Exodus 21:20–21 and the Humanity of Slaves

Thousands of years ago, prior to the fullness of Revelation with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ (see Heb. 1:1-4), God dealt with the ancient Israelites where they were, which included the owning of slaves:

When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be punished; for the slave is his money (Exodus 20:20-21).

Slaves were considered property in ancient Israel, as they were in the surrounding non-Israelite culture. Yet, God morally gradually exhorted the Israelites to see the humanity of their slaves, as this prescription illustrates.

For information on the issue of slavery in the New Covenant era of Christianity, please read this article by Trent Horn.