If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
If his master gave him a wife during his time of service, and she had children with him, then the wife and children belong to the master, and the servant must leave alone when his service ends.
This verse describes how Hebrew servants who married during their service period would have to leave their families behind when their service term ended, since the family belonged to the master.
📚 Historical Context
This law appears in the ancient Hebrew legal code governing indentured servitude, which was typically a temporary arrangement lasting six years. In the ancient Near East, masters often provided wives for their servants from among their female servants or slaves. These marriages created complex situations when the servant's term ended, as the economic and legal ownership of family members had to be determined.
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