Topical Bible: Servant: Emancipation of

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The concept of the emancipation of servants in the Bible is deeply rooted in the social, legal, and religious fabric of ancient Israelite society. The Hebrew term often translated as "servant" or "slave" is "ebed," which can refer to a range of servitude conditions, from bondservants to hired workers. The emancipation of servants is addressed in various passages, reflecting God's concern for justice, mercy, and the dignity of all individuals.

Old Testament Context

In the Old Testament, the emancipation of servants is primarily governed by the Mosaic Law, which provides specific regulations to ensure fair treatment and eventual freedom for Hebrew servants. One of the key passages is found in Exodus 21:2-6, which states: "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years, but in the seventh year he shall go free, without paying anything." This law underscores the principle of the sabbatical year, a time of release and renewal, reflecting God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Deuteronomy 15:12-15 further elaborates on this principle: "If a fellow Hebrew, a man or woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free. And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you." This passage emphasizes the importance of generosity and provision for the newly emancipated servant, ensuring they have the means to start anew.

The Year of Jubilee, described in Leviticus 25:10, also plays a significant role in the emancipation of servants: "And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan." The Jubilee year served as a societal reset, restoring property and freedom to those who had fallen into servitude due to economic hardship.

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, the concept of servitude and emancipation is transformed by the teachings of Jesus Christ and the apostles. While the social structures of the Roman Empire included slavery, the early Christian community was called to a higher standard of love and equality. In Galatians 3:28, Paul writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This radical equality in Christ laid the groundwork for a new understanding of human relationships, transcending social and economic divisions.

The epistle to Philemon provides a personal example of this transformative ethic. Paul appeals to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave, urging him to receive Onesimus "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother" (Philemon 1:16). This appeal highlights the Christian call to view all individuals as brothers and sisters in Christ, deserving of dignity and freedom.

Theological Implications

The emancipation of servants in the Bible reflects God's justice and compassion, emphasizing the inherent worth of every individual. The laws given to Israel served as a reminder of their own deliverance from slavery and a call to embody God's character in their treatment of others. In the New Testament, the message of freedom in Christ redefines relationships, encouraging believers to live out the principles of love, equality, and mutual respect.

The biblical narrative of emancipation serves as a powerful reminder of God's redemptive work throughout history, pointing ultimately to the spiritual freedom offered through Jesus Christ.

Nave's Topical Index

2 Chronicles 36:23
Thus said Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has the LORD God of heaven given me; and he has charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
Nave's Topical Index

Ezra 1:1-4
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Phoebe
... We learn of her that she was a 'servant,' or, as the margin preferably reads ...
Historically the emancipation of one half of the human race is the direct result ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/phoebe.htm

Open Sins
... Nothing short of it contents the Master for the servant. ... people, possibilities in
the way of conformity to the Master's will, and entire emancipation from all ...
//christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/open sins.htm

Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on ...
... Paul, when giving them the best counsel, said, "Art thou called, being a servant? ...
[Note."The views of the Fathers on Slavery and Emancipation were very ...
/.../homilies of st john chrysostom 4.htm

Freedom in the Truth
... He becomes the servant of the truth, and the truth makes him free ... shut it in, and
attaches it to those ideal ends which give enlargement, emancipation, range to ...
/.../peabody/mornings in the college chapel/lxxviii freedom in the truth.htm

A Choice of Masters
... The bond-servant abideth not ... Christ the Son makes us free, and if we trust Him for
our emancipation we 'shall be free indeed,' 'that we, being delivered out of ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/a choice of masters.htm

Death, the Friend
... be exchanged for the authority of the ruler, and the toil of the servant for a ... the
condemnation of the naked spirit to inaction, it is the emancipation of the ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/death the friend.htm

Leadership for Service
... be your minister; and whosoever would be first among you shall be your servant:
even as ... new type, and to give his life as a ransom for the emancipation of the ...
/.../the social principles of jesus/chapter vii leadership for service.htm

Texts Explained; Fifthly, Acts ii. 36 the Regula Fidei must be ...
... that emancipation of all humanity which takes place by the Word, but that very Word
who was by nature Lord, and was then made man, hath by means of a servant's ...
/.../chapter xv texts explained fifthly acts.htm

Carey's Last Days
... in the reforms of Lord William Bentinck's Government"In the emancipation of the
slaves ... from the words of Simeon""Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter xvi careys last days.htm

Not Servants, but Friends.
... No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth:
but I have ... These words of our Lord are the charter of our emancipation. ...
/.../xiii not servants but friends.htm