Exodus 21:7-11

Exodus 21:7-11

[7] And if a man  sell  his daughter  to be a maidservant,  she shall not go out  as the menservants  do.  [8] If she please  not her master,  who hath betrothed  her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed:  to sell  her unto a strange  nation  he shall have no power,  seeing he hath dealt deceitfully  with her. [9] And if he have betrothed  her unto his son,  he shall deal  with her after the manner  of daughters.  [10] If he take  him another  wife; her food,  her raiment,  and her duty of marriage,  shall he not diminish.  [11] And if he do  not these three  unto her, then shall she go out  free  without money. 

What does Exodus 21:7-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Females did not enjoy as much freedom as males in the ancient Near East or in Israel. They were subject to the fathers or husbands in authority over them as well as to God (cf. Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18). Exodus 21:7-11 describe a girl whom her father sells as a servant (Heb. "amah, Exodus 21:7) for marriage, not for slavery. [1] In such a case the girl would become the servant of the father of her husband-to-be who would than give her to his son as his wife. She would remain in her prospective father-in-law"s household unless someone redeemed her before the consummation of her marriage. If for some reason her prospective father-in-law became displeased with her, he was to allow someone to redeem her (set her free by the payment of a price). Her redeemer could be herself or someone else (cf. Deuteronomy 24:1). Her master was not to sell her to some other person, a "foreign" person in that sense ( Exodus 21:8). Such treatment was unfair to her because it violated her legitimate human rights. "Conjugal rights" ( Exodus 21:10) here refers to her living quarters and other support provisions, not sexual intercourse. This passage is not discussing marriage as such (after physical consummation) as the NIV and AV imply.