Refugee Slaves

The Mosaic law contains a short, sharply worded provision for slaves who flee their masters. The rule reverses what the surrounding nations practiced. A runaway is not to be handed back; he is to be sheltered, allowed to settle where he chooses, and protected from oppression.

Asylum, Not Extradition

The instruction in Deuteronomy is two verses long but covers both the master's claim and the refugee's settlement. "You will not deliver to his master a slave who escapes from his master to you" closes off extradition entirely (Deut 23:15). The escapee is then granted positive shelter: "he will dwell with you, in the midst of you, in the place which he will choose inside one of your gates, where it pleases him best: you will not oppress him" (Deut 23:16).

Three features stand out. First, the master's property claim is not weighed against the slave's circumstances; it is simply refused. Second, the refugee chooses his own town and gate — the location is his to pick, not assigned by Israelite officials. Third, the new dwelling is guarded by an explicit command against oppression, the same language Israel hears repeatedly about its own former bondage.