What Does the Bible Say About Slavery — Meaning Explained

Biblical slavery was complex and different from the chattel slavery of the American South. Old Testament regulations humanized the practice: Hebrew slaves served limited terms (Exodus 21:2), were to be treated well (Deuteronomy 15:12-15), and kidnapping people for slavery was punishable by death (Exodus 21:16). Paul's letter to Philemon urged a master to receive his runaway slave Onesimus 'not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved' (Philemon 1:16). Galatians 3:28 declares, 'There is neither bond nor free... for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' 1 Timothy 1:10 lists 'menstealers' (slave traders) among the lawless. While the Bible didn't immediately abolish the institution, its principles of human dignity, equality before God, and love for neighbor provided the theological foundation that drove William Wilberforce and others to abolish the slave trade.