. They were protected against the most egregious treatment of men. A man could sell his daughter into slavery (v. 7), and that might happen under great financial stress; she wasn’t permitted to leave after six years, as were male slaves. However, if her master had betrothed her to himself (promised to marry her), but was not pleased with her, she could be bought back by her family; he could not sell her to anybody else (v. 8), “since he has dealt deceitfully with her,” i.e., promised to marry her but didn’t. If she became his daughter-in-law, then he must treat her as he would one of his own daughters (v. 9). If the master had married the female slave, but took another wife, then the slave-wife had the same privileges as the other wife (v. 10). If he refuses to follow any of these regulations, then the female slave was to be set free (v. 11). These laws were extremely progressive for the mid-second millennium before Christ.

“An eye for an eye” (vs. 12-27)—The next section deals with matters of violence, and the basic principle is “an eye for an eye.” But there were mitigating circumstances that allow for leniency. Murder was punishable by death (vs. 12, 14). Involuntary manslaughter, however, was not a capital crime, but still must be punished; “cities of refuge” were set up where the killer could flee. He couldn’t stay home (v. 13). Striking or cursing one’s parents was a capital crime (vs. 15, 17); parental authority was to be respected—“honor thy father and mother.” Such was/is very important to God because He intended the family to be the foundation of civil society. The current collapse of American morals and decency can be traced, to a great degree, to the degeneration of the family. Kidnapping was a crime to be punished with death (v. 16). If two men fought and one of them was incapacitated, but not killed, then the one who injured the other would pay “for the loss of his time” (v. 19). If a man beat his slave (male or female) and killed him (her), he “shall surely be punished,” though the law doesn’t say how (v. 20). If the slave lived a day or two, then the master was not to be punished; it was assumed that the slave must have died for some other cause (v. 21). Notice, that the slave “is his property.” “Natural rights” is a modern concept, not an ancient one, though Cicero, the great Roman orator, argued for them. That will be well over 1,000 years after the Law of Moses, however. If a woman was hurt by a man during a fight, and gave birth prematurely, then if she and the baby came to no harm, the offender would pay a fine (v. 22). “But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (vs. 23-25). The “eye for an eye” judicial ruling was not peculiar to the Law of Moses; it had existed before, and was simply endorsed by God as a fair and just system. If it was a slave who was injured (an eye or tooth is knocked out), then they were allowed their freedom as a result (vs. 26-27).

Culpability for one’s property (vs. 28-36)—Hebrews were also responsible for any damage done by animals under their ownership. The example of an ox is used in these verses. If an ox gored someone to death, it was to be stoned and the flesh not eaten (v. 28). The owner would not be held accountable, unless “the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past” and the owner refused to do anything about it. Then the owner, too, was put to death (v. 29). Or he could redeem his life by paying a fine (v. 30). If somebody else’s ox gored a slave, then the owner was to pay 30 shekels of silver. These are some examples of culpability, which is the principle established in these verses, and the last few verses give a couple more incidents thereof (vs. 33-36).