The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1862-07-03

Hebrew Common wealth. The tenth verse
in the following words. viz: "And ye
shall hallow the fiftieth ye.r, and proclaim
liberty throughout al the land unto all the
inhabi ants thereof, it shall be a jubilee
unto you and ye shall return every man
unto his possession. and ye shall return
every man unto his family"
This passage is often quoted as evidence
that slavery ceased among the Hebrews
every Fifty years. whereas. taking the
whole chapter together. it proves exactly
the reverse. In the first place, the bond
servant, not Hebrew. never had a pos
session TO which he could ,elurr. In the
next place. the jubilee was an institution
Tor the benefit If the He6rews only. from
which the bond servants of foreign blood
are expressly excluded. The 39th to 43d
verses, inclusive. read as follows:
"And if thy brother that dwelle,h by
thse be waxen poor. and be sold unto thee,
thou shit not compel h'm TO serve as q
bond servant. But as a sojourner, he shall
be with thee and shall serve thee, uni!
the year of the jubilee.
Ard then shall he depart from thee,
bolh he and his children with him, and
shall return unto his own family. and unto
r the possession Of his fathers shall he re-
turn.
For they are my servants. which l
brought forth out Of the land Of Egyt
they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Thou shalt not :ule over him with rig.
or bu; shalt fear thy God"
Then come the 44,h. ash and 46th
verses, in the following words, VIZ:
Both thy bondmen. and thy bond
maids, which thou shalt have. shall be Of
the heather that are round about You OF
them shall ye buy bondmen and bond
maids
Moreover. Of the children Of the s,ran
gers tha, do srjourn among you. Of them
shall ye bug. and of their families tia, are
with you. which they begat in your land
and they shall he your possession.
"And ye shall lake them as an inherit.
ance for your children after you, to inherit
them for possession they shall be your
bondmen forever but over your brethren.
the children OF Israel. ye shai! not rule
with rigor.''
Is it possible for language more clearly
, to declare that, while the Hebrew servant
WAS to be get free in ihe year Of jubilee,
the bonnmer and bonnmaids of foreign
blood might be held as boz oAdmen forcy-
err"
If there were any room for doubt on
this subject. it would be- solved by Tie i h
verse on the 2lst chapter Of Erodus, in
which il is provided that if the master OF
the Hebrew servan. have given him a
wife and she have borne HIM sons or
daughters. the wife and her children shall
he her masters, and lie shall go out BY
himself" But ii the husband and "a h, +
prefer remaining in servi'ude with his
wife and children it is provided (verse 6, J
ths, "his master shall bring him unto the
judges he sha.l also bring him 70 the
door or unto the door post. and his master
shall bore his ear through with an awl.
and he shall serre htm .foreesr."
Hence il sppears tha. when a master
had given his Hebrew servant wife. the
the husband and father. who might. if he
chose. remain "A servant with hem. not TO
the year Of Jubilee only, ut Jorerer.
A practical illustration of he meaning
of these provisions is found in the 3lh
crapter of jeremiah. 1t seems that the
Jews had fallen into the practice Of disre.
g.rding the law and holding their Hebrew
breihre, III bondage more than six years
On being required to comply with the
law they had done so. aud set their He.
brew servants fee. Afterward. however.
they resumed control over them. and again
reduced them to slavery. This violation
of the law the prophet denounced against
them the most terrible Judgments. The
crime. however, did not consist in holding
Hebrew in bondsge sir years Oh the
stranger .Jorercr; but in holding the He
brew more that six years. The class Of
servants 10 which The crime was confined
is explicitly stated in the 9.h verse. VIE
That every man should let lis man SET.
vaGt. and eve'y man his maid servant. be
ing an Hebrew or Hebrewes. 90 free that
mono should serve himself Of them. viz
OF Jew his brother"
In Abrnhsm's lime the power Of the
master over The slave appears to have been
absolute. nor WAS it very materially mod.
fled by the laws Of Moses.