Second Letter Challenging Exodus 21

Hello friends!

Last time, I mentioned the barrage of challenges I’ve been getting lately regarding Exodus 21 and God’s abolition of slavery.

I love these challenges, as they raise good points and show how needed this information is.

There’s an abundance of these letters. Here’s another from A.G:

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Second Letter from A.G.

Hello

The Hebrew term for slave, eved, is a direct derivation from the Hebrew verb la'avöd ("to work"), thus, the slave in Jewish law is really only a worker or servant. The eved differs from the hired worker (sakhir) in three respects: he receives no wages for his work; he is a member of his master's household; and, his master exercises patria potestas over him - for example, the master may choose a wife for the slave and retains ownership of her and he has proprietary rights in him." Source: Jewish virtual library

My Response

Hello A.,

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

You said:

The Hebrew term for slave, eved, is a direct derivation from the Hebrew verb la'avöd ("to work"), thus, the slave in Jewish law is really only a worker or servant.

This is a fair definition, but it’s unfairly limited. An ebed is typically a worker or servant, but it is not limited to that definition.

Abraham calls himself an ebed to the three angels who visit him. Soldiers are called ebed to their commanding officer.

Even the Messiah Himself, the Suffering Servant, is called an ebed in Isaiah 53.

As you can see, it has a far greater range than the definition above.

You said:

The eved differs from the hired worker (sakhir) in three respects: he receives no wages for his work; he is a member of his master's household; and, his master exercises patria potestas over him - for example, the master may choose a wife for the slave and retains ownership of her and he has proprietary rights in him." Source: Jewish virtual library

This is not an accurate view of the biblical laws.

An ebed was paid for their work. It wasn’t hourly wages — it was far better:

Deuteronomy 15:12-14

[12] “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. [13] And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. [14] You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

An ebed is provided for financially in two ways.

First, while they serve, all their needs are met: food, shelter, clothing, safety. They don’t wrack up debt or worry, since they are fully provided for.

Second, when their service is complete, they are given wealth to sustain a free life: animals from the flock as a source of wealth and a source of daily milk, bread and grapes and wine to meet their immediate needs, everything you need to start a new life.

The ebed was indeed a member of their master’s household, with the proviso that they could leave at any time. If they are treated badly, they can leave whenever they want, and are free as soon as they do so.

The definition above makes it seem as though an ebed isn’t compensated and that they’re stuck in a household whether they want to be or not. Neither is true.

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