How you can repeatedly make this claim or similar claims that slavery was ‘voluntary’ after admitting that war prisoners were also enslaved is beyond my understanding.
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I completely agree. Like I said, it was a temporary Mosaic set up, the one and only purpose of Israel was to secure a holy bloodline for Christ to come through. It is not an ideal society, and I would be stoned 10x over if I lived near Israel. I’m a bit of a heretic, at least in Churchy Christian circles.
@david1 Here’s an #alternativefact for you, since you seem to like them so much: The Israelite slaves in Egypt had a wonderful time! The only time they were given beatings is when they were naughty, e.g. chasing cats. They had plenty to eat and meaningful work, constructing YUGE projects and working with gold! They made a lot of money, too! Things were great until Moses showed up. He got them to follow him out of Egypt but they began to go hungry. They remembered the haute cuisine they’d enjoyed in Egypt and even wanted to go back, but alas, it was too late. The End.
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So you don’t think God’s relationship with the Jews endures? That they were mainly breeding stock?
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But… that’s not historically, or biblically, true. There was no day of rest for slaves/servants, slaves building temple estates were given horrible, horrible conditions to live and work in, they couldn’t run away if abused, and there was no limit to the abuse Egyptian slaves could endure (Biblical slaves couldn’t be maimed).
I mean, if you want to make a point, at least try. Use history, use something at least comparable. Even if Egyptian slavery was all lovey dovey and comparable to Hebrew slavery, your usage of the Hebrew under Egyptian slavery is sad and uneducated. Anyone who reads the biblical account knows that the Pharaoh made conditions horrible for the Hebrew slaves, including murdering all Hebrew infants by throwing into the Nile. Where did Hebrews do that, again?
They wanted to go back because they were starving/dehydrated, exhausted and felt hopeless, a combination of emotions they didn’t feel, even in Egyptian slavery.
Those words never were typed, I never even indicated His relationship with them ceased. I said their purpose was to bring the Messiah into the world. Which is evidently true. By the way, God has a relationship with everyone, Jew and Gentile, its up to the individual to share affection back.
But it okay for you to make crap up. Like denying that the Hebrews practiced chattel slavery. I even checked with a scholar on this (Robert Cargill).
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It was a lot more than that.
Chattel slavery was not practiced in the Bible, and you nor your scholar can prove that claim.
Two biblical facts: 1. Slaves could not be stolen. 2. Slaves could run away at any time, for any reason.
Sorry, but you’ll have to try harder to disprove my claims.
Prove it, please.
It looks to me like it is time to agree to disagree. The same contentions and objections are being repeated without any forward motion in the discussion. Last chance to add something substantive to this thread, because I am going to close it if it continues to be a “yes, it was” “no, it wasn’t” song that never ends.
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Yes, things change, even from the OT to the NT. Examples include stoning adulterous women and taking multiple wives. As for slavery, it was wonderful slavery. In fact, it was just like going to Disney World.
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Slavery was condoned, but Exodus 22:3 says that that if a thief could not make restitution to his victim, he was to be sold into slavery, and his purchase price given to the victim. That would indicate that slavery was considered a form of punishment.
Sometimes, but not always
The winking smiley face was meant to kid and express humor regarding the earlier discussion, not to encourage another round of slavery discussion. Stop forthwith! 
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Back to talking about OT slavery I see? Let me assert with evidence that “slave” is a gross mistranslation. The institution it refers to has no modern analogue, and only loosely parallels “bond servant”.
This article is a help description. Slave. - Smith's Bible Dictionary Online
So it is a gross misstatement to say that the “Bible endorses slavery” in the modern english meaning.
The OT accepts slavery, and a slave is a person who is owned, bought and sold (if a non-Hebrew). The NT does seem to be on a trajectory to end the practice.
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Huh!!! Come on. Read how the bible instructs Israel in going to war. Deuteronomy 20 and, even more diabolically, Numbers 31. The god of the OT not only endorses slavery and other jaw-dropping crimes against humanity – he commands them. There are sane ways to deal with this, but denying that the bible condones atrocities against humans – specifically those whom it flags as “the other” – is inexcusable. To attempt to redefine what is obviously human plunder as “not slavery” is not only inexcusable, it’s daft. Even if the wordplay were convincing, you would be left with a god who kinda likes slavery but definitely likes genocide and almost indescribably cruelty. The bible you’re quoting ought not be read in front of young children.
@jpm would like us to avoid this topic since it’s been visited way too often lately, so I will not contribute further. Just please, for the last time, gather enough integrity to stop defending the indefensible. It’s not necessary, and it makes you look really bad.
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I meant “mistranslation” =).
I have read the bible. The right term, is “bond-servant”.