Leviticus 25:44

44 " 'You must get your male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. You can buy slaves from them.

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 " 'The people of Israel are my servants. I brought them out of Egypt. So they must not be sold as slaves.

43 Show them pity when you rule over them. Have respect for me.

44 " 'You must get your male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. You can buy slaves from them.

45 You can buy as slaves some of the people who are living among you for a while. You can also buy members of their families who were born among you. They will become your property.

46 You can leave them to your children as their share of your property. You can make them slaves for life. But when you rule over your own people, you must be kind to them.