And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
If a man sells his daughter to be a servant, she cannot be released in the same way that male servants are released.
This verse establishes that female servants had different rules for release than male servants, providing them with certain protections under ancient Hebrew law.
📚 Historical Context
This passage comes from the Book of the Covenant, a collection of civil and religious laws given to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. In ancient Near Eastern societies, selling children into servitude was sometimes a desperate measure for families facing extreme poverty or debt. These laws were designed to regulate existing practices and provide protections for vulnerable people, including women who might otherwise have no legal rights.
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