Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 21:10
If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
10. her flesh ] The case contemplated is that of a well-to-do Israelite, who could have several concubines, and enjoy animal food every day: Israelites of the poorer class ate animal food seldom or never. ‘Flesh’ (Psa 78:20; Psa 78:27) should not be weakened to ‘food’: a diminution of ordinary food, such as bread and vegetables, is not contemplated.
her rights of marriage ] i.e. her conjugal rights. The Heb. word occurs only here; and its etymological meaning is uncertain.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
10, 11. Third special case: if after having taken the woman as a concubine he takes another concubine as well: in that case, he must still allow his first concubine her full rights; if he does not do this, he must give her her freedom.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Her duty of marriage is called due benevolence, 1Co 7:3. Or, her dwelling, as the word is oft used. So here are the three great conveniences of life, food, and raiment, and habitation, all which he is to provide for her. Or, her cohabitation, or, her time, the convenient and appointed times for conjugal converse with her; for some times were disallowed for it, Le 15, and when there were plurality of wives, they had their vicissitudes, Gen 30:15,16.
Shall he not diminish, or rather, not withdraw, or deny it, as the word signifies, and as the LXX., Chaldee, Samaritan, Vulgate, and others render it,
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
If he take him another wife,…. The father takes another wife for his son, or the son takes another wife to himself after he has betrothed and married his father’s maidservant:
her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish; neither deny it her in whole, nor lessen it in part, but give her her full due of each. What is meant by the two former words is easy, and admits of no difficulty, the latter is differently interpreted. Some take it to signify no other than an “habitation” u, that as he was to provide food and raiment for her, so an house to dwell, in; but the generality of interpreters, Jewish and Christian, understand it as we do, of the conjugal duty, the use of the marriage bed, or what the apostle calls due benevolence, 1Co 7:3. The word is thought to have the signification of a fixed time for it; and the Misnic doctors w are very particular in assigning the set times of it for different persons; and in those countries where there were, and where there still are, plurality of wives, each had, and have their turns, see
Ge 30:15.
u “habitationem ejus”, Montanus, Junius Tremellius so some in Aben Ezra. Vid. Pfeiffer. “dubia vexata”, cent. 1. loc. 97. w Misn. Cetubot, c. 5. sect. 6.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(10) If he take him another wife.Polygamy is viewed as lawful in this passage, as elsewhere generally in the Mosaic Law, which did not venture to forbid, though to some extent discouraging it. The legislator was forced to allow many things to the Hebrews, for the hardness of their hearts (Mat. 19:8).
Her duty of marriage.Rather, her right of cohabitation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. Her duty of marriage , cohabitation and associated conjugal rights .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 21:10 If he take him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
Ver. 10. Her duty of marriage. ] See 1Co 7:5 , See Trapp on “ 1Co 7:5 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
her food: Sheairah, “her flesh;” he shall not only afford her a sufficient quantity of food, as before, but of the same quality. She is not to be fed, like a common slave, with a sufficiency of bread, vegetables, milk, etc., but with her customary supply of flesh, and other agreeable articles of food. 1Co 7:1-6
Reciprocal: Deu 24:1 – hath taken 1Co 7:3 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
21:10 If he take {i} him another [wife]; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
(i) For his son.