And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
Parallel translations
- WEB “If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
- BSB And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.
- NKJV “And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.
- NASB “Now if a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do.
- NLT “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A daughter sold as a female servant was not released like male servants but under special protections. The law gave women in servitude particular safeguards.
Overview
This case concerns a poor father giving his daughter into service, typically with marriage in view. Rather than condoning exploitation, the law surrounds her with protections detailed in the following verses, guarding her welfare in a vulnerable position. God's concern for the weak and dependent shines through these regulations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Neh 5:5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
- Exod 21:2–3If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 21:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.