The Bible begins the story of Israel with slavery – and with God who delivers. The theme of bondage runs through the entire Scripture: external oppression and inner captivity. Here you will find 19 Bible verses about bondage and deliverance.
Led out of the house of bondage
Israel's deliverance from Egypt.
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And the Egyptians compelled the children of Israel to serve with ruthlessness and made their lives bitter with hard labor in clay and bricks and with all kinds of toil in the field and with all kinds of work which they ruthlessly imposed on them.
Exodus 1:13-14
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But after a long time the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel sighed and cried out because of their labor, and their crying because of their labor came before God. And God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Exodus 2:23-24
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Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from your burdens in Egypt and deliver you from your toil and redeem you with an outstretched arm and great judgments.
Exodus 6:6
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I am the LORD, your God, who has led you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exodus 20:2Deliverer
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And remember that you also were a slave in the land of Egypt and the LORD, your God, redeemed you; therefore I command you such a thing today.
Deuteronomy 15:15
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And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim a year of release in the land to all who dwell therein; for it is your jubilee. Then everyone among you shall return to his property and to his kindred.
Leviticus 25:10
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But this is the fasting that I choose: Loose what you have bound unjustly; let go what you oppress; set free what you hold in your hand; tear down every yoke.
Isaiah 58:6
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And lead them out of darkness and gloom and tear their bonds.
Psalm 107:14
Freedom of the children of God
The New Testament speaks of inner deliverance.
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Jesus answered them and said: Verily, verily I say to you: He who commits sin is a slave to sin.
John 8:34Sin
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So if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
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For we know that our old man, together with him, has been crucified, that the sinful body may cease, that we should no longer serve sin.
Romans 6:6
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But thanks be to God, that you were slaves of sin, but now have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching, which you have submitted yourselves to. For now that you have been made free from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6:17-18
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For you have not received the spirit of bondage, in which you should again be afraid; but you have received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father!
Romans 8:15FearGod as Father
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For also the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruptible nature to the glorious freedom of the children of God.
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Therefore now there is no longer slave, but children; and if children, then also heirs of God through Christ.
Galatians 4:7Identity in Christ
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Therefore stand fast now in freedom, wherewith Christ has delivered us, and be not again brought into bondage.
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And delivered those who had to be slaves in all their life through fear of death.
Hebrews 2:15Deliverer
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You were bought with a price; become not the slaves of men.
1 Corinthians 7:23
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The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he has anointed me; he has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach liberty to the captives, and to open the eyes of the blind, and to set free the oppressed.
Bible texts: Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), carefully adapted to modern spelling.
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Bondage in the Bible
Israel's history begins with forced labor: “And the Egyptians compelled the children of Israel to serve with ruthlessness” (Exodus 1:13). God hears the crying of his people and delivers them. This experience shapes the laws of Israel: Because you yourselves were slaves, you shall not oppress foreigners (Deuteronomy 15:15). Every fifty years, a year of release shall be proclaimed, in which debts are forgiven and the unfree are set free (Leviticus 25:10). The Bible therefore takes external un-freedom very seriously – God stands on the side of the oppressed.
Inner bondage
Jesus also speaks of a bondage that cannot be seen from the outside: “He who commits sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). This refers to compulsions, fears, and behavioral patterns that keep people captive. Paul writes that Christians have not received a “spirit of bondage,” but the spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15). And he exhorts: “Therefore stand fast now in freedom, wherewith Christ has delivered us, and be not again brought into bondage” (Galatians 5:1). More on this at Bible verses about freedom, Bible verses about God as Deliverer, and Bible verses about addiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Bible say about bondage?
The Bible tells of God's deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 20:2) and speaks in the New Testament of deliverance from the inner bondage of sin (John 8:34-36; Romans 6:17-18).
What is the year of release?
According to Leviticus 25, every fifty years a “jubilee” or year of release was to be celebrated, in which land was returned and the unfree were set free.
