So how is slavery described in Leviticus 25?
Depends on the translation. For instance, in the NIV verse 6 says, "Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your
male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you," Then in verse 44 it says, "Your
male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you".
The italics show how confused the NIV is: in both verses the Hebrew reads "your ebed (servant) and your amah (maid)". But, in verse 6 the NIV uses the word 'servant' and in 46 the word 'slave'.
The female part of the pair, amah, is a different Hebrew word altogether. The male part, ebed, derives from the verb abad, meaning to work or serve. There is actually no Hebrew word for 'slave', suggesting that when a translator uses 'slave' it is because he believes the context portrays the servant as being oppressed in some way.
But in Leviticus 25 there is no indication that an Israelite could oppress a foreign servant.
If a servant is exchanged for silver, that doesn't make him a slave. Footballers are bought and sold. He's a slave if he is forced to work for his master against his will.
The best translation for the phrase would be "your servant and your maid".
