Biblical context

Christians: God's word applies to all situations.
Also Christians: It was a different time.

That need to act as if the bible is timeless and united in message also leads to even so called "biblical literalists" taking creative liberties with their interpretations of the text to fit the old testament with the new and the new testament with modern 2020s conservatism.

That's one of my biggest beefs with religion: it's an answer in search of a question. Rather than starting from the position that we don't know, they work backwards from "GAAAAWWWWWWWWWDDDDD" and shoehorn everything into that schema, inconsistencies, contradictions and cognitive dissonance be damned. It's a disgraceful squandering of our capacity for logical, critical, rational thought.

My response is usually, so what exactly IS the context?
The only answer I accept is MYTHOLOGY "8jnar8.jpg (click to show)"

For the record I condemn all forms of slavery but apologists will try to pretend debt slavery was the whole of slavery in the old testament.

Egypt

The exodus narrative was specifically about the freeing of the Hebrews which were a distinct class in biblical slavery and would be those debt slaves in the meme. These slaves are also the ones that are freed in the year of jubilee.

Foreigner slaves could be made slaves for life and passed down as inherited property per Leviticus 25:

44 “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. 45 You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. 46 You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly."

Yes there are other forms of slavery