Treatment of slaves and children in Sirach

[Lief_Erikson]

I’m having some difficulties with certain parts of the Book of Sirach. Sirach 33:27 seems pretty nasty, to me. It says, in treatment of slaves, “Yoke and thong will bow the neck, and for a wicked slave there are racks and tortures.” Later on, in verse 30, it says, “Do not be overbearing toward anyone, and do nothing unjust.” That is a very important restriction, in my mind, but still . . . “racks and tortures”??? Even if the slave does wicked things (though the only wickedness of the slave mentioned in the chapter is desiring liberty and being idle), is racking or torturing the slave justified?

In verses 31-33, Sirach talks about the importance of being extremely kind to slaves. However, he only advocates this if a person has one slave, for “If you ill-treat him, and he leaves you and runs away, which way will you go to seek him?” So that’s based upon practical necessity, not upon compassion for the human being. This bothers me, for it seems to me that a person should treat his slaves with love regardless of how many slaves one has.

I think that slavery itself in Biblical times was justified under various circumstances. I don’t have a problem with slavery itself in the cases referred to in the BIble. I do, however, have difficulty with the idea of torturing slaves being valid.

Another part of Sirach I’m having trouble with is chapter 30, verse 1 and verses 9-13. Verse 1 says that “He who loves his son will whip him often.” I do think that spanking is good, and “whipping” was their equivalent. But “often?” That’s confirmed later on, when it says, “Discipline your son and make his yoke heavy.”

The list of sayings here seems fairly harsh. Don’t play with your son (v. 9), don’t laugh with him (v. 10), and give him no freedom (v. 11).

 

[Ron_Conte]

Everything taught by Sacred Scripture is certainly true.

Here is the Sirach passage in its entirety:
{33:25} Fodder and a rod and a burden are for a donkey; bread and discipline and work are for a servant.
{33:26} He works under discipline, and he seeks rest. Allow his hands to be idle, and he seeks liberty.
{33:27} The yoke and the strap bend a stiff neck, and continual labors bend a servant.
{33:28} Torture and chains are for a malevolent servant; send him to work, so that he may not be idle.
{33:29} For idleness has taught much evil.
{33:30} Appoint him to a task. For this is fitting for him. And if he will not be obedient, bend him with chains. But you should do no more than any flesh can bear. Truly, you should do nothing grievous without judgment.
{33:31} If you have a faithful servant, let him be to you like your own soul. Treat him like a brother. For you have obtained him by the blood of your soul.
{33:32} If you harm him unjustly, he will turn away and flee.
{33:33} And then, when he lifts himself up and departs, you will not know whom to ask, or in what way to seek him.

Verse 25 compares a working animal to a working servant. Verse 27 compares the yoke and the strap (used on work animals) to continual labors for a servant.

In the modern situation, if you have employees, keep them busy with work and do not let them be idle.

The phrase ‘torture and chains are for a malevolent servant’ must be taken in the context of the subsequent verses: ‘But you should do no more than any flesh can bear. Truly, you should do nothing grievous without judgment.’ So that the burden of chains and the punishment of ‘torture’ (merely refering to a severe punishment, not to the narrow and more modern definition of torture) are only for one who does evil and is convicted of evildoing.

And verse 31 tells of how to treat a faithful servant: ‘If you have a faithful servant, let him be to you like your own soul. Treat him like a brother. For you have obtained him by the blood of your soul.’

Indentured servitude in ancient times was a useful necessity. There was no social safety net, no welfare, no social security, not much in the way of medicine, no police force. An individual who did not have an extended family to rely upon, with resources of land and cattle, could easily die. He would consider himself fortunate to obtain a position where he could give his manual labor in exchange for all that he needed. This was not the harsh slavery found in the U.S. years ago.

As for verse 30:1
He who loves his son will frequently chastise him, so that he may be happy in the very end, and not grope for the doors of his neighbors.

The phrasing is ‘chastise him’ if it is translated as ‘whip him’ it should be mainly understood as figurative. But also, corporeal punishment of children is not intrinsically wrong, even though it is politically incorrect.

As for the other verses:

{30:9} Coddle a son, and he will make you afraid. Play with him, and he will make you sorrowful.
{30:10} You should not laugh with him; otherwise you may have grief, and in the end, your teeth be clenched.
{30:11} You should not give him power in his youth, but you should not despise his thoughts.

If you treat your children as if you were merely their friend, you will regret it in the end. If you cast aside discipline and your own authority over your children, they will grow up without discipline and respect for authority. The passage is not saying you can never play with your children; it is saying not to take the role of a playmate, but retain your role as parent.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

I expect that that’s true.

Thanks for the very good explanation . It helps quite a bit.

I’m not sure about the positive nature of the part talking about doing good to slaves, though. It says, in my New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Sirach 33:31-33),

“If you have but one slave, treat him like yourself, because you have bought him with blood. If you have but one slave, treat him like a brother, for you will need him as you need your life. If you ill-treat him, and he leaves you and runs away, which way will you go to seek him?”

That sounds as though it is saying one should be extremely kind to one’s slaves only because of having one slave and insufficient resources to recapture him if he runs away. It says, “If you have but one slave,” and explains, “for you will need him.” It seems to be a matter of practicality rather than real love. If one had more than one slave, presumably you wouldn’t need your only slave quite so much and would have more resources to use to find a runaway. So the “treat him like a brother” might not apply.

 

[Ron_Conte]

I think you should get a new Bible. The NRSV has some very loose renderings that are not justified by the source text. The RSV says no such thing, nor does the Latin text. It does not say ‘only one’, nor does it seem to me to imply that the kindness is only based on the fact of having only one servant.