Exodus 21:5 kjv
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Exodus 21:5 nkjv
But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,'
Exodus 21:5 niv
"But if the servant declares, 'I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,'
Exodus 21:5 esv
But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,'
Exodus 21:5 nlt
But the slave may declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don't want to go free.'
Exodus 21 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 40:6-8 | "Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear... then I said, 'Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.'" | The servant's open ear for permanent service echoes obedience and delight in God's will. |
| Isa 42:1 | "Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights." | Christ as the ultimate servant who voluntarily fulfills God's will. |
| Phil 2:6-7 | "...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant (bondservant)." | Jesus' voluntary self-abasement, becoming a servant out of love. |
| Mk 10:45 | "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." | Christ's purpose was serving, even to death, a radical voluntary surrender. |
| Rom 1:1 | "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus..." | Believers willingly identify as "douloi" (bondservants) of Christ. |
| Gal 1:10 | "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." | Emphasis on single-minded devotion and service to Christ over human approval. |
| 1 Pet 2:16 | "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God." | Christian freedom paradoxically leads to voluntary service to God. |
| Eph 6:5-8 | "Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling... serving wholeheartedly, as if for the Lord..." | Instructions for bondservants to serve with integrity and devotion, echoing love-motivated service. |
| Col 3:22-24 | "Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters... as a servant of the Lord." | Service done unto Christ, similar to the love for a master in Exodus. |
| 1 Cor 7:22-23 | "For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord... You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." | Paradox of Christian freedom, chosen to be bondservants of Christ, not human systems. |
| Josh 24:15 | "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." | A decisive declaration of commitment and service. |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other..." | Implies wholehearted allegiance and love for one chosen master. |
| Deut 10:12-13 | "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart..." | The ideal of serving God out of love and wholehearted devotion. |
| Exo 20:6 | "...but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." | Love as the basis for lasting relationship and obedience in the covenant. |
| Deut 15:16-17 | "But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household..." | Direct parallel to the Exodus law, reinforcing the motivation of love. |
| Ruth 1:16-17 | "Do not urge me to leave you... where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge... the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." | Ruth's profound and voluntary commitment out of love for Naomi. |
| Rom 6:18 | "and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." | Spiritual emancipation from sin leads to chosen bondage to righteousness. |
| Rom 6:22 | "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life." | Freedom from sin results in voluntary lifelong service to God. |
| Isa 50:4-5 | "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught... The Lord GOD has opened my ear..." | Prophetic portrayal of a servant whose ear is opened for obedience, mirroring the servant's piercing in Exo 21:6. |
| 1 John 4:19 | "We love because he first loved us." | Our ability to love and commit is a response to divine love, reflecting the motivation of the servant. |
Exodus 21 verses
Exodus 21 5 Meaning
Exodus 21:5 describes a specific provision within the Israelite law concerning Hebrew bondservants. After serving six years, a bondservant was due to be released. However, this verse outlines an exceptional case where the servant, out of deep affection and loyalty to his master, his wife, and children (who were given to him by the master), explicitly declares his intention to voluntarily forgo his right to freedom and remain permanently with his household. This statement of love signifies a conscious and profound choice for lifelong servitude driven by relational bonds rather than legal obligation.
Exodus 21 5 Context
Exodus 21:5 is a specific clause within the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20:22 – 23:33), which outlines laws given by God to Israel through Moses at Mount Sinai following the Ten Commandments. This particular verse falls within the first section concerning the treatment of Hebrew bondservants (Exodus 21:1-11). Prior verses (21:2-4) establish the fundamental right of a Hebrew servant to be set free in the seventh year, as well as the unique situation where the master provides the servant with a wife and children. Verse 5 presents the servant's conscious choice to remain, leading to the ritualistic ear-piercing described in Exodus 21:6 as a permanent mark of this lifelong, love-driven bond. These laws demonstrated a stark contrast to the often brutal and absolute slavery common in ancient Near Eastern societies, where slaves were often chattel with no rights to freedom or family protection. Israelite law, divinely ordained, aimed to establish a more humane system, even allowing for the paradox of chosen, permanent servitude out of love and loyalty, emphasizing personal relationships over mere transactional agreements.
Exodus 21 5 Word analysis
"But if" (וְאִם,
v’im): This conjunction introduces a condition or alternative scenario, highlighting that what follows is a deviation from the default expectation of release in the seventh year. It signals a choice made by the servant."the servant" (הָעֶבֶד,
ha’eved):’Evedmeans "servant," "slave," or "bondservant." Here, with the definite article, it refers specifically to the Hebrew male servant whose initial term of six years is expiring. The term’eveditself carries a wide range of meanings in the Bible, from involuntary servitude to a dedicated worshiper or a "servant of the Lord.""says" (יֹאמַר,
yomer): From the root’amar(אָמַר), "to say," "declare." This implies an active, deliberate, and vocal statement of intent. It's not a passive acceptance but a clear, publicly declared decision."I love" (אָהַבְתִּי,
’ahavti): From the root’ahav(אהב), meaning "to love." This verb signifies deep affection, attachment, and loyalty. It goes beyond duty or contract, indicating an emotional bond. It's a personal and profound declaration, crucial for the motivation of remaining in service."my master" (אֲדֹנִי,
’adoni): From’adon(אָדוֹן), "lord," "master," with the first-person possessive suffix "my." This indicates the master to whom the servant is already bound. The affection for "my master" suggests a benevolent relationship fostered over years of service, rather than one of oppression."my wife" (אִשְׁתִּי,
’ishti): From’ishah(אִשָּׁה), "woman," "wife," with the first-person possessive. This refers to the wife given to him by the master, specifically highlighting the familial ties that bind him. Her fate and that of her children are directly linked to his choice (as in Exo 21:4)."and my children" (וּבָנָי,
uvani): Fromu-(and) +banim(בָּנִים), "sons" or "children," with the first-person possessive. These children belong to the master, as they are born from the wife provided by the master. The servant's love for them forms a significant part of his desire to remain."I will not go out free" (לֹא אֵצֵא חָפְשִׁי,
lo’ ’etse’ hofshi):Lo’("not") indicates negation.’Ese’("I will go out") signifies his departure from servitude.Hofshi("free," "at liberty") is the state of being unbound and unrestricted. This phrase is a resolute and definitive refusal to claim the freedom that is legally due to him, affirming his choice for permanent allegiance.Words-group Analysis:
- "I love my master, my wife, and my children": This collective declaration unveils the multi-faceted motivation behind the servant's decision. It's a profound statement of affection encompassing loyalty to the master who provided for him, and deep relational commitment to the family unit he established during his service. The sequence likely emphasizes the hierarchy of allegiance while stressing the comprehensive nature of his love. This triad of beloved relationships forms the emotional cornerstone for his choice.
- "I will not go out free": This declarative statement, following the assertion of love, serves as the ultimate expression of his chosen bondage. It highlights the voluntary relinquishment of a God-given right to freedom. This phrase concretely communicates his intention to remain permanently, transcending the temporary legal contract and sealing it with a commitment based on love and belonging.
Exodus 21 5 Bonus section
- The emphasis on "love" in this verse makes this a profoundly relational act, setting it apart from mere economic or legal obligation. It underscores the potential for a benevolent relationship even within a master-servant dynamic under God's law.
- This specific law allowed the servant to retain his immediate family (the wife and children provided by the master) rather than being separated, which was a humane distinction from practices in many other ancient cultures.
- While an individual Israelite was always under God as their ultimate Master, this passage shows the application of this divine principle within human societal structures.
- The declaration is the precursor to the ear-piercing ceremony in Exodus 21:6, which symbolized a lifelong mark of hearing and obedience, much like God giving "an open ear" to His chosen servants in passages like Psalm 40:6-8 and Isaiah 50:4-5.
Exodus 21 5 Commentary
Exodus 21:5 unveils a unique aspect of God's law regarding servitude in Israel: a provision for voluntary, permanent commitment stemming from genuine love and loyalty. Unlike typical forms of indentured servitude, this clause does not describe exploitation but rather an enduring bond born of relational satisfaction and affection for the master and the family unit the master provided. This servant's declaration of love ("I love my master, my wife, and my children") reveals a heart that values belonging and established relationships over individual liberty. His choice to explicitly state "I will not go out free" transforms a temporary arrangement into a lifelong dedication, sealing it with a future symbolic act of ear-piercing (Exo 21:6). This law not only presented a humane option for servants within ancient Israel, distinct from the harsh chattel slavery prevalent elsewhere, but also subtly foreshadows deeper theological truths. It reflects the concept of willing servitude to a good master, a devotion based on love rather than coercion—a principle ultimately embodied by Christ's sacrificial service and echoed in the believer's willing submission as a "bondservant" of the Lord, valuing the secure relationship with God over an empty form of "freedom."