The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible

Exodus21:1–11

Hebrew Servants

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Generated by AI. It can be wrong, and it has no authority. Every note here is fallible commentary — never the Word itself. Public-domain sources are quoted and named; machine synthesis is marked and meant to be checked. Weigh all of it against Scripture. “They received the word with all readiness… and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” — Acts 17:11
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Exodus 21:1–11 — Hebrew Servants. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

1““These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:”+

1“These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’êl·leh ham·miš·pā·ṭîm ’ă·šer tā·śîm lip̄·nê·hem

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-these [are] the-judgments which you-shall-set before-them:

Where the English smooths the original

  • הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים The BSB's “ordinances” renders מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpâṭîm, H4941), but the root sense is sharper: a mishpâṭ is a verdict, a judicial decision. Keil insists these are not abstract “laws” but “the rights, by which the national life was formed into a civil commonwealth”; Cambridge calls them “legal precedents, intended to have the force of law.” The word for the chapter is courtroom-born.
  • תָּשִׂ֖ים “you are to set” is the Qal of שׂוּם (sûm, H7760), to place, to set down before. Ellicott notes the same idiom in 19:7 and Deuteronomy 4:44; the judgments are laid out visibly before the people, not merely promulgated. Mediation, not dictation — Moses sets them out as one who has come down from the mountain (Gill).
  • וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙ The opening waw on וְאֵלֶּה (“and these”) is dropped in English as untranslatable, but Cambridge reads it as load-bearing: “And —introducing a new element in the collection.” The conjunction binds the case-law of chapter 21 to the Ten Words just spoken; the same God who thundered the Decalogue now quietly legislates the household.
Word by word5 · parsed+
וְאֵ֙לֶּה֙wə·’êl·lehTheseH428
√ ʼêl-leh — these or thoseConjunctive wawPronouncommon plural
הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔יםham·miš·pā·ṭîmare the ordinancesH4941
√ mishpâṭ — properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penaltyArticleNounmasculine plural
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ, H4941) is, in Cambridge's gloss, “a judicial decision, (1) given in an individual case, and then (2) established as a precedent.” The same noun returns at v. 9 (“the rights of daughters”), framing the whole unit as a body of binding verdicts rather than aspiration.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
תָּשִׂ֖יםtā·śîmyou are to setH7760
√ sûwm — to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
Qal of שׂוּם (H7760), 2 m.s. imperfect — addressed to Moses the mediator. Gill: the people had asked at Sinai that Moses, not God directly, speak to them (20:19); these judgments come through him, yet “it became them to receive these laws as of God.”
לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃lip̄·nê·hembefore themH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
לִפְנֵיהֶם (liphnêhem, from pânîm, H6440), “before their face.” The Book of the Covenant is not hidden in a sanctuary but placed openly before the assembled commonwealth — a public, knowable law.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
The mishpatim ( Exodus 21:1 ) are not the "laws, which were to be in force and serve as rules of action," as Knobel affirms, but the rights, by which the national life was formed into a civil commonwealth and the political order secured.
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
Their government being purely a theocracy, that which in other states is to be settled by human prudence, was directed among them by a divine appointment. These laws are called judgments; because their magistrates were to give judgment according to them.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
the judgements ] i.e. legal precedents, intended to have the force of law. The Heb. mishpâṭ means a judicial decision , (1) given in an individual case, and then (2) established as a precedent for other similar cases
2“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. B…”+

2If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free without paying anything.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî ṯiq·neh ‘iḇ·rî ‘e·ḇeḏ ya·‘ă·ḇōḏ šêš šā·nîm ū·ḇaš·šə·ḇi·‘iṯ yê·ṣê la·ḥā·p̄ə·šî ḥin·nām

Literal — word-for-word from the original

When you-buy a-Hebrew servant, six years he-shall-serve; and-in-the-seventh he-shall-go-out to-the-free, for-nothing.

Where the English smooths the original

  • כִּ֤י The BSB's “If” renders כִּי (kî, H3588), but Cambridge marks a distinction English flattens: the primary cases of the code open with kî (“when”), the subordinate clauses with ’im (“if”). This is a head-case — “When you buy…” — the governing situation under which the qualifying conditions of vv. 3–6 will branch.
  • עִבְרִ֔י “a Hebrew” is עִבְרִי (ʻIbrî, H5680), and Keil presses that the word is restrictive: “The predicate עברי limits the rule to Israelitish servants, in distinction from slaves of foreign extraction, to whom this law did not apply.” The six-year release is a brother's right, not a universal manumission.
  • לַֽחָפְשִׁ֖י “free” renders חָפְשִׁי (chophshî, H2670), exempt, released from bondage — a rare word (17 verses). The construction is “he shall go out to-the-free [state],” emancipation as a destination, not merely a status. The same lexeme reappears in v. 5 (the servant who refuses it) and threads to Deuteronomy 15 and Jeremiah 34.
  • חִנָּֽם׃ “without paying anything” compresses one adverb, חִנָּם (chinnâm, H2600) — gratis, for nothing, freely. Keil: “without compensation.” Henry hears the gospel-note already: the bondman is loosed “without money and without price, of free grace.”
Word by word11 · parsed+
כִּ֤יkîIfH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
כִּי (kî, H3588) as case-marker. Cambridge: “the primary cases… are introduced by ki , ‘when,’ the subordinate ones… by ’im , ‘if.’” The grammar of the law is its logic — major premise, then exceptions.
תִקְנֶה֙ṯiq·nehyou buyH7069
√ qânâh — to erect, iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
עִבְרִ֔י‘iḇ·rîa HebrewH5680
√ ʻIbrîy — an Eberite (iNounpropermasculine singular
עִבְרִי (ʻIbrî, H5680) appears in only 32 verses; the same rare lexeme binds this statute to Deuteronomy 15:12 and Jeremiah 34:9, 14 — the recorded verbal basis for the slave-law thread.
עֶ֣בֶד‘e·ḇeḏservantH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantNounmasculine singular
יַעֲבֹ֑דya·‘ă·ḇōḏhe is to serve youH5647
√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
שֵׁ֥שׁšêšfor sixH8337
√ shêsh — six (as an overplus beyond five or the fingers of the hand)Numberfeminine singular
שֵׁשׁ (shêsh, H8337), six — six years of service before release. Cambridge: “The release in the seventh year, after six years of servitude, seems, like the Sabbatical Year… to be suggested by the weekly sabbath closing the six days of toil.” The week is written into the law of bondage.
שָׁנִ֖יםšā·nîmyearsH8141
√ shâneh — a year (as a revolution of time)Nounfeminine plural
וּבַ֨שְּׁבִעִ֔תū·ḇaš·šə·ḇi·‘iṯBut in the seventh [year]H7637
√ shᵉbîyʻîy — seventhConjunctive waw, Preposition-b, ArticleNumberordinal feminine singular
יֵצֵ֥אyê·ṣêhe shall goH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לַֽחָפְשִׁ֖יla·ḥā·p̄ə·šîfreeH2670
√ chophshîy — exempt (from bondage, tax or care)Preposition-l, ArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
חָפְשִׁי (chophshî, H2670), free; a word so weighted that Job 3:19 makes the grave the place where “the servant is free from his master.” Liberty here is the law's first instinct: the clock on slavery starts running the moment a brother is bought.
חִנָּֽם׃ḥin·nāmwithout paying anythingH2600
√ chinnâm — gratis, iAdverb
חִנָּם (chinnâm, H2600), for nothing, gratis — and not empty-handed: Deuteronomy 15:13–14 commands the master to load the freed man from flock, floor, and winepress (Keil, Gill, Pulpit). The release is free to the servant and costly to the master.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
This law was an enormous advance upon anything previously known in the slave legislation of the most civilised country, and stamps the Mosaic code at once as sympathising with the slave, and bent on ameliorating his lot.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
The predicate עברי limits the rule to Israelitish servants, in distinction from slaves of foreign extraction, to whom this law did not apply
✦Matthew HenryConcise Commentary on the Whole Bible1706
in being made free, he was an emblem of that liberty wherewith Christ, the Son of God, makes free from bondage his people, who are free indeed; and made so freely, without money and without price, of free grace.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Slavery, it is clear, was an existing institution. The law of Moses did not make it, but found it, and by not forbidding, allowed it. The Divine legislator was content under the circumstances to introduce mitigations and alleviations into the slave condition.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
Every Israelite was free-born; but slavery was permitted under certain restrictions. An Hebrew might be made a slave through poverty, debt, or crime; but at the end of six years he was entitled to freedom, and his wife, if she had voluntarily shared his state of bondage, also obtained release.
3“If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a …”+

3If he arrived alone, he is to leave alone; if he arrived with a wife, she is to leave with him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- yā·ḇō bə·ḡap·pōw yê·ṣê bə·ḡap·pōw ’im- ba·‘al hū ’iš·šāh ’iš·tōw wə·yā·ṣə·’āh ‘im·mōw

Literal — word-for-word from the original

If with-his-body he-came-in, with-his-body he-shall-go-out; if [he was] the-master of-a-wife, then-shall-go-out his-wife with-him.

Where the English smooths the original

  • בְּגַפּ֥וֹ The BSB's “alone” renders a peculiar phrase, בְּגַפּוֹ (bᵉgappô, from gaph, H1610) — literally “with his back / his body.” Cambridge: “with his back or body , and with nothing else, i.e. alone… A peculiar expression, found only here and v. 4.” Keil: “with his body, i.e., alone, single.” The man enters bondage carrying only himself, and so departs.
  • בַּ֤עַל “with a wife” renders בַּעַל אִשָּׁה — literally “the master/owner of a woman.” Cambridge: “Heb. the possessor of a woman (or wife )… The woman, being the possession of her husband, naturally shared his fortunes.” The marriage-bond is named in the property-language of the age, yet its effect here is to extend the wife's freedom, not curtail it.
Word by word12 · parsed+
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
יָבֹ֖אyā·ḇōhe arrived aloneH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגַפּ֥וֹbə·ḡap·pōw. . .H1610
√ gaph — the backPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
גַּף (gaph, H1610) is a true rarity — only 3 verses in the whole Hebrew Bible — and here it bears the sense “his body, himself alone.” The Verifier flags it as a shared lexeme with Proverbs 9:3, but there the same consonants mean “highest places”: a homograph, not a real verbal link (see threads).
יֵצֵ֑אyê·ṣêhe is to leave aloneH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּגַפּ֣וֹbə·ḡap·pōw. . .H1610
√ gaph — the backPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אִם־’im-ifH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
בַּ֤עַלba·‘al. . .H1167
√ baʻal — a masterNounmasculine singular construct
בַּעַל (baʻal, H1167), master, owner, husband — the same word later names false gods. Cambridge cross-lists its marital sense in Genesis 20:3 and Deuteronomy 24:4; the law assumes a man's wife belongs to him, and so guards her by binding her freedom to his.
ה֔וּאhūheH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
אִשָּׁה֙’iš·šāharrived with a wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ’iš·tōw[she]H802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וְיָצְאָ֥הwə·yā·ṣə·’āhis to leaveH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person feminine singular
Qal perfect of יָצָא (yâtsâʼ, H3318), 3 f.s. — she shall go out. The exodus-verb (yâtsâʼ, the same root as Israel's own “going out” of Egypt) governs every release in this unit; the freed slave reenacts in miniature the nation's deliverance.
עִמּֽוֹ׃‘im·mōwwith himH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPrepositionthird person masculine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
The servant might have been unmarried and continued so (בּגפּו: with his body, i.e., alone, single): in that case, of course, there was no one else to set at liberty. Or he might have brought a wife with him; and in that case his wife was to be set at liberty as well.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
by himself (twice)] lit. with his back or body , and with nothing else, i.e. alone, without wife or child. A peculiar expression, found only here and v. 4.
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
The privilege of the married Hebrew slave was to attach also to his wife, if he was married when he became a slave. It further, no doubt, attached to his children.
4“If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughte…”+

4If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- ’ă·ḏō·nāw yit·ten- lōw ’iš·šāh wə·yā·lə·ḏāh- lōw ḇā·nîm ’ōw ḇā·nō·wṯ hā·’iš·šāh wî·lā·ḏe·hā tih·yeh la·ḏō·ne·hā wə·hū yê·ṣê ḇə·ḡap·pōw

Literal — word-for-word from the original

If his-master should-give to-him a-wife, and-she-bear to-him sons or daughters, the-wife and-her-children shall-be her-master's, and-he shall-go-out with-his-body.

Where the English smooths the original

  • אֲדֹנָיו֙ “his master” is אֲדֹנָיו (’ădônâw, from ’âdôn, H113) — and the same noun is repeated as “her master” later in the verse. The Hebrew sets his master against her master in one breath; the wife and children answer to a different head than the departing man. The English smooths a deliberate juridical asymmetry.
  • וִילָדֶ֗יהָ “her children” is וִילָדֶיהָ (wîlâdehâ, from yeled, H3206) — the children are reckoned hers, not his. Cambridge: “At this early time, children's relationship to their mother was held to be closer and more binding than that to their father.” Poole states the operative maxim bluntly: “the birth follows the belly.”
  • בְגַפּֽוֹ׃ The verse closes by repeating בְגַפּוֹ (“with his body,” v. 3) — but now its meaning has turned bitter. What described a single man's entrance now describes a married man's lonely departure: he leaves as he came, his own body only, the family the master gave him staying behind. The same word, mercy in v. 3, is hardship here.
Word by word17 · parsed+
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
אֲדֹנָיו֙’ă·ḏō·nāwhis masterH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
אָדוֹן (’âdôn, H113), master, sovereign — the noun appears 285 times and is the human counterpart of the divine Adonai. Its doubling here (his master / her master) carries the whole problem of the verse: the slave-marriage created two owners, and emancipation can free only one party.
יִתֶּן־yit·ten-givesH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
ל֣וֹlōwhim
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
אִשָּׁ֔ה’iš·šāha wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular
וְיָלְדָה־wə·yā·lə·ḏāh-and she bearsH3205
√ yâlad — to bear youngConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person feminine singular
יָלַד (yâlad, H3205), to bear young — the verb of childbirth; Barnes and Gill agree the wife here was, by the law's assumption, a foreign bondwoman (cf. Leviticus 25:44–46), so her offspring inherited her servile, not the father's free, condition.
ל֥וֹlōwhim
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
בָנִ֖יםḇā·nîmsonsH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural
א֣וֹ’ōworH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
בָנ֑וֹתḇā·nō·wṯdaughtersH1323
√ bath — a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)Nounfeminine plural
הָאִשָּׁ֣הhā·’iš·šāhthe womanH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanArticleNounfeminine singular
וִילָדֶ֗יהָwî·lā·ḏe·hāand her childrenH3206
√ yeled — something born, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructthird person feminine singular
וְהוּא — and he, emphatic; only the man's freedom is in view. The provision “may appear oppressive,” Keil grants, “but it was an equitable consequence of the possession of property in slaves at all.” The Bible records the rule without endorsing the institution that made it necessary.
תִּהְיֶה֙tih·yehshall belong toH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular
לַֽאדֹנֶ֔יהָla·ḏō·ne·hāher masterH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iPreposition-lNounmasculine plural constructthird person feminine singular
וְה֖וּאwə·hūand [only] the manH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Conjunctive wawPronounthird person masculine singular
יֵצֵ֥אyê·ṣêshall go freeH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְגַפּֽוֹ׃ḇə·ḡap·pōw. . .H1610
√ gaph — the backPreposition-bNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
That being a true rule, and approved both by Scripture and by heathen authors, that the birth follows the belly, Genesis 21:10 Galatians 4:24 ,25 ; and he that owns the tree hath right to all its fruit.
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
in that case the wife and children were to continue the property of the master. This may appear oppressive, but it was an equitable consequence of the possession of property in slaves at all.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
If she has borne him children, the remain in servitude with their mother. At this early time, children’s relationship to their mother was held to be closer and more binding than that to their father.
5“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and c…”+

5But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’im- hā·‘e·ḇeḏ ’ā·mōr yō·mar ’ā·haḇ·tî ’eṯ- ’ă·ḏō·nî ’eṯ- ’iš·tî wə·’eṯ- bā·nāy lō ’ê·ṣê ḥā·p̄ə·šî

Literal — word-for-word from the original

But-if saying he-shall-say, the-servant, I-love my-master, my-wife, and-my-children; I-will-not go-out free —

Where the English smooths the original

  • אָמֹ֤ר יֹאמַר֙ The BSB's “declares” renders a doubled verb, אָמֹר יֹאמַר (infinitive absolute + finite) — literally “saying he shall say.” The AV's “plainly say” tries to catch it; Cambridge corrects even that: the construction “emphasizes the verb… and is often used in the expression of a condition.” Gill: “in plain and full terms… as his last will and determined resolution.” The doubling makes the renunciation deliberate, witnessed, unmistakable.
  • אָהַ֙בְתִּי֙ “I love” is אָהַבְתִּי (’âhabtî, from ’âhab, H157) — the same verb commanded of Israel toward God (Deuteronomy 6:5). The servant's continued bondage is not coerced but chosen out of love; Gill: “when our obedience to God springs from love to him… it is then acceptable to God and delightful to ourselves.” Slavery, here, becomes the language of devotion.
Word by word14 · parsed+
וְאִם־wə·’im-But ifH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
הָעֶ֔בֶדhā·‘e·ḇeḏthe servantH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantArticleNounmasculine singular
אָמֹ֤ר’ā·mōrdeclaresH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalInfinitive absolute
אָמַר (’âmar, H559) in the infinitive-absolute construction. Cambridge faults the AV's “plainly” as the wrong shade of emphasis; the force is solemn affirmation, the verbal form of a binding oath, fitting a man about to surrender his liberty for life.
יֹאמַר֙yō·mar. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
אָהַ֙בְתִּי֙’ā·haḇ·tîI loveH157
√ ʼâhab — to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)VerbQalPerfectfirst person common singular
אָהַב (’âhab, H157), to love — the threefold object (master, wife, children) is echoed in the parallel Deuteronomy 15:16, “because he loveth thee, and thine house.” The shared love-verb and exodus-verb form the recorded basis of the bondservant-by-love thread.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲדֹנִ֔י’ă·ḏō·nîmy masterH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אִשְׁתִּ֖י’iš·tîand my wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
וְאֶת־wə·’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Conjunctive wawDirect object marker
בָּנָ֑יbā·nāyand childrenH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
לֹ֥אlōI do notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
אֵצֵ֖א’ê·ṣêwant to goH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalImperfectfirst person common singular
חָפְשִֽׁי׃ḥā·p̄ə·šîfreeH2670
√ chophshîy — exempt (from bondage, tax or care)Adjectivemasculine singular
חָפְשִׁי (chophshî, H2670), free again (cf. v. 2) — but now refused. The same liberty the law presses as a right (v. 2), love is permitted to decline (vv. 5–6). The freedom is real precisely because it can be freely surrendered.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦John GillExposition of the Entire Bible1746–63
I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I will not go out free; but continue in his servitude, having a great affection for his master, and that he might enjoy his wife and children he dearly loved; and being animated with such a principle, his servitude was a pleasure to him
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
It is an attempt to represent in English the idiomatic use of the Hebrew inf. abs., which emphasizes the verb to which it is attached, and is often used in the expression of a condition
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
As the Hebrew form of slavery was of a mild type, masters being admonished to treat their slaves “not as bondservants, but as hired servants” ( Leviticus 25:39-40 ),
6“then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall …”+

6then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·ḏō·nāw wə·hig·gî·šōw ’el- hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm wə·hig·gî·šōw ’el- had·de·leṯ ’ōw ’el- ham·mə·zū·zāh ’ă·ḏō·nāw ’eṯ- wə·rā·ṣa‘ ’ā·zə·nōw bam·mar·ṣê·a‘ wa·‘ă·ḇā·ḏōw lə·‘ō·lām

Literal — word-for-word from the original

then-shall-bring-him his-master to God, and-he-shall-bring-him to the-door or to the-doorpost, and-his-master shall-pierce his-ear with-the-awl, and-he-shall-serve-him forever.

Where the English smooths the original

  • הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים The BSB's “the judges” renders הָאֱלֹהִים (hâ-’ĕlôhîm, H430) — literally “God” (or “the gods”). Cambridge protests the paraphrase: “that does not make ‘Elohim’ mean ‘judge,’ or ‘judges.’” Barnes agrees it is “the name of God… God being the source of all justice.” The servant is brought before God — at the sanctuary, before His human representatives — to ratify his choice; the English resolves an ambiguity the Hebrew leaves open.
  • וְרָצַ֨ע “pierce” is רָצַע (râtsaʻ, H7527), to bore through, used in only this episode and its Deuteronomy parallel. The act fastens the man physically to the house: Cambridge, “its attachment to the door… would signify the perpetual attachment of the slave to that particular household.” The ear — the organ of hearing, hence of obedience — is nailed to the place it must henceforth heed.
  • בַּמַּרְצֵ֔עַ “an awl” is מַרְצֵעַ (martsêaʻ, H4836), a noun found in only two verses in all of Scripture — here and Deuteronomy 15:17. This vanishingly rare word is the verbal fingerprint linking the two slave-laws; where it appears, the same rite is in view (see threads).
  • לְעֹלָֽם׃ס “for life” renders לְעֹלָם (lᵉʻôlâm, from ʻôlâm, H5769) — “forever, for the age.” Keil takes it strictly, “as long as he lives,” against the rabbis who limited it to the next jubilee; Poole notes ʻôlâm “oft signifies not eternity, but only a long time.” The word's reach is itself debated — a perpetuity bounded only by a lifetime.
Word by word17 · parsed+
אֲדֹנָיו֙’ă·ḏō·nāwthen his masterH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
וְהִגִּישׁ֤וֹwə·hig·gî·šōwis to bring himH5066
√ nâgash — to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-beforeH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔יםhā·’ĕ·lō·hîmthe judgesH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseArticleNounmasculine plural
אֱלֹהִים (’ĕlôhîm, H430) with the article, in its forensic use (cf. 22:8–9; Psalm 82:1, 6, cited by Jesus in John 10:34). Keil follows the LXX's πρὸς τὸ κριτήριον, “to the place where judgment was given in the name of God.” Whether “God,” “the judges,” or even household gods (so some moderns), the rite is sworn in a sacred presence.
וְהִגִּישׁוֹ֙wə·hig·gî·šōwAnd he shall take himH5066
√ nâgash — to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose)Conjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַדֶּ֔לֶתhad·de·leṯthe doorH1817
√ deleth — something swinging, iArticleNounfeminine singular
א֖וֹ’ōworH176
√ ʼôw — desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4)Conjunction
אֶל־’el-. . .H413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַמְּזוּזָ֑הham·mə·zū·zāhdoorpostH4201
√ mᵉzûwzâh — a door-post (as prominent)ArticleNounfeminine singular
אֲדֹנָ֤יו’ă·ḏō·nāwH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וְרָצַ֨עwə·rā·ṣa‘and pierceH7527
√ râtsaʻ — to pierceConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
רָצַע (râtsaʻ, H7527), to pierce, bore — the act that gives the willing bondservant his lifelong mark. Benson and Poole note from Juvenal and Petronius that a bored ear survived as an Eastern badge of servitude long after Moses.
אָזְנוֹ֙’ā·zə·nōwhis earH241
√ ʼôzen — broadnessNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
אֹזֶן (’ôzen, H241), ear — Ellicott: “opening the ear became a synonym for assigning a man to the slave condition in perpetuity ( Psalm 40:6 ).” The ear of obedience, fixed to the master's door, is the figure the Psalmist and (in Greek dress) Hebrews 10 will take up of perfect, willing service.
בַּמַּרְצֵ֔עַbam·mar·ṣê·a‘with an awlH4836
√ martsêaʻ — an awlPreposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
מַרְצֵעַ (martsêaʻ, H4836) — a two-verse hapax-near-rarity; with דֶּלֶת (deleth, the door) it furnishes the rare shared lexemes that make the Deuteronomy 15:17 link a confirmed verbal one.
וַעֲבָד֖וֹwa·‘ă·ḇā·ḏōwThen he shall serve his masterH5647
√ ʻâbad — to work (in any sense)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
לְעֹלָֽם׃סlə·‘ō·lāmfor lifeH5769
√ ʻôwlâm — properly, concealed, iPreposition-lNounmasculine singular
עוֹלָם (ʻôlâm, H5769), forever; Keil notes Leviticus 25:46 uses the same word of service that did not end at jubilee, undercutting the harmonizing reading. The honest position (Cambridge, Keil): “forever” here means for the man's life, and the jubilee-exception is read in from elsewhere, not from this verse.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
In order to mark that henceforth the volunteer bondman became attached to the household, he was to be physically attached to the house by having an awl forced through his ear, and then driven into the door or door-post. Hence “opening the ear” became a synonym for assigning a man to the slave condition in perpetuity ( Psalm 40:6 ).
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
The word does not denote "judges" in a direct way, but it is to be understood as the name of God, in its ordinary plural form, God being the source of all justice.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
it did fitly represent his settled and perpetual obligation to abide in that house, and there to hear and obey his master’s commands. See Psalm 40:6 . For ever, i.e. not only for six years more, but without any limitation of time, as long as he lives
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
The ear, as the organ of hearing, is naturally that of obedience as well; and its attachment ( Deuteronomy 15:17 ) to the door of the house would signify the perpetual attachment of the slave to that particular household.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
a formal process was gone through in a public court, and a brand of servitude stamped on his ear (Ps 40:6) for life, or at least till the Jubilee (De 15:17).
JFB's parenthetical "or at least till the Jubilee" records the older rabbinic harmonization that capped "forever" at the next jubilee. Keil and Cambridge reject it for this verse (Leviticus 25:46 uses the same word of service that did not end at jubilee); the synthesis follows them in reading "forever" as the man's lifetime, with the jubilee-limit read in from elsewhere.
✦Geneva Study BibleMarginal Notes1599
his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for {e} ever. (d) Where the judges sat. (e) That is, to the year of Jubile, which was every fiftieth year.
The Geneva annotators (note e) likewise gloss "for ever" as "to the year of Jubile" — the same jubilee-cap Keil disputes. Quoted to show the Reformation-era reading the synthesis declines to adopt.
7“And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go f…”+

7And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵî- ’îš ’eṯ- yim·kōr bit·tōw lə·’ā·māh lō ṯê·ṣê kə·ṣêṯ hā·‘ă·ḇā·ḏîm

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-when a-man should-sell his-daughter as-a-maidservant, she-shall-not go-out as-the-going-out-of the-menservants.

Where the English smooths the original

  • יִמְכֹּ֥ר “sells” is מָכַר (mâkar, H4376), to sell — used, the lexicon notes, of selling “a daughter in marriage, into slavery.” The Pulpit and Ellicott stress that the father's right to sell his child was assumed, not invented, by the law: “The law of Moses did not make it, but found it.” What follows is regulation of a custom, not its institution.
  • לְאָמָ֑ה “as a servant” renders אָמָה (’âmâh, H519), female slave — but Cambridge warns “maid-servant” carries the wrong associations: “Here the word… denotes in particular a female slave bought not only to do household work, but also to be her master's concubine.” The whole following law presupposes she is bought toward marriage, which is why her case differs from the menservants'.
  • כְּצֵ֥את הָעֲבָדִֽים׃ “as the menservants do” is literally כְּצֵאת הָעֲבָדִים — “as the going-out of the male slaves.” The exodus-verb yâtsâʼ (the freedom-word of vv. 2–5) is here negated for her: she does not simply walk free at six years. Benson reads the difference as protection, not disadvantage — release “upon better terms, as being one of the weaker and more helpless sex.”
Word by word10 · parsed+
וְכִֽי־wə·ḵî-And ifH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִ֛ישׁ’îša manH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
יִמְכֹּ֥רyim·kōrsellsH4376
√ mâkar — to sell, literally (as merchandise, a daughter in marriage, into slavery), or figuratively (to surrender)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
מָכַר (mâkar, H4376), to sell — the same verb governs the broken-covenant scene of Jeremiah 34, where Judah is condemned for re-enslaving the Hebrews it had freed. The shared root anchors the structural link between this law and its later violation.
בִּתּ֖וֹbit·tōwhis daughterH1323
√ bath — a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
לְאָמָ֑הlə·’ā·māhas a servantH519
√ ʼâmâh — a maidservant or female slavePreposition-lNounfeminine singular
אָמָה (’âmâh, H519), bondwoman — distinct from the masculine ʻebed. Cambridge lists its concubine-sense across Genesis (Hagar), Judges, and the early kings; the law that follows is essentially marriage-protection for the most vulnerable class in the household.
לֹ֥אlōshe is notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תֵצֵ֖אṯê·ṣêto go freeH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximVerbQalImperfectthird person feminine singular
כְּצֵ֥אתkə·ṣêṯ. . .H3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximPreposition-kVerbQalInfinitive construct
הָעֲבָדִֽים׃hā·‘ă·ḇā·ḏîmas the menservants doH5650
√ ʻebed — a servantArticleNounmasculine plural
עֶבֶד (ʻebed, H5650), servant — here plural, the menservants, recalling vv. 2–6. The maidservant's exemption from their automatic six-year release is not a lesser mercy but a different one: Deuteronomy 15:17 extends the men's release to her too, while this law guards her marital standing (Poole reconciles the two by distinguishing the manner of her sale).
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
Here the word ( ’âmâh ) denotes in particular a female slave bought not only to do household work, but also to be her master’s concubine.
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
she shall not go out as the men-servants do — Gaining her liberty after a servitude of six years, but upon better terms, as being one of the weaker and more helpless sex.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
Existing custom, it is clear, sanctioned such sales among the Hebrews, and what the law now did was to step in and mitigate the evil consequences.
8“If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designat…”+

8If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- rā·‘āh bə·‘ê·nê ’ă·ḏō·ne·hā ’ă·šer- yə·‘ā·ḏāh wə·hep̄·dāh lō yim·šōl lə·mā·ḵə·rāh lə·‘am nā·ḵə·rî lō- bə·ḇiḡ·ḏōw- ḇāh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

If she-is-displeasing in-the-eyes-of her-master, who has-designated-her for-himself, then-he-shall-let-her-be-redeemed; to-sell-her to a-foreign people he-shall-have-no power, since-he-has-dealt-treacherously with-her.

Where the English smooths the original

  • יְעָדָ֖הּ “designated her for himself” is יְעָדָהּ (yᵉʻâdâh, from yâʻad, H3259), to appoint, fix upon by agreement. Cambridge resists the looser “espouse”: “yâ‘ad does not mean to ‘espouse.’” She was earmarked as his concubine at purchase; “for himself” stands emphatic in the Hebrew, set against “for his son” in v. 9.
  • וְהֶפְדָּ֑הּ “allow her to be redeemed” is the Hiphil of פָּדָה (pâdâh, H6299), to ransom, sever, set free by payment — the great redemption-verb of the Old Testament (used of God redeeming Israel from Egypt). Keil: “to allow another Israelite to buy her.” The wronged woman has a right of ransom, and the master is compelled to honor it.
  • בְּבִגְדוֹ־ “broken faith” renders the infinitive of בָּגַד (bâgad, H898), to act treacherously, deal faithlessly — its root picturing one who covers (as with a garment), hence acts under a cloak. Benson: “in breaking his promise of marriage made to her.” The law names his default not as breach of contract but as treachery; the woman is owed faithfulness, and its withdrawal is a moral, not merely legal, fault.
Word by word15 · parsed+
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
רָעָ֞הrā·‘āhshe is displeasingH7451
√ raʻ — bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)Adjectivefeminine singular
בְּעֵינֵ֧יbə·‘ê·nêin the eyesH5869
√ ʻayin — an eye (literally or figuratively)Preposition-bNouncdc
אֲדֹנֶ֛יהָ’ă·ḏō·ne·hāof her masterH113
√ ʼâdôwn — sovereign, iNounmasculine plural constructthird person feminine singular
אֲשֶׁר־’ă·šer-whoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְעָדָ֖הּyə·‘ā·ḏāhhad designated her for himselfH3259
√ yâʻad — to fix upon (by agreement or appointment)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
יָעַד (yâʻad, H3259), to appoint, designate — a textual crux hides here. The Masoretes note לֹא (“not”) in the written text but לוֹ (“for him”) in the margin (Keil: “one of the fifteen cases in which לא has been marked… as standing for לו”). The parse follows the marginal “for himself”; the apparatus keeps the variant in view.
וְהֶפְדָּ֑הּwə·hep̄·dāhhe must allow her to be redeemedH6299
√ pâdâh — to sever, iConjunctive wawVerbHifilConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
פָּדָה (pâdâh, H6299), to redeem by ransom — the same verb that names Israel's redemption from the house of bondage (Deuteronomy 7:8). Its presence in a slave-law is pointed: even the bought woman is given the dignity of being redeemable.
לֹאlōHe has noH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absPrepositionthird person masculine singular
יִמְשֹׁ֥לyim·šōlrightH4910
√ mâshal — to ruleVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לְמָכְרָ֖הּlə·mā·ḵə·rāhto sell herH4376
√ mâkar — to sell, literally (as merchandise, a daughter in marriage, into slavery), or figuratively (to surrender)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
לְעַ֥םlə·‘amto foreignersH5971
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular
נָכְרִ֛יnā·ḵə·rî. . .H5237
√ nokrîy — strange, in a variety of degrees and applications (foreign, non-relative, adulterous, different, wonderful)Adjectivemasculine singular
נָכְרִי (nokrî, H5237), foreign, strange — the master may not sell her to a foreign people. Poole gives two reasons: greater danger to her chastity and faith, and the master's temptation to sell where the price was highest, to a heathen who could keep her for life.
לֹא־lō-. . .H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
בְּבִגְדוֹ־bə·ḇiḡ·ḏōw-since he has broken faithH898
√ bâgad — to cover (with a garment)Preposition-bVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person masculine singular
בָּגַד (bâgad, H898), to deal treacherously — the prophets' word for covenant-breaking (Malachi 2:14, of faithlessness to “the wife of thy youth”). The law dignifies the bondwoman's claim with the vocabulary later used for betrayed marriage vows.
בָֽהּ׃ḇāhwith her
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Keil & DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament1860s
The לא before יעדהּ is one of the fifteen cases in which לא has been marked in the Masoretic text as standing for לו; and it cannot possibly signify not in the passage before us.
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
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,”
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
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.
✦Jamieson, Fausset & BrownCommentary Critical and Explanatory1871
Hebrew girls might be redeemed for a reasonable sum. But in the event of her parents or friends being unable to pay the redemption money, her owner was not at liberty to sell her elsewhere.
9“And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with…”+

9And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’im- yî·‘ā·ḏen·nāh liḇ·nōw ya·‘ă·śeh- lāh kə·miš·paṭ hab·bā·nō·wṯ

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-if for-his-son he-should-designate-her, according-to-the-right of-the-daughters he-shall-do for-her.

Where the English smooths the original

  • יִֽיעָדֶ֑נָּה “chooses her” is again יָעַד (yâʻad, H3259), designate — the same verb as v. 8, but the tense shifts. Cambridge notes it is here the imperfect (as in vv. 10–11), against the perfect of v. 8a — a grammatical clue that some read as supporting a different parsing of the whole passage. The master may earmark her not for himself but for his son.
  • כְּמִשְׁפַּ֥ט הַבָּנ֖וֹת “as with a daughter” is כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַבָּנוֹת — literally “according to the mishpâṭ of the daughters,” the right / due owed to daughters. The chapter's key word, mishpâṭ (v. 1), returns: this bought woman has a verdict in her favor. Benson: “He shall give her a convenient portion, as he doth to his own daughters.” A slave is to be treated by the law of a daughter.
Word by word7 · parsed+
וְאִם־wə·’im-And ifH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
יִֽיעָדֶ֑נָּהyî·‘ā·ḏen·nāhhe chooses herH3259
√ yâʻad — to fix upon (by agreement or appointment)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
יָעַד (yâʻad, H3259) in the imperfect — the second of the three branching cases (Keil: introduced by ’im… wᵉ’im… wᵉ’im). If the purchaser passes her to his son, her status rises to that of a family daughter.
לִבְנ֖וֹliḇ·nōwfor his sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcPreposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
יַעֲשֶׂה־ya·‘ă·śeh-he must dealH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לָּֽהּ׃lāhwith her
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
כְּמִשְׁפַּ֥טkə·miš·paṭas withH4941
√ mishpâṭ — properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penaltyPreposition-kNounmasculine singular construct
מִשְׁפָּט (mishpâṭ, H4941) — the same noun that titles the unit (“these are the mishpâṭîm,” v. 1) now secures the bondwoman's rights. The law's largest word is bent to the protection of its smallest person: she is owed the verdict due to a daughter.
הַבָּנ֖וֹתhab·bā·nō·wṯa daughterH1323
√ bath — a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)ArticleNounfeminine plural
בַּת (bath, H1323), daughter — plural here, the daughters. The dowry, food, clothing, and standing a free Israelite daughter would receive (Gill, Pulpit) are now legally hers; concubinage is reformed in the direction of full kinship.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Joseph BensonCommentary on the Old and New Testaments1810s
After the manner of daughters — He shall give her a convenient portion, as he doth to his own daughters.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
A man might have bought the maiden for this object, or finding himself not pleased with her (ver. 8), might have made his son take his place as her husband. In this case but one course was allowed - he must give her the status of a daughter thenceforth in his family.
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
If he designate her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the rights of daughters ] i.e. treat her as a daughter of his own household, give her the maintenance, clothing, &c. which a daughter would naturally have.
10“If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing,…”+

10If he takes another wife, he must not reduce the food, clothing, or marital rights of his first wife.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- yiq·qaḥ- lōw ’a·ḥe·reṯ lō yiḡ·rā‘ šə·’ê·rāh kə·sū·ṯāh wə·‘ō·nā·ṯāh

Literal — word-for-word from the original

If another [wife] he-should-take for-himself, her-food, her-clothing, and-her-marriage-right he-shall-not diminish.

Where the English smooths the original

  • שְׁאֵרָ֛הּ “food” is שְׁאֵר (shᵉ’êr, H7607) — not the ordinary word for bread but flesh, meat. Cambridge insists the strength be kept: “‘Flesh’… should not be weakened to ‘food’… The case contemplated is that of a well-to-do Israelite, who could have several concubines, and enjoy animal food every day.” Her right is to the household's actual table, not a reduced ration.
  • וְעֹנָתָ֖הּ “marital rights” renders the hapax עֹנָה (ʻônâh, H5772) — a word found nowhere else, its meaning uncertain (Cambridge: “its etymological meaning is uncertain”). Most read it as conjugal right / cohabitation (so Ellicott, “her right of cohabitation”), though Poole and Gill canvass “her dwelling” or “her time.” The literal rendering here rests on the majority guess, not certainty.
  • יִגְרָֽע׃ “reduce” is גָּרַע (gâraʻ, H1639), to scrape off, withdraw, diminish. Poole prefers “not withdraw , or deny it, as the word signifies.” The verb pictures a slow shaving-away of what is owed; the law forbids not only outright denial but incremental neglect. A second marriage may not erode the first woman's due.
Word by word9 · parsed+
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
יִֽקַּֽח־yiq·qaḥ-he takesH3947
√ lâqach — to take (in the widest variety of applications)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
ל֑וֹlōw
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
אַחֶ֖רֶת’a·ḥe·reṯanother wifeH312
√ ʼachêr — properly, hinderAdjectivefeminine singular construct
לֹ֥אlōhe must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יִגְרָֽע׃yiḡ·rā‘reduceH1639
√ gâraʻ — to scrape offVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
שְׁאֵרָ֛הּšə·’ê·rāhthe foodH7607
√ shᵉʼêr — flesh (as swelling out), as living or forfoodNounmasculine singular constructthird person feminine singular
שְׁאֵר (shᵉ’êr, H7607), flesh/meat — Keil: “flesh as the chief article of food, instead of לחם, bread, because the lawgiver had persons of property in his mind.” The choice of word presupposes a wealthy household; the protection is calibrated to what such a man can actually afford to withhold.
כְּסוּתָ֥הּkə·sū·ṯāhclothingH3682
√ kᵉçûwth — a cover (garment)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person feminine singular
כְּסוּת (kᵉsûth, H3682), clothing, covering — a rare noun (8 verses); the Verifier links it to Genesis 20:16 (Abimelech's “covering of the eyes” for Sarah) and Job 24:7; 31:19. The shared lexeme is real but the contexts diverge, so the link is reported thematic, not a quotation.
וְעֹנָתָ֖הּwə·‘ō·nā·ṯāhor marital rights [of his first wife]H5772
√ ʻôwnâh — sexual (cohabitation)Conjunctive wawNounfeminine singular constructthird person feminine singular
עֹנָה (ʻônâh, H5772) is a genuine hapax legomenon; its sense (conjugal right) is reconstructed from context and ancient versions, not known from other occurrences. The parse stands; the gloss is the best-attested conjecture, and the apparatus flags it as such.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges—1880s
The case contemplated is that of a well-to-do Israelite, who could have several concubines, and enjoy animal food every day
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
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” ( Matthew 19:8 ). Her duty of marriage. —Rather, her right of cohabitation.
✦Matthew PooleAnnotations upon the Holy Bible1685
So here are the three great conveniences of life, food, and raiment, and habitation, all which he is to provide for her.
11“If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, sh…”+

11If, however, he does not provide her with these three things, she is free to go without monetary payment.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·’im- lō ya·‘ă·śeh lāh ’êl·leh šə·lāš- wə·yā·ṣə·’āh ḥin·nām ’ên kā·sep̄

Literal — word-for-word from the original

And-if these three he-does-not do for-her, then-she-shall-go-out for-nothing, without money.

Where the English smooths the original

  • אֵ֔לֶּה שְׁלָ֨שׁ־ “these three things” is אֵלֶּה שְׁלָשׁ — and what the three are is contested. Keil and the Pulpit take them as food, clothing, and marriage-right (v. 10); Ellicott and Barnes take them as the three courses of vv. 8–10 (marry her himself, give her to his son, or let her be redeemed). The Hebrew names a triad but does not number its members; the ambiguity is real, and the commentators divide.
  • חִנָּ֖ם “free to go” picks up חִנָּם (chinnâm, H2600) from v. 2 — gratis, for nothing. The unit ends where it began: a servant going out chinnâm. The maidservant defrauded of her due is released on the very terms of the freed bondman — the law's last word is liberty without ransom.
  • אֵ֥ין כָּֽסֶף׃ס “without monetary payment” is אֵין כָּסֶף — literally “there is no silver.” כֶּסֶף (keseph) is silver by its pale color, the standard medium of price. The Pulpit: she goes out “without the father being called upon to refund any portion of the sum for which he had sold her.” The defaulting master forfeits even his purchase-price; injustice cancels the debt.
Word by word10 · parsed+
וְאִם־wə·’im-If, howeverH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
לֹ֥אlōhe does notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יַעֲשֶׂ֖הya·‘ă·śehprovideH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לָ֑הּlāhher
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
אֵ֔לֶּה’êl·lehwith theseH428
√ ʼêl-leh — these or thosePronouncommon plural
שְׁלָ֨שׁ־šə·lāš-three thingsH7969
√ shâlôwsh — threeNumberfeminine singular construct
שָׁלוֹשׁ (shâlôsh, H7969), three — the referent is the chief interpretive question of v. 11. The unit honestly preserves both readings (the three provisions of v. 10 vs. the three courses of vv. 8–10); the parse fixes only that a triad is in view, not which.
וְיָצְאָ֥הwə·yā·ṣə·’āhshe is free to goH3318
√ yâtsâʼ — to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person feminine singular
חִנָּ֖םḥin·nām. . .H2600
√ chinnâm — gratis, iAdverb
חִנָּם (chinnâm, H2600), for nothing — the inclusio with v. 2. The whole slave-section opens and closes on a person going out free of charge; the law's frame is emancipation, the bondage within it the regulated exception.
אֵ֥ין’ênwithoutH369
√ ʼayin — a non-entityAdverb
כָּֽסֶף׃סkā·sep̄monetary paymentH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
כֶּסֶף (keseph, H3701), silver, money — a very common noun (343 verses). The closing clause strips the master of any financial claim; the woman wronged in the household of property leaves it owing nothing, taking her freedom outright.
The Voices✦ public domain+
✦Albert BarnesNotes on the Bible1834
The words express a choice of one of three things. The man was to give the woman, whom he had purchased from her father, her freedom, unless (i) he caused her to be redeemed by a Hebrew master Exodus 21:8 ; or, (ii) gave her to his son, and treated her as a daughter Exodus 21:9 ; or, (iii) in the event of his taking another wife Exodus 21:10 , unless he allowed her to retain her place and privileges.
✦The Pulpit CommentarySpence & Exell, eds.1880s
She shall go out free - i.e. , she shall not be retained as a drudge, a mere maidservant, but shall return to her father at once, a free woman, capable of contracting another marriage; and without money - i.e. , without the father being called upon to refund any portion of the stun for which he had sold her.
✦Charles EllicottCommentary for English Readers1878
These three — i.e., one of these three things: (1) Espouse her himself; (2) marry her to his son; or (3) transfer her, on the terms on which he received her, to another Hebrew.
✣

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

⚙Grand Commentary — the unit, read wholesynthesis · verify+

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The judgments laid before them — 1

The same God who thundered the Decalogue from the mountain now legislates the household. The opening waw of וְאֵלֶּה (“and these”) is the hinge: Cambridge calls it the conjunction that introduces “a new element in the collection,” binding the case-law of chapters 21–23 to the Ten Words. And the word for that law is courtroom-born. Keil is emphatic that the מִשְׁפָּטִים (mishpâṭîm) “are not the ‘laws, which were to be in force and serve as rules of action’… but the rights, by which the national life was formed into a civil commonwealth”; Cambridge glosses mishpâṭ as “a judicial decision… established as a precedent.” Benson grounds the whole in Israel's constitution: “Their government being purely a theocracy, that which in other states is to be settled by human prudence, was directed among them by a divine appointment.” These verdicts are set before the people (שׂוּם) — laid out openly, a knowable law for a free commonwealth.

ii. Six years, and then free for nothing — 2–4

The first verdict is the boldest. A Hebrew bought into bondage “shall go out to the free” (חָפְשִׁי, chophshî) in the seventh year, חִנָּם — for nothing. Ellicott measures the scale of it: “This law was an enormous advance upon anything previously known in the slave legislation of the most civilised country… and bent on ameliorating his lot.” The Pulpit states the principle that governs the whole unit: “The law of Moses did not make it, but found it, and by not forbidding, allowed it” — the legislator regulates an existing cruelty rather than instituting it. Yet the law is not sentimental: it protects property as it protects persons. The man enters בְּגַפּוֹ (“with his body,” alone) and so leaves; if his master gave him a wife, she and her children — by the maxim Poole names, “the birth follows the belly” — remain the master's. Keil concedes the hardship without flinching: it “may appear oppressive, but it was an equitable consequence of the possession of property in slaves at all.” The Scripture records the rule of a fallen institution; it does not bless the institution.

iii. The ear at the door — love that chooses bondage — 5–6

Then the law makes room for a stranger thing: a slave who will not go free. The doubled verb אָמֹר יֹאמַר (“saying he shall say”) makes the renunciation solemn and witnessed; Gill hears in it “his last will and determined resolution.” And the reason is אָהַבְתִּי — “I love” — the very verb commanded toward God. The master brings him אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים, which the BSB renders “the judges” but which Barnes insists is literally “before the gods… the name of God… God being the source of all justice,” and Cambridge warns the paraphrase “does not make ‘Elohim’ mean ‘judge.’” There the ear is pierced with the מַרְצֵעַ (martsêaʻ, the awl) against the door. Cambridge reads the sign: “The ear, as the organ of hearing, is naturally that of obedience as well; and its attachment… to the door of the house would signify the perpetual attachment of the slave to that particular household.” Ellicott records how the rite entered Israel's language: “Hence ‘opening the ear’ became a synonym for assigning a man to the slave condition in perpetuity ( Psalm 40:6 ).” Love, freely given, fastens itself to the master's house לְעֹלָם — forever.

iv. The bondwoman — and the law of a daughter — 7–11

The maidservant's case is governed by a different mercy. She does not simply walk free at six years — Benson says her release is “upon better terms, as being one of the weaker and more helpless sex” — because, as Cambridge stresses, the word אָמָה (’âmâh) here means “a female slave bought not only to do household work, but also to be her master's concubine.” So the law guards her marriage, not just her labor. If he tires of her, he must let her be פָּדָה (redeemed) — the great redemption-verb of the exodus — and may not sell her to foreigners, “since he hath dealt deceitfully with her” (בָּגַד, the prophets' word for covenant-treachery; so Benson, “in breaking his promise of marriage”). If he gives her to his son, she is owed the מִשְׁפַּט הַבָּנוֹת — the right of daughters: the chapter's title-word now secures her dignity. If he takes another wife, her שְׁאֵר (flesh, which Cambridge refuses to weaken to “food”), her clothing, and her conjugal right may not be גָּרַע (scraped away). And if he denies her these, she goes out חִנָּם — for nothing — the same word that opened the unit at v. 2. The slave-section ends where it began: a bound person walking free, owing no silver. Liberty frames the law; bondage is the regulated exception inside it.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under the rule that Scripture alone is the final authority — and offered as a reading to be tested, not a verdict to be trusted — this passage shows a holy God legislating inside a fallen institution He did not author. The law does not endorse slavery; it cages it. The Pulpit's line is the key: Moses “did not make it, but found it, and by not forbidding, allowed it” — and then hedged it with releases, redemptions, and rights no surrounding nation conceived. The frame of the whole unit is freedom: it opens (v. 2) and closes (v. 11) on a bound person going out חִנָּם, for nothing. What sits at the center, though, is the deeper note. A man who has tasted the legal right to liberty may, out of love, refuse it — and be marked at the ear, the organ of hearing and obedience, fastened to his master's door forever. The old commentators (Henry, Gill) could not read the freed bondman, loosed “without money and without price,” without hearing the gospel; and they could not read the slave who loves his master and will not go free without seeing the Servant who said “mine ear hast thou opened” and “I delight to do thy will.” The law of the household, honestly read, is shadowed by both halves of redemption: a people set free for nothing, and a Servant who, being free, chose bondage out of love.

The law that frees the slave for nothing also makes room for the slave who, out of love, will not be freed — and at the door, with the ear, it sketches both halves of the gospel. (A fallible reading, not a verse.)

⚙Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripturecross-refs · verify+

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The bored ear at the door — Deuteronomy's parallel slave-law verbal / quotation — confirmed

The rite of the willing bondservant in v. 6 — ear pierced with an awl against the door, service “forever” — is repeated almost word for word in Deuteronomy 15:17, which adds “and put the awl into his ear and into the door” and applies the same release to the maidservant. The link is not thematic guesswork: the noun for מַרְצֵעַ (martsêaʻ, awl) occurs in only these two verses in the entire Hebrew Bible. Keil reads them together as one law: the Deuteronomy wording, where “the ear and the door are co-ordinates,” settles the meaning of the Exodus rite.

Exodus 21:6 · Deuteronomy 15:17

basis: Verifier (per-pair, run for this unit): the genuinely rare noun H4836 martsêaʻ (awl) appears in only 2 verses total and is shared by Exodus 21:6 and Deuteronomy 15:17, alongside H1817 deleth (door, 78 vv), H241 ʼôzen (ear, 179 vv), and H5769 ʻôwlâm (forever, 414 vv). Hebrew↔Hebrew; the tier rests on the two-verse rarity martsêaʻ, not the common door/ear/forever words.

Six years, then free — the Hebrew-slave release across the Law verbal / quotation — confirmed

The core statute of v. 2 — a Hebrew bought, six years' service, release in the seventh “free” — recurs in Deuteronomy 15:12, which adds the command to send the freed man away laden, and is echoed in Jeremiah 34:9, 14, where Judah is condemned for re-enslaving the very Hebrews it had set free. The verbal basis is the cluster of distinctive slave-law words shared across all four verses: חָפְשִׁי (chophshî, free), עִבְרִי (ʻIbrî, Hebrew), and שֵׁשׁ (shêsh, six). Ellicott notes the Deuteronomic legislator is the more “philanthropic,” commanding the gift; the law of Exodus sets the floor, and the later texts build on it.

Exodus 21:2 · Deuteronomy 15:12 · Jeremiah 34:14

basis: Verifier (thread_candidates + per-pair): Exodus 21:2 shares with Deuteronomy 15:12 the lexemes H2670 chophshîy (free, 17 vv), H5680 ʻIbrîy (Hebrew, 32 vv), H7637 shᵉbîyʻîy (seventh, 94 vv), H8337 shêsh (six, 202 vv); with Jeremiah 34:14 it shares H2670 chophshîy, H5680 ʻIbrîy, H8337 shêsh, H5647 ʻâbad. The relatively rare chophshîy (17 vv) and ʻIbrîy (32 vv), clustered with the six/seventh terms, mark this as one shared statute. Hebrew↔Hebrew.

Jeremiah's broken covenant — the slave-law violated structural / thematic — confirmed

This freedom-law became a measure of Judah's faithfulness. In Jeremiah 34 the people release their Hebrew slaves in covenant before God, then take them back — and the prophet pronounces judgment for treating the bondservant-statute as void. Beyond the shared release-vocabulary (the chophshî cluster above), the violation turns on the same verb that opens v. 7: מָכַר (mâkar, to sell). The link is recorded here as structural/thematic, since the everyday verbs mâkar and lôʼ are too common to carry a quotation claim on their own — but the conceptual dependence on this law is explicit in the prophet.

Exodus 21:7 · Jeremiah 34:14 · Deuteronomy 15:12

basis: Verifier (per-pair): Exodus 21:7 ↔ Jeremiah 34:14 share H4376 mâkar (sell, 74 vv) and H3808 lôʼ (not, 3967 vv) — both too common to ground a verbal-quotation tier; the connection is the shared institution (the Hebrew slave-release) which Jeremiah 34 invokes by name. Tiered thematic, with the verbal release-cluster carried by the companion thread on Deuteronomy 15:12 / Jeremiah 34:9–14. Hebrew↔Hebrew.

The opened ear — Psalm 40 and the willing servant flagged — verify source

Multiple commentators on v. 6 (Ellicott, Poole, Benson, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) cross-reference Psalm 40:6 — “mine ears hast thou opened [digged]” — reading the bored ear of the willing bondservant as the figure behind the Psalmist's vow of total obedience. The two verses do share the word אֹזֶן (’ôzen, ear), but Psalm 40 uses a different verb (כָּרָה, to dig, not רָצַע, to bore), and the rite itself is not named. The link is therefore an old and widely-held interpretive association, not a verbal quotation — and it grows thornier still: Hebrews 10:5 quotes Psalm 40:6 in the form “a body hast thou prepared me,” following the Greek of the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew “ears.” Because that NT citation rests on a debated Greek-vs-Hebrew textual difference, the whole chain is flagged for the reader to verify the provenance, not asserted as a settled verbal thread.

Exodus 21:6 · Psalm 40:6 · Hebrews 10:5

basis: Verifier (per-pair): Exodus 21:6 ↔ Psalm 40:6 share only H241 ʼôzen (ear, 179 vv) — the boring-verb differs (H7527 râtsaʻ vs. the Psalm's H3738 kârâh), so no verbal quotation can be claimed even within Hebrew. The onward link to Hebrews 10:5 is cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): no shared Strong's number is possible, and Hebrews quotes Psalm 40:6 as 'a body hast thou prepared me' (LXX) against the Masoretic 'ears thou hast digged.' Flagged so the LXX-vs-Hebrew provenance is held in the open rather than asserted.

A false friend — gaph in Exodus 21:3 and Proverbs 9:3 flagged — verify source

The Verifier's top-scoring candidate pairs Exodus 21:3 with Proverbs 9:3 on the shared lexeme גַּף (gaph, H1610), a word so rare it appears in only three verses. But this is a cautionary case, recorded honestly: in Exodus 21:3–4 the phrase בְּגַפּוֹ means “with his body, alone, single” (Cambridge: “a peculiar expression, found only here and v. 4”); in Proverbs 9:3 gaph means the “highest places” of the city from which Wisdom calls. Same consonants, unrelated senses — a homograph, not a verbal link. The shared Strong's number is a mechanical artifact, not a real cross-reference, and is flagged as such so the lexical coincidence is not mistaken for an intertextual echo.

Exodus 21:3 · Exodus 21:4 · Proverbs 9:3

basis: Verifier (thread_candidates, score 0.667): the only shared lexeme is H1610 gaph (3 vv). Although gaph is rare, the two occurrences carry unrelated meanings — 'his body / alone' (Exodus 21:3–4) vs. 'highest places' (Proverbs 9:3) — making the shared Strong's number a homograph coincidence, not a verbal quotation. Flagged: the contested/illusory basis must be disclosed, not tiered as confirmed. Hebrew↔Hebrew, but lexically a false friend.

⚙Christ in the Unittypology · verify+

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The Servant who chose not to go free ancient/widely-held

The oldest Christian reading of vv. 5–6 hears in the bondservant who declares “I love my master… I will not go out free” a figure of Christ, the eternally free Son who took “the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7) out of love and would not lay it down. The bored ear at the door is read alongside Psalm 40:6–8 — “mine ears hast thou opened… I delight to do thy will” — which Hebrews 10:5–7 places on the lips of Christ entering the world. The connection is figural and rests on the commentators' Psalm 40 cross-reference (and on the debated LXX form quoted in Hebrews), so it is offered as a long-held typology, not a verbal proof; but the shape is striking: love that freely accepts perpetual servitude.

Exodus 21:5 · Exodus 21:6 · Psalm 40:6 · Hebrews 10:5

Set free for nothing — redemption without money ancient/widely-held

Matthew Henry and John Gill both read the freed bondman of v. 2 — released חִנָּם, “for nothing,” without ransom — as “an emblem of that liberty wherewith Christ, the Son of God, makes free from bondage his people, who are free indeed; and made so freely, without money and without price, of free grace.” The note resonates with Isaiah 52:3 (“ye shall be redeemed without money”) and with the New Testament's word that believers are “justified freely by his grace” (Romans 3:24). The bondage-then-liberty pattern is, in Henry's reading, the gospel in legal miniature: servitude to sin, and a release the captive could never purchase.

Exodus 21:2 · Isaiah 52:3 · Romans 3:24

The bondwoman redeemed — and given the rights of a daughter novel

A more novel reading takes the maidservant of vv. 7–11, who must be allowed to be פָּדָה (redeemed) and, if taken into the family, treated “according to the right of daughters” (v. 9), as a figure of the redemption that turns a slave into an heir. Paul's contrast in Galatians 4:4–7 runs precisely this way: Christ came “to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons… no more a servant, but a son.” The same trajectory — bought, redeemed, raised to the standing of a child of the house — moves from the household statute to the gospel of adoption. Offered as a typological resonance, not a citation; the law's own word pâdâh is the redemption-verb, but the daughter-to-heir reading is the interpreter's, not the text's explicit claim.

Exodus 21:8 · Exodus 21:9 · Galatians 4:5

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). The named voices are quoted verbatim from public-domain works (Ellicott, Benson, Henry, Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Poole, Gill, Cambridge, Pulpit, Keil & Delitzsch), attributed in place; each excerpt is a contiguous substring of the sourced commentary, trimmed only at its ends.

Three honesty notes specific to this unit. (1) The institution. This passage regulates slavery; it does not institute or commend it. The commentators are unanimous and candid — the Pulpit: the law “did not make it, but found it, and by not forbidding, allowed it”; Keil grants a provision “may appear oppressive” while explaining its logic within an existing property-system. The synthesis reports the law as Scripture frames it — bounded by release, redemption, and rights — without softening the hard facts of vv. 4 and 7. (2) Textual cruxes. Verse 8 turns on a Masoretic kethiv/qere (לֹא “not” written, לוֹ “for him” read); Keil counts it among the “fifteen cases.” The parse follows the qere. Two words are essentially undetermined: עֹנָה (ʻônâh, v. 10, “marital rights”) is a hapax whose meaning Cambridge calls “uncertain,” and the referent of “these three” (v. 11) is disputed (food/clothing/marriage-right vs. the three courses of vv. 8–10). The literal renderings follow the best-attested reading and the apparatus keeps the alternatives in view. (3) Flagged links. The Proverbs 9:3 candidate shares the rare word gaph but in an unrelated sense (a homograph, not an echo) and is flagged, not confirmed. The Psalm 40:6 → Hebrews 10:5 chain is flagged because it crosses from Hebrew to Greek and rests on the debated LXX rendering (“a body” for “ears”); it is reported as a long-held interpretive and citational association, not a Verifier-computed verbal basis. Cross-Testament links here are never tiered “verbal,” since shared Strong's numbers cannot exist between languages.

✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)