Slavery has existed from the start of human civilization. When a kingdom was conquered by another, the subjugated population often had two options death or slavery as imprisoning large numbers of people was not feasible or possible. Slavery also often existed as punishment for a crime, as a means of repaying an exceedingly-large debt, or a way to earn something very valuable. All these forms of slavery were lawful according to the Bible. However, the Bible does not permit kidnapping someone then selling them into slavery as was done in the transatlantic slave trade: “If someone is caught kidnapping a fellow Israelite and treating or selling them as a slave, the kidnapper must die. You must purge the evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 24:7.)
