The eighth commandment

“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.”

Here is another evidence of the fact that slavery in ancient Israel was not at all like the chattel slavery practiced in early America and elsewhere. Slaves were regarded as human beings with rights and protections under the Law of God. A slave’s greatest treasure was the right to be free, whether by purchasing himself out of slavery or, even, running away, if conditions warranted. Slaves who were physically mistreated by their masters were also freed, as this statute makes plain.

It was in the interest of slave and owner alike that slaves should be treated with decency and respect, as the fifth commandment requires of all men. They may have been slaves, but they were human beings, and neighbors, and, thus, deserving of the love of God as communicated through His Law.

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.