In this paragraph and the following the promise is made that the nations of the earth will help the Children of Israel to return home and settle down. Strangers will gladly serve them, not, indeed as slaves that are bought and sold, but as “servants and handmaids” (v. 2)—members of the household. There was no slavery among the Hebrews, as practiced among the Egyptians and Romans, for instance. The servants were protected by law, equally with the masters.