I. Pairiai'chal Servitude. — The exact nature of this service cannot be defined : there can be no doubt, how- ever, that it was regulated by principles of justice, equi- ty, and kindness. The servants of the patriarchs were
SLAVERY
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SLAVERY
of two kinds, those " boni in the house" and those "bought with money" ((ien. xvii, 13). Abraham ap- pears to have had a large number of servants. At one time lie armed three hundred and eighteen young men, " born in his own house," with whom he pursued tlie kings who had taken '• Lot and his goods, and the wom- en also, and the people," and recaptured them (xiv, 1- 16"). The servants born in the house were, perhaps, en- titleil to greater privileges than the others. Eliezer of Damascus, a home-born servant, was Abraham's stew- ard, and, in default of issue, would have been his heir (xv, 2-4). This class of servants was honored with the most intimate conlidence of the masters, and was em- ployed in the most important services. An instance of this kind will be found in (ien. xxiv, 1-9, where the eldest or chief-servant of Abraham's house, who ruled over all that he had, was sent to Mesopotamia to select a wife for Isaac, though then forty years of age. The authority of Abraham was that of a prince or chief over his patriarchate or family, and was regulated bj' usage and the general consent of his dependents. It could not have been otherwise in his circumstances; nor, from the knowledge which the Scriptures give of his char- acter, would he have taken advantage of any circum- stances to oppress or degrade them : " For I know him," saith the Lord, " that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him" (xviii, 19). The servants of Abraham were admit- ted to the same religious privileges with their master, and received the seal of the covenant (xvii, 9, 14, 24, 27). There is a clear distinction made between the " ser- vants" of Abraham and the things which constituted his property or wealth. Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold (Gen. xiii, 2, 5). But when the patriarch's power or greatness is spoken of, then servants are spoken of as well as the objects which constituted liis riches (xxiv, 34, 35). It is said of Isaac, '■ And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very tjreat, for he had possession of Hocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants''' (xxvi, 13, 14, 16, 26, 28, 29). When Hamor and Shechem speak to the Hivites of the riches of .Jacob and his sons, they say, "Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of tlieirs be ours '?" (xxxiv, 23). Jacob's wives say to him, " All the riches which (iod hath taken from our father, that is ours and our children's." Then follows an inventory of property: "all his cattle," "all his goods," "the cattle of his getting." His numerous servants are not included with his property (comp. xxxi, 43, and also ver. 16, IH). When Jacob sent messengers to Ksau, wishing to impress him with an idea of his state and sway, he bade them tell him not only of his riches, but of his f/realness, and that he had oxen and asses and flocks, and men-servants and maid-servants (xxxii, 4, 5). Yet in the present which he sent there were no servants, though he manifestly selected the most valuable kinds of property (ver. 14, 1.5; see also xxxiv, 23; xxxvi, 6, 7). In no single instance do we Hud that the [)atriarchs either gave away or sold their servants, or |)iirchased them of l/iird persons. Al)raham had servants " bought with money." Jt has been assumed that they were bought of third parties, whereas there is no proof that this was the case. The probability is that they sold themselves to the patriarch for an equivalent; that is to saj', they entered into vohwitary engagements to serve liim for a longer or shorter |)eriod of time, in return for tiie money advanced I hem. It is a fallacy to supjiose that whatever rox/x money is money or (iroperty. The children of Israel were re<piire(l to purchase their first- lx)rn (Numb, xviii, 1,5, 16; iii, 45, 51 ; Kxod. xiii, 13; xxxiv, 20), They were, moreover, re<|uired to pay money for their own souls ; and when they set them- selves or their children apart by vow unto the Lord, the price of release was (ixed l)y statute (Lev. xxvii, 2 H). IJoaz bought Kuth (Kuth iv, 10). Ilosea bought his
wife (Hos. iii, 2), Jacob bought his wives Rachel and Leah, and, not having money, (laid for them in labor, seven years apiece ((Jen. xxix, 16-23). That the pur- chase of wives, eitlier with money or by service, was the general practice is plain from such passages as Exod. xxii, 17 and 1 Sam. xviii, 25. But the idea of property does not appear in any of these purchases. For the various ways in which the terms " bought," "buy," and "bought with money" are used, consult Nell, v, 8; (ien. xlvii, 18-26, etc. In Lev. xxv, 47 will be found the case of the Israelite who became the ser- vant of the stranger. The words are, "If he sell himself unto the stranger." Yet the 51st verse says that this servant was " bought," and that the price of the pur- chase was paid to himself. For a further clue to Script- ure usage, the reader is referred to 1 Kings xxi, 20, 25; 2 Kings xvii, 17; Isa. Iv, 1 ; Iii, 3; see also Jer. xxxiv, 14; Kom. vi, 16; vii, 14; John viii, 34. Probably Job had more servants than either of the patriarchs to whom reference has been made (Job i, 2, 3). In what light he regarded, and how he treated, his servants, may be gathered from Job xxxi, 13-23. That Abraham acted in the same spirit we have the divine testimony in Jer. xxii, 15, 16, 17, where his conduct is placed in direct contrast with that of some of his descendants, who used their neighbor's service without wages, and gave him not for his work (ver. 13).