Exodus 21:5
New International Version
“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’

New Living Translation
But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’

English Standard Version
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’

Berean Standard Bible
But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

King James Bible
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

New King James Version
But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’

New American Standard Bible
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’

NASB 1995
“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

NASB 1977
“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

Legacy Standard Bible
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’

Amplified Bible
But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not leave as a free man,’

Christian Standard Bible
“But if the slave declares, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But if the slave declares: ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I do not want to leave as a free man,’

American Standard Version
But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

Contemporary English Version
But suppose the slave loves his wife and children and his owner so much that he won't leave them.

English Revised Version
But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But if he makes this statement: 'I hereby declare my love for my master, my wife, and my children. I don't want to leave as a free man,'

Good News Translation
But if the slave declares that he loves his master, his wife, and his children and does not want to be set free,

International Standard Version
But if the servant, in fact, says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I won't go out a free man,'

Majority Standard Bible
But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

NET Bible
But if the servant should declare, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,'

New Heart English Bible
But if the servant shall plainly say, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;'

Webster's Bible Translation
And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not depart free:

World English Bible
But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And if the servant really says: I have loved my lord, my wife, and my sons—I do not go out free,

Young's Literal Translation
'And if the servant really say: I have loved my lord, my wife, and my sons -- I do not go out free;

Smith's Literal Translation
And if saying, the servant shall say, I loved my lord, my wife and my sons; I will not go forth free:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if the servant shall say: I love my master and my wife and children, I will not go out free:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And if the servant will say, ‘I love my lord, and my wife and children, I will not depart freely,’

New American Bible
If, however, the slave declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I will not leave as a free person,’

New Revised Standard Version
But if the slave declares, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out a free person,”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And if the servant shall say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if a Servant will say, “I Love my Master and my wife and my children; I am not going out a son of freedom”:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But if the servant shall plainly say: I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if the servant should answer and say, I love my master and wife and children, I will not go away free;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws for Servants
4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. 5But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’ 6then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 15:16-17
But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, / then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.

Leviticus 25:39-42
If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. / Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. / Then he and his children are to be released, and he may return to his clan and to the property of his fathers. ...

1 Samuel 12:19
They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”

Jeremiah 34:9-10
that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage. / So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them,

Nehemiah 5:5
We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

2 Kings 4:1
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!”

Isaiah 50:1
This is what the LORD says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of My creditors did I sell you? Look, you were sold for your iniquities, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 16:13
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?

1 Corinthians 7:21-23
Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you—but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. / For he who was a slave when he was called by the Lord is the Lord’s freedman. Conversely, he who was a free man when he was called is Christ’s slave. / You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Galatians 4:7
So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, you are also an heir through God.

Ephesians 6:5-8
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. / And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. / Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, ...

Colossians 3:22-24
Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord. / Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men, / because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

1 Timothy 6:1-2
All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. / Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.


Treasury of Scripture

And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

and if

Deuteronomy 15:16,17
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; …

Isaiah 26:13
O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.

2 Corinthians 5:14,15
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: …

shall plainly say.

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Exodus 21
1. Laws for men servants
5. For the servant whose ear is bored
7. For women servants
12. For manslaughter
16. For kidnappers
17. For cursers of parents
18. For smiters
22. For a hurt by chance
28. For an ox that gores
33. For him who is an occasion of harm














But if the servant declares
The Hebrew word for "servant" here is "עֶבֶד" (eved), which can mean servant, slave, or bondservant. In ancient Israel, servitude was often a form of debt repayment or poverty alleviation, distinct from the harsh slavery seen in other cultures. The phrase "declares" indicates a voluntary and public proclamation, emphasizing the servant's agency and choice in the matter. This declaration is a significant moment, reflecting a deep personal decision.

I love my master
The Hebrew word for "love" is "אָהַב" (ahav), which conveys deep affection and loyalty. This love is not merely emotional but is rooted in a covenantal relationship. The servant's love for the master suggests a benevolent and just relationship, where the master has treated the servant with kindness and respect, fostering a bond that transcends mere obligation.

and my wife and children
The inclusion of "wife and children" highlights the familial bonds that have formed during the period of servitude. In the context of ancient Israel, family was central to one's identity and social structure. The servant's decision to remain is not just about personal comfort but about maintaining the unity and well-being of his family. This reflects the biblical emphasis on the family as a foundational institution ordained by God.

I do not want to go free
The phrase "do not want" indicates a deliberate choice against freedom, which in this context means leaving the master's household. The Hebrew root "חָפֵץ" (chafetz) implies delight or desire, suggesting that the servant finds greater joy and fulfillment in his current situation than in the prospect of freedom. This choice underscores the servant's contentment and satisfaction with his life and relationships within the master's household.

(5) And if.--Better, But if.

I love my master.--Under every system of slavery affection grows up between the slaves and a master who is indulgent to them. At Rome it was common for slaves to endure the severest torture rather than betray or accuse their owners. If a man has no rights, he is thankful for small mercies, and responds with warm feeling to those who treat him kindly. As the Hebrew form of slavery was of a mild type, masters being admonished to treat their slaves "not as bondservants, but as hired servants" (Leviticus 25:39-40), and, again, "not to rule over them with rigour" (Leviticus 25:46), there would naturally be frequent cases where the slave would not wish to "go out." He might actually "love his master;" or he might value the security from want which attaches to the slave condition; or he might be unwilling to break up the family which, by his master's favour, he had been allowed to create. For such cases some provision was necessary. It was made by the law here formulated (Exodus 21:5-6), which allowed the Hebrew slave, if he liked, to forfeit all claim to freedom, and take upon him permanently the condition of a bondman.

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 heathen, slaves often bore a true affection to their masters. Or, the slave might be so attached to his wife and children as to be unwilling to separate from them, and might prefer slavery with the solace of their society to freedom without it. For such cases the provision was made, which is contained in ver. 6. On the slave declaring to his master his unwillingness to go free, the master might take him before the judges, or magistrates (literally "gods") as witnesses, and perhaps registrars of the man' s declaration, and might then reconduct him to his house, and by a significant ceremony mark him as his slave "for ever." The ceremony consisted in boring through one of his ears with an awl, and driving the awl into the door or doorpost of the house, thereby attaching him physically to the dwelling of which he became thenceforth a permanent inmate. Almost all commentators assert that some such custom was common in the East in connection with slavery, and refer to Xen. Aaab. 3:1, § 31; Plant. Poenul. 5:2, 21; Juv. Sat. 1:104; Plutarch. Vit. Cic. § 26, etc. But these passages merely show that the Orientals generally - not slaves in particular - had their ears bored for the purpose of wearing earrings, and indicate no usage at all comparable to the Hebrew practice. The Hebrew custom - probably a very ancient one - seems to have had two objects -

1. The declaring by a significant act, that the man belonged to the house; and

2. The permanent marking of him as a slave, dis-entitled to the rights of freemen, he shall serve him for ever. Josephus (Ant. Jud. 4:8, § 20) and the Jewish commentators generally maintain that the law of the jubilee release overruled this enactment; but this must be regarded as very doubtful.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

the servant
הָעֶ֔בֶד (hā·‘e·ḇeḏ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

declares,
אָמֹ֤ר (’ā·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘I love
אָהַ֙בְתִּי֙ (’ā·haḇ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 157: To have affection f

my master
אֲדֹנִ֔י (’ă·ḏō·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

and my wife
אִשְׁתִּ֖י (’iš·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

and children;
בָּנָ֑י (bā·nāy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

I do not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

want to go
אֵצֵ֖א (’ê·ṣê)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

free,’
חָפְשִֽׁי׃ (ḥā·p̄ə·šî)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2670: Exempt


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OT Law: Exodus 21:5 But if the servant shall plainly say (Exo. Ex)
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