Reference: Freedom
Easton
The law of Moses pointed out the cases in which the servants of the Hebrews were to receive their freedom (Ex 21:2-4,7-8; Le 25:39-42,47-55; De 15:12-18). Under the Roman law the "freeman" (ingenuus) was one born free; the "freedman" (libertinus) was a manumitted slave, and had not equal rights with the freeman (Ac 22:28; comp. Ac 16:37-39; 21:39; 22:25; 25:11-12).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
When thou buyest a Hebrew servant -- six years he doth serve, and in the seventh he goeth out as a freeman for nought; if by himself he cometh in, by himself he goeth out; if he is owner of a wife, then his wife hath gone out with him; read more. if his lord give to him a wife, and she hath borne to him sons or daughters -- the wife and her children are her lord's, and he goeth out by himself.
'And when a man selleth his daughter for a handmaid, she doth not go out according to the going out of the men-servants; if evil in the eyes of her lord, so that he hath not betrothed her, then he hath let her be ransomed; to a strange people he hath not power to sell her, in his dealing treacherously with her.
'And when thy brother becometh poor with thee, and he hath been sold to thee, thou dost not lay on him servile service; as an hireling, as a settler, he is with thee, till the year of the jubilee he doth serve with thee, -- read more. then he hath gone out from thee, he and his sons with him, and hath turned back unto his family; even unto the possession of his fathers he doth turn back. For they are My servants, whom I have brought out from the land of Egypt: they are not sold with the sale of a servant;
And when the hand of a sojourner or settler with thee attaineth riches, and thy brother with him hath become poor, and he hath been sold to a sojourner, a settler with thee, or to the root of the family of a sojourner, after he hath been sold, there is a right of redemption to him; one of his brethren doth redeem him, read more. or his uncle, or a son of his uncle, doth redeem him, or any of the relations of his flesh, of his family, doth redeem him, or -- his own hand hath attained -- then he hath been redeemed. 'And he hath reckoned with his buyer from the year of his being sold to him till the year of jubilee, and the money of his sale hath been by the number of years; as the days of an hireling it is with him. If yet many years, according to them he giveth back his redemption money, from the money of his purchase. And if few are left of the years till the year of jubilee, then he hath reckoned with him, according to his years he doth give back his redemption money; as an hireling, year by year, he is with him, and he doth not rule him with rigour before thine eyes. And if he is not redeemed in these years, then he hath gone out in the year of jubilee, he and his sons with him. For to Me are the sons of Israel servants; My servants they are, whom I have brought out of the land of Egypt; I, Jehovah, am your God.
When thy brother is sold to thee, a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, and he hath served thee six years -- then in the seventh year thou dost send him away free from thee. And when thou dost send him away free from thee, thou dost not send him away empty; read more. thou dost certainly encircle him out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-vat; of that which Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou dost give to him, and thou hast remembered that a servant thou hast been in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God doth ransom thee; therefore I am commanding thee this thing to-day. And it hath been, when he saith unto thee, I go not out from thee -- because he hath loved thee, and thy house, because it is good for him with thee -- then thou hast taken the awl, and hast put it through his ear, and through the door, and he hath been to thee a servant age-during; and also to thy handmaid thou dost do so. 'It is not hard in thine eyes, in thy sending him away free from thee; for the double of the hire of an hireling he hath served thee six years, and Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee in all that thou dost.
and Paul said to them, 'Having beaten us publicly uncondemned -- men, Romans being -- they did cast us to prison, and now privately do they cast us forth! why no! but having come themselves, let them bring us forth.' And the rod-bearers told to the magistrates these sayings, and they were afraid, having heard that they are Romans, read more. and having come, they besought them, and having brought them forth, they were asking them to go forth from the city;
And Paul said, 'I, indeed, am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, of no mean city a citizen; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.'
And as he was stretching him with the thongs, Paul said unto the centurion who was standing by, 'A man, a Roman, uncondemned -- is it lawful to you to scourge;'
and the chief captain answered, 'I, with a great sum, did obtain this citizenship;' but Paul said, 'But I have been even born so.'
for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!' then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, 'To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.'