Overview
The Bible addresses master across 39 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Philemon, Matthew and Exodus. Closely related themes include Masters, Servants, Wages and Employer. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus and Onesimus.
Key Bible verses about master
Old Testament
Exodus
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. punished: Heb. avenged
Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Leviticus
Deuteronomy
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee. setteth: Heb. lifteth his soul unto it
Job
If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;
What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? did not one: or, did he not fashion us in one womb?
Proverbs
He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.
He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
New Testament
Matthew
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Beelzebub: Gr. Beelzebul
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.
Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.
And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.
John
Philemon
I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
People in the Bible and master
Biblical figures whose stories intersect with this theme.
In the Bible dictionary
Studying master for yourself
- Begin with Exodus 21:20, then read the passages below in canonical order.
- Compare how Philemon, Matthew and Exodus each treat the theme.
- Consider the lives of Jesus and Onesimus and how their stories intersect with it.
- Widen the study to related themes: Masters, Servants, Wages and Employer.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Bible say about master?
The Bible addresses master across 39 verses, drawn from both the Old and New Testaments. These passages cluster most in Philemon, Matthew and Exodus. Closely related themes include Masters, Servants, Wages and Employer. Figures whose stories touch this theme include Jesus and Onesimus.
How many Bible verses are about master?
The Bible references master in 39 verses (King James Version).
Where does the Bible first mention master?
In canonical order, the first of these passages is Exodus 21:20: “And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished. punished: Heb. avenged”
Which people in the Bible are associated with master?
Jesus and Onesimus.
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