And if a man shall sell his daughter as a handmaid, she shall not go out as the bondmen go out.
Exodus 21:7 turns from the male Hebrew servant of the earlier verses to a daughter sold by her own father. Her release does not follow the same rule. Two hard questions follow. Why does God's law allow such a sale at all? And why is she treated differently from the men?
The law did not create bond-service. It stepped into a custom already running through the ancient world and set limits on it.
The words ebed and doulos (the words most often used for "servant") mean bondmen or slaves. Some were bought with money and some were taken in war… A bought servant who was circumcised could eat the Passover among the Israelites, because as one who was bought he belonged to the family; a hired servant could not. (In the same way non-Jews, though outsiders, bought with the blood of Christ, have every privilege of grace.) This kind of servitude was a result of sin, yet the law of Moses recognised it and gave rules about it, including rules to protect the slaves.
The rules made Israel's practice unlike anything around her.
Slavery had not yet been driven out of Israel. We must always remember that the Word itself says the law could not bring perfection. Yet the law guarded and limited slavery so far that it became a different thing from the total control over another person's will that every nation around them counted as lawful.
The men went out free in the seventh year. She does not. The reason is not that she matters less. Her place may become a marriage instead of a term of work.
The law did not forbid the sale of one's daughter to another man as a female slave (v.7). She would not, however, go free in the year of jubilee, because by then she might be her buyer's wife, or the wife of his son (vv. 8-9). Yet the law did protect her. If the buyer was not pleased with her, he had to let her father or another relative buy her back. But he must not sell her to a foreigner.
The verse names the person in the whole household with the least power to defend herself. That is exactly why the following verses spell out her rights in detail.
Verses 7-11 deal with the case of the woman who becomes a bondservant. As the weaker party she might become the victim of wrongful treatment, so her rights are clearly defined.
Her master could not do as he pleased. The law closes every route for discarding an unwanted woman.
Though she might "not go out as the male slaves do," God in His tenderness carefully guarded her rights in the place she held. People too often treat those who are completely under them and dependent on them according to their changing moods and whims. This was not to be… He must not degrade her in her service, and he could not sell her to a foreign nation. By his dishonest dealing he had lost rights he would otherwise have had. Whether she was promised in marriage to his son or to himself, her rights were carefully kept; and if he neglected them by taking another wife, she was to go completely free. So, in His compassionate love, the Lord surrounds His weak and defenceless ones with laws that secure fair and considerate treatment for them.
The same character runs through the whole section of judgments.
…the consideration of each would yield valuable instruction as witnessing to God's gracious care and protection of those who were weak and in a position of inferiority, and, as such, might be subject to oppression, and of being unjustly dealt with by those who were stronger and in a place of authority over them.
This verse falls short of what Christians accept today. Commentators say so plainly instead of defending the practice.
We may note that under the law some things were allowed that Christians today would not tolerate. The Lord's own words in Matthew 19:7-8 show this. Always keep in mind that "the law made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19), since it set out the minimum of God's demands… Christ realizes and displays the full measure of all God's thoughts and desires.
The servant rules at the start of this chapter were temporary, yet God had something lasting in view.
At the start of Exodus 21 we find the picture of the servant. Nothing shows more strikingly that Christ is the constant object of the Holy Spirit than this: even in these temporary rules, God cannot help looking ahead to His Son. No doubt it was tied to the earth, and to a condition that was anything but suitable to the mind of God. It is the condition of a slave; yet even there God has Christ before Him.
- Sin's result. Bond-service came from sin, not from God's design. The law found it in place and fenced it in.
- Guarded, not endorsed. What Israel practised was "another thing" from the total ownership that the nations around them treated as normal.
- Different, not lesser. She does not leave in the seventh year, because her place may become a marriage. If her master rejects her, he must let her be bought back, and he must never sell her abroad.
- The weakest named first. God protects the one least able to protect herself. A master's changing moods may not decide her life.
- A floor, not a ceiling. The law set God's minimum. Christ shows His full mind — and this chapter's servant rule was already picturing Him.
If she is unacceptable in the eyes of her master, who had taken her for himself, then shall he let her be ransomed to sell her unto a foreign people he hath no power, after having dealt unfaithfully with her.
Exodus 21 is a run of case laws. Verse 8 takes the hardest case in the chapter: a girl sold by her father, taken by her master as his own, and then unwanted. The verse settles what he may and may not do with her. It shows how God guards someone who cannot guard herself.
These verses open a different kind of law. One writer builds on the word Scripture uses for them — "rules" in the ESV, "judgments" in older translations.
These verses (Ex. 21:1-7) are not properly a part of the covenant: "Now these are the rules that you shall set before them." Psalm 19:7-11 mentions several distinct things — testimony, statutes, commandments, judgments. I take these last to be God's decision on certain points. "The rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether."
Read across the whole section, these decisions have a common concern.
Considering each statute would yield valuable instruction, as they witness to God's gracious care and protection of those who were weak and in a lower position. Such people might face oppression and unjust dealing from those who were stronger and in a place of authority over them.
The previous verses release a Hebrew manservant in the seventh year. Verse 7 says the daughter does not go out that way, and verse 8 explains what happens instead.
The law did not forbid the sale of one's daughter to another man as a female slave (v.7). She would not, however, go free in the year of jubilee. She might be her purchaser's wife before that time, or the wife of his son (vv. 8-9). Yet the law did protect her. If the buyer was not pleased with her, he should let her father or another relative redeem her. But he must not sell her to a foreigner.
The verse turns on a word that carried far more weight in Israel than a modern engagement does — and that Scripture also uses of God's own commitment.
The Jews saw this as being as binding as marriage. Only divorce could end it. The law gave certain rules about a betrothed woman: Ex. 21:8-9; Deut. 20:7; Deut. 28:30. The word is also used as a picture of the LORD's favour to His ancient people in a future day, when He will "betroth" them to Himself for ever (Hosea 2:19-20), and of the position in which the church stands to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2).
The reason given for the ban on selling her abroad is that he has broken faith with her. So the man's own conduct limits his power over her. Her way out opens at the moment his affection fails.
Though she might "not go out as the male servants do," God in His tenderness carefully guarded her rights in the position she held. Too often people treat those who are under them and fully dependent according to changing moods and whims. This was not to be. If her master changed his mind, and she became evil in his eyes (see margin), she should have the option of redemption. He must not degrade her in her service, nor could he sell her to a foreign nation. By his deceitful dealing he had forfeited rights he would otherwise have had... So, in His compassionate love, the Lord surrounds His weak and defenceless ones with laws. Those laws secure fair and considerate treatment for them.
Commentators are careful not to read this verse as God's ideal for how people should live.
Verses 7-11 deal with the case of the woman who becomes a bondservant. As the weaker party she might become the victim of wrongful treatment, so the law defines her rights. We may note that the law permitted things Christians today would not accept... We must always bear in mind that "the law made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19). It set out the minimum of God's demands. So everyone who fell short of it, in any way or at any time, came under the sentence of death. Christ realises and sets out the maximum of all God's thoughts and desires.
Even at that minimum, the character of the One speaking shows through the fine print.
Reading this section draws the heart out in adoration. Deep wisdom, well-balanced justice, and tender thoughtfulness breathe through the whole of it. We come away from studying it with one conviction pressed deep into the soul. The One who speaks here is "the only true," "the only wise," and the infinitely gracious God.
- Judgments. These rulings are God's decisions on particular cases, not the same as the commandments. They are true and righteous altogether.
- Weakness. The whole run of statutes protects those in an inferior position from the stronger people set over them.
- Betrothal. Designating her for himself bound him as marriage did. Scripture uses the same word for God binding Himself to His people.
- Forfeit. When he breaks faith, he loses rights he would otherwise have held. Her family may redeem her, and he cannot sell her to foreigners.
- Floor. The law set the minimum God required, not the full measure of His mind. Christ shows that. Yet even here God's wisdom, justice and tenderness show through.
And if he have appointed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the law of daughters.
One line in Israel's slave laws changes a girl's whole standing: given to the buyer's son, she is family, not property. So why did God set rules inside slavery at all, and what do those rules show about the way He treats the powerless?
These rulings come straight after the ten commandments. Commentators tie the law about servants to the commandment about parents and children. That is why the master who gives a bought girl to his son is measured as a father, not as an owner.
"The first of these sections," says Murphy, "refers to the duties of masters and servants, and is therefore a natural expansion of the fifth commandment, which relates to parents and children." This is true, and it teaches us a great deal. How instructive, and yet how simple, that the master is here seen in the place of the parent! The commandment is dealing with slavery — an evil that could not yet be removed, and that in the limited form allowed here often became a benefit. That was true above all if the slave became, as it were, the adopted child of his master, or the maidservant became the wife of her master or of his son!
A reader may wonder why she was not released like the male servants. The answer is that she was not bought only for labour. Marriage was in view, either to the buyer or to his son. And if the buyer changed his mind, she still had a way out.
The law did not forbid a man to sell his daughter to another man as a female slave (v.7). But she would not be set free in the year of jubilee. By then she might already be the wife of the man who bought her, or the wife of his son (vv. 8-9). Yet the law did protect her. If the buyer was not pleased with her, he had to let her father or another relative buy her back. But he must not sell her to a foreigner.
People with full power over others often treat them by how they feel that day. God closed that door. Whether she was promised to the master or to his son, her rights held. If he ignored them, she went free.
Though she might "not go out as the male slaves do," God in His tenderness carefully guarded her rights in the place she held. Far too often, people treat those who are completely under them and dependent on them according to their changing moods and whims. This was not to be… Whether she was promised in marriage to his son or to himself, her rights were fully protected. If he neglected them and took another wife, she was to go completely free. So, in His compassionate love, the Lord surrounds His weak and defenceless ones with laws that secure fair and considerate treatment for them.
Readers today notice that this arrangement falls short of what Christians accept. Commentators say the same, and they explain why. The law was never God's last word.
Verses 7-11 deal with the case of the woman who becomes a bondservant. As the weaker party she might become the victim of wrongful treatment, so her rights are clearly defined. We should note that under the law God allowed things that Christians today would not tolerate. The Lord's own words in Matthew 19:7-8 show this. We must always remember that "the law made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19), since it set out the minimum of God's demands… The full measure of all God's thoughts and desires is realized and set out in Christ.
Measured against the surrounding nations, though, these rules were a marked improvement.
The law given by Moses had done much to soften slavery in Israel… In this the law of Moses stands in contrast with other codes, and even with the selfish and proud Christian world… In view of Jewish, or simply human, hardness of heart, much was tolerated under the law that was far from God's mind, until He came Who is the truth in grace.
- Sold. A father's poverty could put his daughter in another man's house. The law faces that fact instead of hiding it.
- Betrothed. She was not bought for work alone. Marriage to the buyer or to his son was in view, so she was not simply set free.
- Adopted. Given to the son, she takes a daughter's place in the house. The master now stands to her as a parent.
- Guarded. Her rights could not be cut back by anyone's changing mood. If they were ignored, she left free and owed nothing.
- Surpassed. Compared with other nations' codes, these rules were mercy. Yet they were only God's minimum. His full mind appears in Christ.
If he take himself another, her food, her clothing, and her conjugal rights he shall not diminish.
These verses deal with a woman who became a bondservant and was then promised in marriage to her master or his son. This verse names three things he may never cut back if he takes another wife — and it raises a harder question: why did God allow this at all?
One writer describes what kind of rules fill this chapter, and why Israel had to keep them:
In this chapter we have various "judgments" or "fixed ordinances" recorded. God commands the people to keep them as the rule of their conduct in all their dealings with each other. Such conduct suits those who are in covenant relationship with God.
The law here protects the person with the least power in the household:
Verses 7-11 deal with the case of the woman who becomes a bondservant. As the weaker party she might become the victim of wrongful treatment, so the law defines her rights clearly.
The verse names food, clothing and marital rights. One writer traces the whole chain of protections around her, and the motive behind them:
She did not go out free as the male servants did, yet God in His tenderness carefully guarded her rights in the place she held. Too often you can see people treating those who are completely subject and dependent according to changing moods and whims. This was not to be. If her master changed his mind, and she became displeasing in his eyes, she was to have the option of being redeemed. He must not degrade her in her service, and he could not sell her to a foreign nation. By his dishonest dealing he had forfeited rights he would otherwise have had. Whether she was promised in marriage to his son or to himself, God carefully guarded her rights. If he neglected them when he took another wife, she was to go completely free. So the Lord, in His compassionate love, puts laws around His weak and defenceless ones. Those laws secure fair and considerate treatment for them.
The same protective aim runs through the whole chapter, and it is aimed at a specific danger:
It is not necessary for our purpose to look at each statute in detail; a few will be enough, though thinking through each one would give valuable instruction, since they all witness to God's gracious care and protection of those who were weak and in a position of inferiority, and who for that reason might be oppressed and unjustly treated by those who were stronger and in a place of authority over them.
The verse assumes a man may take a second wife. Writers are clear that this reflects the limits of law, not the heart of God:
We may note that the law permitted things Christians today would not tolerate. The Lord's own words in Matthew 19:7-8 show that this was so. We must always keep in mind that "the law made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19), since it set out the minimum of God's demands, so that everyone who in any way or at any time fell short of it came under the sentence of death. The maximum of all God's thoughts and desires is realized and set out in Christ.
Another writer explains why the law bore with such things:
The law was good in itself, but it could not make anyone good. There were certain concessions in the law which did not express the divine mind at all. In them God was dealing with a people after the flesh. The law does not view a man as born of God; Christianity does. It spoke to all Israel, not to believers only, so it bore with certain things because their hearts were hard. The righteousness of the law stands as far as it goes. But it stops short of perfection, because in some cases it allows a lesser evil in order to avoid a greater one.
The customs are gone; the moral weight is not:
These statutes contain moral principles that do not change from one age to the next. The law is not the rule of the believer's life. Still, as the Apostle says in Romans 8:3-4, "God … condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
- Weakness — She is the weaker party in the household. That is why the law writes her rights down instead of leaving them to goodwill.
- Guarded — Food, clothing and marital rights may not be reduced; she may not be degraded, and she may not be sold abroad.
- Freedom — If the three duties fail, she leaves free and owes nothing; neglect costs the master his claim.
- Minimum — The law set out God's least demand and made nothing perfect. Some things it allowed were concessions to a people in the flesh, not a picture of God's mind.
- Maximum — Christ displays all that God wants. The moral principle behind the rule stands, and the Spirit fulfils it in the believer.
And if he do not these three things unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
Exodus 21 sets out the everyday rules for life in Israel. This verse closes a short block of law about a daughter sold into service and taken as a wife, and it names what her master owes her.
The three things named just before this verse are food, clothing, and marriage rights. They are not favours but duties. If the master withholds them, she leaves free and owes nothing.
She did not go free as the male servants did, but God in His tenderness guarded her rights in the position she held. Far too often, people treat those who fully depend on them according to changing moods and whims. This was not to be. If her master changed his mind and she no longer pleased him, she had the option of being redeemed. He must not degrade her in her service, and he could not sell her to a foreign nation. By his dishonest dealing he had forfeited rights he would otherwise have had. Whether she was promised in marriage to his son or to himself, her rights stood. If he neglected them when he took another wife, she should go completely free. So, in His compassionate love, the Lord surrounds His weak and defenceless ones with laws. These laws secure fair and considerate treatment for them.
Notice who this law is aimed at. It is written for the person with no leverage — the one who could not enforce anything for herself.
Verses 7-11 deal with the case of the woman who becomes a bondservant. As the weaker party she might become the victim of wrongful treatment, so her rights are clearly defined.
The same instinct runs through the whole set of rules that follow. Commentators reading the chapter as a whole draw out the pattern:
No one may take advantage of the weak or of those under authority. Violence cannot go unpunished, any more than dishonour where we owe respect... No one may trouble or afflict a stranger, a widow or an orphan. No one may burden the poor or insult the judges.
A ruling about one woman's food and clothing can look too small for the God of heaven and earth. That contrast is the point.
Studying this section of our book is well suited to impress the heart with God's unsearchable wisdom and infinite goodness... Here, too, we see the amazing condescension of Him who is the great God of heaven and earth. He can still stoop to judge between man and man about the death of an ox, the loan of a garment, or the loss of a servant's tooth. ...He governs the universe, and yet He can take time to provide a covering for one of His creatures.
The rule itself says something uncomfortable about the people who received it. A man does not need to be told not to starve his wife unless he might.
The Lord had to make laws against certain crimes. That proves man is capable of committing them. If man had no ability and no leaning towards them, such laws would not be needed... Those very statutes prove one thing beyond question. Even the most refined and cultured person carries in his heart the seeds of the darkest and most horrifying wrongs... Deep as man's ruin is, the love of God is deeper still. Black as his guilt is, the blood of Jesus can wash it all away. Wide as the gap is between man and God, the cross has bridged it.
The law regulates this arrangement instead of ending it. One writer explains why the law was never God's final word.
The law allowed some things that Christians today would not tolerate. The Lord's own words in Matthew 19:7-8 show this. We must always remember that "the law made nothing perfect" (Heb. 7:19). It set out the minimum of God's demands, so anyone who fell short of it in any way or at any time came under the sentence of death. The maximum of all God's thoughts and desires is realised and set out in Christ.
Measured against the world these rules were given into, that minimum still shines:
The consideration of each would yield valuable instruction, showing God's gracious care and protection of those who were weak and in a position of inferiority, and who, being such, might be oppressed and unjustly treated by those who were stronger and in a place of authority over them.
- Rights, not favours. Food, clothing and marriage rights were hers by law, not by her master's mood. God does not leave dependent people at the mercy of changing whims.
- Release without ransom. If he neglected those three duties, she went out free. His failure, not her money, ended the bond.
- Written for the weak. God surrounds His weak and defenceless ones with laws. The same care covers strangers, widows, orphans and the poor.
- A God who stoops. The One who governs the universe judges between man and man over a garment or a tooth. No detail is too small for His goodness.
- A floor pointing higher. The law set the minimum of God's demands and exposed what human hearts hold. The maximum of His thoughts is set out in Christ, where the cross bridges the gap.