Fact: How did a person become a bondservant?

How did a person become a bondservant? Being a “bondservant” in NT times (v. 16) was different from many of the more recent kinds of slavery. Bondservants were bound to serve their master for a specific period of time. People did not necessarily become slaves because of their race, nor were they completely without legal rights. A person might become a slave as punishment for a crime or as a way to pay off a debt.