The eighth commandment

Exodus 21.16

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

Deuteronomy 24.7

“‘If a man is found stealing one of his brothers, of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.’”

While slavery was allowed in ancient Israel, trade in slaves appears to have been discouraged. People became slaves, when they did, through poverty or war. But trade in slaves was not allowed, and the penalty for doing so was extreme.

Note also that not only the perpetrator of this transgression was guilty, but anyone who assisted him in his evil deed as well. Man-stealing was considered as of the same degree of abhorrence as murder, rape, and other capital crimes.

Forms of “man-stealing” today might include, besides literal slavery, identity theft, the international sex trade, impersonating another for sinful ends, fraud, and so forth.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.