But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is that a slave's genuine love for his master, wife, and children could lead him to choose lifelong servitude. This wasn't just about being forced to stay; it was about a deep bond forming, making the prospect of freedom less appealing than the security and relationships he'd built.
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage addresses a specific scenario within the laws for Hebrew servants who were nearing their freedom after six years of service. It outlines what happens if a servant, who has had the opportunity to start a family with a spouse and children while in servitude, has grown genuinely attached to his master and his new family. This verse presents the servant's heartfelt declaration of his preference to remain bound, rather than leave his loved ones behind.
Why would anyone choose to remain a slave? This verse reveals a profound reason: the powerful pull of love for family and master.
This verse presents a fascinating scenario where a slave, upon reaching the end of his required servitude, has a choice. He can go free, or he can choose to stay.
This decision hinges on love:
His statement, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' shows that the desire to stay with his family and the master he served faithfully outweighed the prospect of personal liberty.
For the slave who chose to stay, freedom was renounced. But what did this 'for ever' choice mean in God's eyes?
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When a slave declared his love for his master and family and chose not to leave, he entered into a unique, lifelong covenant.
Understand the original words
ahavti · Hebrew Verb
A deep, committed affection that involves loyalty and self-sacrifice. It is the central command of the law (to love God and neighbor) and the primary characteristic of God’s nature.
This passage directly parallels Exodus 21:5, explaining the same principle of a slave choosing to remain with his master due to affection for his household and his master's treatment, even at the cost of lifelong servitude.
Jeremiah 34:11This prophecy highlights the grievous sin of breaking the covenant of liberty established in Exodus 21, showing the tragic consequences when masters reneged on their obligations and forced slaves back into perpetual bondage, thus illustrating the sanctity of the choice described in Exodus 21:5.
Philippians 2:5-7While a New Testament passage, it echoes the spirit of a willing submission and selfless love, mirroring the slave in Exodus 21:5 who, out of love, chooses a life of service rather than freedom.
1 Corinthians 7:21-22This New Testament teaching speaks to embracing one's given state, even in slavery, if it aligns with God's calling, resonating with the slave who willingly chooses continued servitude out of love and contentment.
pulpitExodus 21:5: "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:"
Verses 5, 6. - I love my master, etc. Affection might grow up between the slave and the master, if he were well treated. The Hebrew form of slavery was altogether of a mild kind. Masters are admonished to treat their slaves "not as bond-servants, but as hired servants or sojourners," and again "not to rule over them with rigour" (Leviticus 25:39, 40, 43). Even among the heath…
calvinExodus 21:1-6: "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them."
- Now these are the judgments. Both passages contain the same appointment, viz., that as to the Hebrews slavery must end at the seventh year; for God would have the children of Abraham, although obliged to sell themselves, to differ from heathen and ordinary slaves. Their enfranchisement is, therefore, enjoined, but with an exception, which Moses expresses in the first passage but omits in the latter, i e., that if…
What's striking here is that a slave's genuine love for his master, wife, and children could lead him to choose lifelong servitude. This wasn't just about being forced to stay; it was about a deep bond forming, making the prospect of freedom less appealing than the security and relationships he'd built.
This passage addresses a specific scenario within the laws for Hebrew servants who were nearing their freedom after six years of service. It outlines what happens if a servant, who has had the opportunity to start a family with a spouse and children while in servitude, has grown genuinely attached to his master and his new family. This verse presents the servant's heartfelt declaration of his preference to remain bound, rather than leave his loved ones behind.
This passage addresses a specific scenario within the laws for Hebrew servants who were nearing their freedom after six years of service. It outlines what happens if a servant, who has had the opportunity to start a family with a spouse and children while in servitude, has grown genuinely attached to his master and his new family. This verse presents the servant's heartfelt declaration of his preference to remain bound, rather than leave his loved ones behind.
"But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’" — What's striking here is that a slave's genuine love for his master, wife, and children could lead him to choose lifelong servitude. This wasn't just about being forced to stay; it was about a deep…
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Last reviewed October 2026