Leviticus 25:44

44 Regarding male or female slaves that you are allowed to have: You can buy a male or a female slave from the nations that are around you.

Leviticus 25:44 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 25:44

Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have,
&c.] Such it seems were allowed them, if they had need of them; but if they had them, they were to be not of the nation of Israel, but of other nations; this is an anticipation of an objection, as Jarchi observes; if so, who shall I have to minister to me? The answer follows, they [shall be] of the heathen that are round about thee, of them shall ye
buy bondmen and bondmaids;
that is, of the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and Syrians, as Aben Ezra, that were their neighbours, that lived round about them, of any but the seven nations, which they were ordered utterly to destroy; wherefore Jarchi observes it is said, "that are round about thee"; not in the midst of the border of your land, for them they were not to save alive, ( Deuteronomy 20:16 ) .

Leviticus 25:44 In-Context

42 You must do this because these people are my servants—I brought them out of Egypt's land. They must not be sold as slaves.

43 You will not harshly rule over them but must fear your God.

44 Regarding male or female slaves that you are allowed to have: You can buy a male or a female slave from the nations that are around you.

45 You can also buy them from the foreign guests who live with you and from their extended families that are with you, who were born in your land. These can belong to you as property.

46 You can pass them on to your children as inheritance that they can own as permanent property. You can make these people work as slaves, but you must not rule harshly over your own people, the Israelites.