A bond or bondage means to be held back or controlled by someone or something. When someone is in bondage, they lose their freedom and often become like a slave. Hebrew and Greek words translated as “a bond” or “bondage” mean “a loss of freedom.” This idea is related to serving or being a slave to another person.
Bondage in the Old Testament
The Old Testament uses several words for bondage to describe periods when the Israelites were slaves. This includes the period in Egypt as well as Babylon and Persia. Some English versions of the Bible use the word “bond” to describe a condition of individual slavery. One example is the laws Moses gave that permit a person to choose to become a slave (Leviticus 25:39–44, King James Version). The old term “bondmaid” is used to describe a mistress or secondary wife. The idea of bondage is also used to describe the control that God has over the nations of the world (Psalm 2:3).
Bondage in the New Testament
In the New Testament, the term bondage is used as a metaphor with positive and negative aspects. Negatively, it indicates spiritual subjection to:
sin or Satan (Hebrews 2:14–15; 2 Peter 2:19),
the flesh (Romans 8:12–14), or
the Law (Galatians 2:4; 5:1).
Human beings become slaves when hostile forces control their actions. The apostle Paul also illustrates the idea of bondage in how creation is subjected to physical decay (Romans 8:21). This is the result of human sin.
Positive Ideas About Bondage
Positively, the use of the term bondage in the Bible indicates being a servant. This is especially true when describing service to God as an obligation or vow (Numbers 30:2–15; Ezekiel 20:37). Bondage can also represent the necessity and value of suffering (Hebrews 10:34; 13:3). The apostle Paul uses this term in two ways when calling himself a “prisoner of Christ.” He says this to demonstrate the connection of his physical bonds with his spiritual bondage to Christ (Ephesians 3:1; Phil 1:7–14; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:9; Philemon 1:9–10, 13).