Lost in Translation: Deuteronomy 12-34
A guide to understanding slavery and curses in the book of Deuteronomy.
Video transcript of Lost in Translation: Deuteronomy 12-34, created by Church of the City:
Welcome back! Last time, we wrestled with one of the toughest issues in Deuteronomy—violence. We saw how the invasion of Canaan was portrayed as a purifying flood of justice, but with mercy built in.
But there’s more troubling stuff in Deuteronomy. Today, we’re thinking more deeply about slavery and curses.
And as we do, let’s remember—this isn’t just an ancient story or a set of abstract ideas. These were real people. If we believe God loves people, that God is merciful and just, then we should be unsettled by anything in the Bible that seems to endorse cruelty or oppression.
So, first up: Does God support slavery?
Slavery
We find laws about slavery in the second movement of Deuteronomy. Remember, in this movement, Moses takes the laws from Exodus and Leviticus and applies them to a new kind of life in a new land. In the wilderness, Israel was a wandering people dependent on manna and quail from God. But soon they’ll settle in Canaan, providing for themselves by farming the land.
But what if something goes wrong? What if pests devour their crops, or their flocks are wiped out by disease? A family could lose everything! If that happens, an Israelite could become an ebed (EH-vhed)—a worker in someone else’s household.
And that Hebrew word—ebed—is really important. Our English Bibles translate it as “servant” or “slave,” but neither of those really captures what’s happening here. When we hear "slave," we picture someone forced into labor, kidnapped, sold, someone treated as property. But that’s not what’s happening in Deuteronomy. In fact, Exodus 21 had already forbidden Israel from kidnapping people or trading them as possessions. Whatever ebed means in Deuteronomy, it’s not that.
Instead, being an ebed was a temporary and voluntary arrangement—a survival mechanism in a world without bankruptcy or government assistance. If someone was desperate, unable to provide for themselves or their family, they could enter into a contract as an ebed to work off their debt. In exchange, not only was their debt forgiven, but they received the food, shelter, and protection they needed.
But Deuteronomy’s laws put strict boundaries in place so that this system of support didn’t devolve into exploitation.
First, being an ebed was temporary. Deuteronomy 15:12-18 says an ebed could only serve for six years—then they had to be released. And not empty-handed! Their master was required to send them off with enough resources to start fresh. This wasn’t about creating a permanent underclass but restoring people to economic stability in the land of abundance.
Second, being an ebed was voluntary. If an ebed finished his six years and decided, “You know, I don’t really like farming. I’d rather work for this family instead.” He could choose to stay. But it was his choice.
In an ideal world, no one would go hungry, crops would never fail, flocks would never get sick, and debts wouldn’t pile up. But God knows life in Canaan won’t be perfect. So he makes sure that when Israelites fall into hardship, they won’t be exploited.
But what about ebeds who aren’t Israelites? That’s complicated.
Deuteronomy 20:10-11 allows Israel to take captives from other nations and put them to work—something like prisoners of war paying off a different kind of debt. Some compare it to prison labor today, where incarcerated people do work that benefits the society they harmed—making license plates, picking up trash. That’s the idea—except here, it applies to non-Israelites taken captive. That’s an oversimplification, but it’s the closest parallel I can think of.
Unlike Israelite ebeds (EH-vheds), these foreign ebeds (EH-vheds) weren’t automatically freed after six years. That does sound a lot more like slavery. But even here, Deuteronomy sets limits. In Deuteronomy 23:15-16, runaway ebeds (EH-vheds)—whether Israelite or foreign—couldn’t be returned to their masters. Instead, they were given refuge and freedom. The assumption is that they ran away from mistreatment or abuse. They need to be well cared for. Giving this kind of right to a prisoner, a non-citizen, treating them as a person rather than property, was radical in the ancient world.
So, does Deuteronomy promote slavery? No—it allows desperate Israelites to enter a temporary contract to work off debt in exchange for survival. But also, yes—Deuteronomy permits taking foreign captives for forced labor, which sounds much closer to what we recognize as slavery today. At the same time, these captives had legal protections that were unheard of in the ancient Near East. So, it’s complicated.
And honestly? I don’t love this answer. But after years of wrestling and research, I do think it’s the truth. The uncomfortable truth.
Curses
What about curses?
Well, that word is tricky. When you hear the word curse, what comes to mind? Maybe magic spells or rituals to inflict harm on someone. Or maybe punishment for doing something wrong. Or, honestly, I tend to think of curses as something like destiny—that being cursed means you’re doomed to misfortune with no way out.
Is this what’s happening in Deuteronomy? Is that what a curse was in the ancient world?
We need to go back to the first blessing in Genesis 1. When God blessed humans, he gave them the ability to multiply, flourish, and live in right relationship with him and each other in a world of abundance. It’s a gift! This blessing isn’t something they earned; it’s something they received. But it can be rejected and forfeited too.
That’s what happened in Eden. When Adam and Eve chose their own way instead of trusting God, they rejected the gift giver and forfeited the gift. The result? Exile. They left behind the abundant life of the garden to live in a world of struggle, scarcity, and death.
This pattern repeats throughout Genesis. God keeps choosing people—Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph—to live the blessed life and extend it to others. But again and again, humans rejected God's way, forfeited the gift, and wound up in exile, scarcity, conflict, and loss.
Now, at the end of Deuteronomy, Israel faces the same choice. They’re about to enter the Promised Land, a place flowing with milk and honey, a new Eden. God wants to bless them there, just as he did in the beginning. But, like Adam and Eve, they have a choice.
Moses lays out this choice for the people of Israel before he dies. In Deuteronomy 27, he tells the people about two mountains in the land they’re about to enter. He’s been there before—at Shechem, the town between them—where he met with God at a tree in Genesis 12. Remember from our previous videos, that high places and trees are often where humans meet God and make a choice.
Moses tells them to go to these twin mountains—this place of choosing—and do something strange. The Israelites are to divide into two groups: half standing on Mount Gerizim, where blessings will be proclaimed, and half on Mount Ebal, where curses will be announced. Just like Adam and Eve stood before two trees—one offering life, the other leading to death—Israel is to stand at these two mountains. Will they trust God and receive the blessed life, or go their own way into exile?
The blessings in Deuteronomy 27-30 describe the Eden life: fruitful land, security, prosperity, peace. The curses describe life outside of Eden: scarcity instead of abundance, invasion instead of security, conflict instead of harmony, death instead of life.
God isn’t punishing people here or destining them to suffer. This is a choice. Later in the Bible, the prophets and Paul describe God’s judgment or wrath not as punishment but as God handing people over to what they’ve chosen—letting people have what they want and experience the natural consequences of it.
But there’s always a way back to the blessed life. Moses anticipates that Israel will one day reject God’s way and be exiled from the land. But in Deuteronomy 30, he promises that even after that happens, God will gather his people back, transform their hearts to choose wisely, and then they’ll experience the blessed Eden life.
When Jesus arrives, he announces that God’s blessing is being extended to everyone—good news for the poor, freedom for captives, healing for the broken. He takes the curse upon himself, exiled outside the city, experiencing the consequences and death of humanity’s rebellion on the cross so that we can receive the Eden life we were made for. He says he came to give life and “life to the fullest.” But we can receive this free gift of life or reject God and forfeit it. We all have a choice.
So, the curses in Deuteronomy aren’t God harming people, punishing them, or destining them to misfortune. They’re a warning and an invitation. God’s way leads to abundant life. Our way does not. Choose life. And the good news is that even when we don’t choose wisely, God never gives up on us. He’s always working to bring us back to the fullest life.
Recap
So today, we’ve seen how important it is to set aside our modern definitions of words and understand them the way they were used in the culture where the Bible was written.
When we did this, we saw how Deuteronomy’s slavery laws express God’s deep concern for the vulnerable. He commands his people to protect them from exploitation and preserve their dignity. Even enemies are to be treated with unprecedented mercy—unheard of in the ancient world.
We also discovered that curses are not arbitrary punishments. They’re the natural consequences of human decisions. God loves us and leads us toward life, but in the end, the choice is ours: blessing or curse? And the greatest blessing is ours when we choose to trust Jesus.
Thanks for joining me today. God bless you.
