Êxodo 21:1-11 NVT

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:10

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:11

And if he do not these three unto her ,.... Not the three things last mentioned; though this sense, Aben Ezra says, many of their interpreters give, which is rejected by him, so do some Christian expositors; but these three things are, espousing her to himself, or to his son, or redeeming her by the hand of her father; that is, letting her be redeemed by him, as the Targum of Jonathan; and so Jarchi, Aben Ezra, and Ben Melech: the meaning is, if one or other of these things are not done: ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:1

Now these are the judgments - There is so much good sense, feeling, humanity, equity, and justice in the following laws, that they cannot but be admired by every intelligent reader; and they are so very plain as to require very little comment. The laws in this chapter are termed political, those in the succeeding chapter judicial, laws; and are supposed to have been delivered to Moses alone, in consequence of the request of the people, Exodus 20:19 , that God should communicate his will to... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:2

If thou buy a Hebrew servant - Calmet enumerates six different ways in which a Hebrew might lose his liberty: In extreme poverty they might sell their liberty. Leviticus 25:39 ; : If thy brother be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee, etc. A father might sell his children. If a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant; see Exodus 21:7 . Insolvent debtors became the slaves of their creditors. My husband is dead - and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen, ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:3

If he came in by himself - If he and his wife came in together, they were to go out together: in all respects as he entered, so should he go out. This consideration seems to have induced St. Jerome to translate the passage thus: Cum quali veste intraverat, cum tali exeat . "He shall have the same coat in going out, as he had when he came in," i.e., if he came in with a new one, he shall go out with a new one, which was perfectly just, as the former coat must have been worn out in his... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:4

The wife and her children shall be her master's - It was a law among the Hebrews, that if a Hebrew had children by a Canannitish woman, those children must be considered as Canaanitish only, and might be sold and bought, and serve for ever. The law here refers to such a case only. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:6

Shall bring him unto the judges - האלהים אל el haelohim , literally, to God; or, as the Septuagint have it, προς το κριτηριον Θεου , to the judgment of God; who condescended to dwell among his people; who determined all their differences till he had given them laws for all cases, and who, by his omniscience, brought to light the hidden things of dishonesty. See Exodus 22:8 . Bore his ear through with an awl - This was a ceremony sufficiently significant, as it implied, That he... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:7

If a man sell his daughter - This the Jews allowed no man to do but in extreme distress - when he had no goods, either movable or immovable left, even to the clothes on his back; and he had this permission only while she was unmarriageable. It may appear at first view strange that such a law should have been given; but let it be remembered, that this servitude could extend, at the utmost, only to six years; and that it was nearly the same as in some cases of apprenticeship among us, where... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:9

Betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her - He shall give her the same dowry he would give to one of his own daughters. From these laws we learn, that if a man's son married his servant, by his father's consent, the father was obliged to treat her in every respect as a daughter; and if the son married another woman, as it appears he might do, Exodus 21:10 , he was obliged to make no abatement in the privileges of the first wife, either in her food, raiment, or duty of marriage.... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:11

These three - Her food, שארה sheerah , her flesh, for she must not, like a common slave, be fed merely on vegetables. read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 21:11

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:2

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:3

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:6

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:7

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:9

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 21:11

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