Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 21:8
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.
8. First special case under the general law of v. 7: if a woman, bought with the intention of being made her master’s concubine, does not please her master, he must let her be redeemed, and he has no power to sell her into foreign slavery.
who hath designated (2Sa 20:5; Jer 47:7) her for himself ] viz. at the time when he bought her: ‘for himself’ is shewn by its position in the Heb. to be emphatic; it is opposed to ‘for his son’ in v. 9, The marg. ( for ) may be disregarded, if only because y‘ad does not mean to ‘espouse’: to ‘designate’ a woman for any one may indeed be equivalent to ‘to espouse,’ but that does not justify ‘designate,’ used absolutely, being rendered ‘espouse.’
let her be redeemed ] by her father, or other relative, if able to do so: she had been bought to become a concubine, and had consequently certain rights. If however the woman’s relatives did not redeem her, her master was apparently at liberty to sell her to another Israelite; for the following clause only forbids him to sell her into foreign servitude. Of course, the woman is not to be supposed to have actually become her master’s concubine: in this case, if he found he did not like her, he would have to give her her freedom unconditionally (cf. v. 11).
strange ] foreign, the now obsolete sense of ‘strange’ noticed on Exo 2:22.
deceitfully ] or untruly, viz. in not making her his concubine, as it was understood, when he bought her, that he would do.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Who hath betrothed her to himself, for a concubine or secondary wife. Not that masters did always take maid-servants upon these terms, as some conceive; but that some did so, and of them this place speaks. Though here is a differing reading; and as the margin hath lo the pronoun, signifying to him, so the text hath lo the adverb, signifying not; and so the text may be translated thus, so that he doth not betroth her, to wit, to himself, or to his son, as he gave her hopes he intended. Either reading or sense is proper and probable.
Then shall he let her be redeemed, either by herself or friends, or any other person that will redeem her.
Quest. How could he part with her, and sell her, when she was betrothed to him?
Answ. 1. This might be one of those many indulgences given to them for the hardness of their hearts; and there is no doubt God could dispense with his own positive laws.
2. The latter reading avoids this difficulty.
To sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power: this was in general prohibited for all Hebrew servants, but it is particularly mentioned here, because there was special reason for it; both because there was more danger of her corruption in chastity and religion in regard of her sex, and because the master in that case was under a greater temptation of selling her to a foreigner, because no Israelite would buy her, or give so much money for her as a heathen would, who would and might keep her for a perpetual servant, which the Israelites might not do.
He hath dealt deceitfully with her, viz. in breaking his promise of marriage made to her, or blasting the hopes he encouraged her to have of it. The Hebrew words are exactly rendered thus, in dealing deceitfully or falsely with her or against her; and they may be added as an aggravation of that sin of selling her to a strange nation, wherein there was a double false dealing; the one towards God, who by his law forbad this; the other towards her, whom he hired upon other terms, and not with a power to dispose of her contrary to the law and manner of the Israelites.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
If she please not her master,…. “Be evil in the eyes of her master” p; and he has no liking of her, and love to her, not being agreeable in her person, temper, or conduct, so that he does not choose to make her his wife:
who hath betrothed her to him; but not completed the marriage, as he promised, when he bought her, or at least gave reason to expect that he would; for, according to the Jewish canons, a Hebrew handmaid might not be sold but to one who laid himself under obligation to espouse her to himself, or his son, when she was fit to be betrothed q; and so Jarchi says, he ought to espouse her, and take her to be his wife, for the money of her purchase is the money of her espousals. There is a double reading of this passage, the Keri, or marginal reading we follow; the Cetib, or written text, is, “who hath not betrothed her”, both may be taken in, “who hath not betrothed her to him”, as he said he would, or as it was expected he should; for, had she been really betrothed, what follows could not have been done:
then shall he let her be redeemed; she being at age, and fit for marriage, and her master not caring to marry her, her father shall redeem her, as the Targum of Jonathan; it was incumbent on him to do that, as it was on her master to let her be redeemed, to admit of the redemption of her; or whether, as Aben Ezra says, she redeemed herself, or her father, or one of her relations, if she was near the six years (the end of them), they reckoned how many years she had served, and how many were yet to the seventh, or to the time that she is in her own power, and according to the computation was the redemption: thus, for instance, as it is by others r put, if she was bought for six pounds, then one pound is the service of every year; and if she redeemed herself, her master took off of the money for the years she had served; or thus s, if she was bought for sixty pence, and had served two years, he must pay her forty pence, and so free her:
to sell her unto a strange nation, he shall have no power; that is, to another man, as both the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, even to an Israelite that was of another family, to whom the right of redemption did not belong; for to sell an Israelite, man or woman, to a Gentile, or one of another nation, was not allowed of in any case, as Josephus t observes; but the meaning is, he had no power to sell her to another, though of the same nation, to be his handmaid; this power neither her master nor her father had, as Jarchi asserts, she being redeemed, and in her own power:
seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her; in not fulfilling his promise made to her father when he sold her to him, or not answering the expectation he had raised in her; and especially he dealt thus with her, if he had corrupted her, and yet refused to betroth and marry her.
p “mala in oculis”, Montanus; “mala videbitur in oculis”, Junius Tremellius “mala fuerit in oculis”, Drusius. q Maimon. Hilchot Abadim, c. 4. sect. 11. & in Misn. Kiddushin, c. 1. sect. 2. r Bartenora in Kiddush. ib. s Maimon. in ib. t Antiqu. l. 16. c. 1. sect. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(8) Who hath betrothed her to himself.The reading is to be preferred which gives the opposite sensewho hath not betrothed her; and the meaning is, If the man, after purchasing the woman to be his wife, finds that he does not like her, and refuses to go through the ceremony of betrothal
Then shall he let her be redeemed.Heb., then let him cause her to be redeemed: i.e., let him provide some one to take his place, and carry out his contract, only taking care that the substitute be a Hebrew, and not one of a strange nation, since her father did not intend to have her wed a foreigner.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Please not her master Hebrews, if she be evil in the eyes of her master . If he discover some defect in her, or find her less attractive and useful to him than he had expected .
Dealt deceitfully with her The purchase implied the pledge of marriage or concubinage, with its legal rights . These involved obligations which, if not met, exposed to the charge of deceitful dealing .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 21:8. Shall he let her be redeemed This might more properly be rendered, after many of the versions, he shall redeem or deliver her: he shall set her free. What is rendered, to a strange people, might properly be read, to another family, which is the true meaning of the expression. (Lev 22:10.) The Hebrews had no power, in any case, to sell any of their own people, whether male or female, to those of another nation.
REFLECTIONS.We have here ordinances concerning servants: they had been servants themselves, and therefore are peculiarly called to exercise gentleness towards such. Though they had suffered, they must not play the tyrant in their turn.
1. Of the man-servant. Note; Voluntary slavery will seldom be found among men; but they who have tasted the blessed freedom of God’s service are happy to be confirmed in his house for ever, and desire to go out no more. 2. Of the maid-servants. The meanest of Israel’s daughters are honourably taken care of. Thus Jesus first bought the Church with his Blood; then, mean and unequal as was the match, espoused her to himself in mercy, and liberally endowed her with all the rich blessings of his grace.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 21:8 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.
Ver. 8. He hath dealt deceitfully with her. ] By not answering her expectation. This God tolerated for the hardness of their hearts, but approved not.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
nation = people.
power = authority.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
please not: Heb. be evil in the eyes of, etc. Gen 28:8, Jdg 14:3, 1Sa 8:6, 1Sa 18:8, *marg.
who hath: Deu 20:7, Deu 21:11-14
seeing: Exo 8:29, Jdg 9:19, Job 6:15, Mal 2:11-15
Reciprocal: Rth 4:2 – the elders
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 21:8. Who hath betrothed her to himself For a concubine, or secondary wife. Not that masters always took maid-servants on those terms. Then shall he let her be redeemed Either by herself or her friends, or any other person that will redeem her. To sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power This was prohibited, because a heathen would keep her for a perpetual servant, which the Israelites might not do.
Seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her In breaking his promise of marriage made to her, or in disappointing the hopes he had encouraged her to entertain of it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
21:8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall {g} he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
(g) By giving another money to buy her from him.