I don't get it .

[Floatingaxe]

My paraphrase says it more understandably:

"If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property."

There is no intent to kill, so no punishment for killing is necessary.

[Leonard]

Remember too that this is THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY that ANY slave had ANY rights. This represents a HUGE leap forward in human ethics and morality. That is why the slavery practiced in the US was so very wicked and vile: The slave had NO rights. His owner could beat him, rape him, burn him, kill him, anytime, for any reason, or no reason, and have NO legal consequences.

Of course, not a few very mean Southern slave owners were hanged by their neighbors because they were so cruel to their own slaves, but this was vigilantism, and not force of law.

[Guest HIS girl]

I understand what you are saying.

I was thinking along the lines that it sounded quite harsh that a slave owner could beat a slave quite badly, and if the slave lived he would not be condemned because the owner is boss.

I definitley accept what it says in Scripture but that's how I felt when I read it...mind you I have read it before but this time I was troubled by it.

[Leonard]

I understand what you are saying.

I was thinking along the lines that it sounded quite harsh that a slave owner could beat a slave quite badly, and if the slave lived he would not be condemned because the owner is boss.

I definitley accept what it says in Scripture but that's how I felt when I read it...mind you I have read it before but this time I was troubled by it.

Consider this too. Legal decision reached in cases of beating slaves had made it so that if the slave lost a fingernail, any blood, a piece of skin, or even if the master grabbed them by the hair, and THREE HAIRS came out, they had to free that slave. I think it would be very difficult to beat someone so severely they died, and not have them lose any blood, three hairs, a tooth, a fingernail, or any skin.

The effect was that this law pretty much told the masters they'd better not be beating their slaves at all....

[Guest HIS girl]

Consider this too. Legal decision reached in cases of beating slaves had made it so that if the slave lost a fingernail, any blood, a piece of skin, or even if the master grabbed them by the hair, and THREE HAIRS came out, they had to free that slave. I think it would be very difficult to beat someone so severely they died, and not have them lose any blood, three hairs, a tooth, a fingernail, or any skin.

Yes, quite true!!

[irishcowboy]

also something most people do not realize, is that for the most part, it was not the owner that beat the slaves (yes, there were poor owners that did) it was the task masters, these were the ones that were put in charge of the work force.....

a task master had no concern whether the slave was injured or not, all they saw was they had a job to do (some of the task masters were slaves that were placed in the position) and they did not own the slave. the hired task masters were only looking at a pay check, and the more the work force did, the better the pay was, for more product was completed. the slaves that were advanced forward, were relieved to be away from that back breaking job, and were driving the other slaves so that they could show that they were worthy of being a task master....

it was actually the task master that did most of the whipping of the slaves, trying to get them to produce more, driving them on..

as was said in previous post, some owners were poor owners and treated their own slaves very poorly, and some were hanged because of it......

it would be no different then having a person that is driving your truck during wheat harvest, racing from where they got it loaded at the combine, running it full bore to the coop where they sell it, and then racing back at full bore to get another load as if they were the only truck... this would not be very profitable for the truck would brake down rather quickly bouncing over all the bumps and such in the field, and the ditches racing down the road with several tons of grain in the truck (loosing some of it as they go) the owner would be loosing money rather then making money......

The Bible is specific about the treatment of others.... one of the things God was also pointing out, was that the Israelites them selves were slaves, and that they were to remember that and treat their slaves the way they wanted to be treated, not how they were treated....

the Lord gave Adam a job of being the steward over the Garden of Eden, We are to be stewards over this earth, all that we own is not ours, but is God's, including the slaves that we might have, our servants that we might hire, we are to treat other people as if they, themselves, were(are) Jesus.....

Christ even gave us that lesson, do everything as if you were doing it for Christ.

mike

[Floatingaxe]

also something most people do not realize, is that for the most part, it was not the owner that beat the slaves (yes, there were poor owners that did) it was the task masters, these were the ones that were put in charge of the work force.....

a task master had no concern whether the slave was injured or not, all they saw was they had a job to do (some of the task masters were slaves that were placed in the position) and they did not own the slave. the hired task masters were only looking at a pay check, and the more the work force did, the better the pay was, for more product was completed. the slaves that were advanced forward, were relieved to be away from that back breaking job, and were driving the other slaves so that they could show that they were worthy of being a task master....

it was actually the task master that did most of the whipping of the slaves, trying to get them to produce more, driving them on..

as was said in previous post, some owners were poor owners and treated their own slaves very poorly, and some were hanged because of it......

it would be no different then having a person that is driving your truck during wheat harvest, racing from where they got it loaded at the combine, running it full bore to the coop where they sell it, and then racing back at full bore to get another load as if they were the only truck... this would not be very profitable for the truck would brake down rather quickly bouncing over all the bumps and such in the field, and the ditches racing down the road with several tons of grain in the truck (loosing some of it as they go) the owner would be loosing money rather then making money......

The Bible is specific about the treatment of others.... one of the things God was also pointing out, was that the Israelites them selves were slaves, and that they were to remember that and treat their slaves the way they wanted to be treated, not how they were treated....

the Lord gave Adam a job of being the steward over the Garden of Eden, We are to be stewards over this earth, all that we own is not ours, but is God's, including the slaves that we might have, our servants that we might hire, we are to treat other people as if they, themselves, were(are) Jesus.....

Christ even gave us that lesson, do everything as if you were doing it for Christ.

mike

Thanks for your informative post!