In the biblical context, the term "master" often refers to individuals who have authority over servants or slaves. The Scriptures provide guidance on the relationship between masters and their servants, emphasizing principles of justice, fairness, and mutual respect. The following passages from the Berean Standard Bible highlight these principles:

Ephesians 6:9
"And masters, do the same for them. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him."

This verse instructs masters to treat their servants with the same respect and care that they expect in return. It underscores the idea that both masters and servants are accountable to God, who shows no partiality.

Colossians 4:1
"Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven."

Here, the apostle Paul calls on masters to act justly and fairly towards their servants, reminding them of their own accountability to God. This passage emphasizes the moral responsibility of masters to ensure the well-being of those under their authority.

1 Peter 2:18
"Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable."

While this verse addresses servants, it implicitly speaks to masters by highlighting the expectation of respect and submission from servants. It suggests that masters should strive to be "good and gentle," recognizing the dignity of their servants.

Philemon 1:15-16
"For perhaps this is why he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for good—no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is especially dear to me, but even more so to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord."

In this personal letter, Paul appeals to Philemon to receive Onesimus, a runaway slave, not merely as a servant but as a beloved brother in Christ. This passage reflects the transformative power of the Gospel in redefining relationships between masters and servants.

Exodus 21:20-21
"If a man strikes his male or female servant with a rod and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. However, if the servant gets up after a day or two, the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property."

The Mosaic Law provided regulations for the treatment of servants, including consequences for mistreatment. This passage illustrates the legal framework intended to protect servants from abuse, while also reflecting the historical context of servitude in ancient Israel.

Leviticus 25:39-43
"If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him into slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves. You are not to rule over them harshly but fear your God."

This passage from Leviticus outlines the humane treatment of fellow Israelites who become servants due to poverty. It emphasizes the temporary nature of such servitude and the importance of treating servants with dignity and respect, rooted in the fear of God.

These scriptures collectively provide a framework for understanding the biblical perspective on the role and responsibilities of masters. They highlight the importance of justice, fairness, and the recognition of the inherent worth of every individual, regardless of their social status.Exodus 21:20,21,26,27
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
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Leviticus 19:13
You shall not defraud your neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with you all night until the morning.
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Leviticus 25:43
You shall not rule over him with rigor; but shall fear your God.
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Deuteronomy 5:14
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your ass, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates; that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you.
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Deuteronomy 24:14,15
You shall not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of your brothers, or of your strangers that are in your land within your gates:
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Job 31:13-15
If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
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Proverbs 22:16
He that oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he that gives to the rich, shall surely come to want.
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Proverbs 29:12,21
If a ruler listen to lies, all his servants are wicked.
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Jeremiah 22:13
Woe to him that builds his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that uses his neighbor's service without wages, and gives him not for his work;
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Malachi 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, said the LORD of hosts.
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Romans 4:4
Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
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Ephesians 6:9
And, you masters, do the same things to them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
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Colossians 4:1
Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
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1 Timothy 5:18
For the scripture said, You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.
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Philemon 1:10-16
I beseech you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
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James 5:4
Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
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Who was Onesimus in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to be a servant of Christ? | GotQuestions.org

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14:15-24)? | GotQuestions.org

Master: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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