Some Bible Questions
- Rebekah’s relation to Isaac–they are first cousins once removed, right?
Genesis 24:15, a couple of other scriptures.
2. Why would ex-slaves require such detailed instructions on owning slaves?
Exodus 21 is the chapter right after the ten commandments. It has detailed instructions for the law on holding slaves. Verses 1-11, 20-21, 26, and 32. Why? Would the Hebrew slaves have owned a bunch of slaves? It is possible. I get the impression that they were held collectively in bondage but not necessarily individually, which means that as individuals some of them might have owned slaves among themselves. The other possibility is that as ex-slaves they had a bunch of opinions on how slavery should be managed.
3. Exodus 21:20-21, am I reading this right?
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
I am reading it to say that there is a punishment for killing your slave. Not death, but a punishment. But if you maul the slave but the slave doesn’t die right away, they linger on for a day or two, then no punishment. Because the money you lose when the slave dies is itself the punishment.
Now, obviously, the world of the Old Testament is very foreign to ours. That’s one of the reasons I have been saying ‘slave’ instead of ‘servant,’ to make the differences more clear. And obviously having a different scale of punishments for offenses against servants/slaves was pretty standard in various areas of the ancient world. Anglo-Saxon law, for instance. Still, the idea that masters can be trusted to treat their slaves well because of the money they have invested in them is a remarkably libertarian view. I.e., probably false.
Zen
April 27, 2022
With regards to #2, we tend to think of slavery as one single practice or institution, but that is historical myopia. It is a wide range of practices, not all of which were even necessary low class. Zoran may have been an upclass slave to Laban. The Israelites were slaves to the State. This is establishing how you do it one on one. Workers at Walmart are, effectively, what many ancient slaves were.
With regards to #3… I don’t know.
Rozy
April 27, 2022
Always remember that the OT has lost many plain and precious parts. It’s my opinion that that is the reason so many things seem weird to us. If the OT has been edited and compiled by an inspired prophet like Mormon and come to us pure then it too would be much easier to understand.
Zen
April 27, 2022
Ok, I did read on this a bit, and I do feel better.
First, corporal punishment was the primary punishment in the OT, besides the death penalty. Non-slaves got similar treatment, with the same (mostly non-lethal) weapon. Prison (mostly) wasn’t a thing. So, this verse in question, should be considered closer to manslaughter. There are numerous verses giving a slave freedom if abused. Verse 12 may suggest the punishment for the slaveowner is death.
Second, this one points out, that by ancient standards, this is practically hippy kumbaya. There were many provisions for treating slaves well, and women in particular.
Third, this one was also good.
This is a brief search on it, so don’t consider this the final definitive word.