📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture condemns the buying, selling, and exploitation of human beings as among the most grievous sins. The Mosaic Law declared: "Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death" (Exodus 21:16). Paul lists "enslavers" (andrapodistai, man-stealers) alongside murderers, the sexually immoral, and liars as those for whom the law was given (1 Timothy 1:10). Every human being is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and to treat a person as merchandise is to assault God's image. The prophets thundered against those who sold the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals (Amos 2:6).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Man-stealing: the crime of seizing and carrying away human beings by force or fraud for servitude.
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MAN-STEALING, n. The crime of kidnapping a human being, or receiving and retaining him in servitude. Webster categorized this as a crime under both divine and civil law, punishable by death under the Mosaic code.
📖 Key Scripture
• Exodus 21:16 — "Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death."
• 1 Timothy 1:10 — "The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers."
• Amos 2:6 — "They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals."
• Revelation 18:13 — Babylon's merchandise includes "slaves, that is, human souls."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
The church is often silent on modern slavery while debating lesser issues.
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Human trafficking generates billions of dollars annually and enslaves tens of millions of people worldwide — more than at any point in human history. Yet the modern church often devotes more energy to political debates and cultural controversies than to confronting this evil. The pornography industry, which fuels trafficking and exploitation, is consumed by professing Christians at rates comparable to the general population. Scripture is unambiguous: man-stealing is a capital crime, and those who profit from treating human beings as commodities stand under divine judgment. The church that ignores modern slavery while obsessing over secondary doctrinal disputes has inverted its moral priorities.
Usage
• "Scripture treats man-stealing as a capital offense — there is no category of sin more directly condemned than the enslavement of image-bearers."
• "Revelation describes Babylon trading in 'human souls' — the language of trafficking is the language of divine judgment on commercial empires."