Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
When all the officials and people who had made this agreement heard that everyone should set their male and female servants free, and that no one should keep them as slaves anymore, they obeyed and let them go.
The people initially obeyed God's command to free their slaves when they heard about the covenant agreement.
📚 Historical Context
This verse occurs during the final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians around 588-586 BC. King Zedekiah had made a covenant with the people to free their Hebrew slaves according to the law of Moses, which required that Hebrew servants be released after six years of service. The people initially complied with this covenant during the crisis, likely hoping God would deliver them from the Babylonian siege.
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