Man-Stealing – The Eighth Commandment

Man-Stealing

The Eighth Commandment

Exodus 21:16

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.”

Deuteronomy 24:7

“‘If a man is found stealing one of his brothers, of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.’”

While slavery was allowed in ancient Israel, trade in slaves appears to have been discouraged. People became slaves, when they did, through poverty or war. But trade in slaves was not allowed, and the penalty for doing so was extreme.

Note also that not only the perpetrator of this transgression was guilty, but anyone who assisted him in his evil deed as well. Man-stealing was considered as of the same degree of abhorrence as murder, rape, and other capital crimes.

Forms of “man-stealing” today might include, besides literal slavery, identity theft, the international sex trade, impersonating another for sinful ends, fraud, and so forth.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.