If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
If the master who bought her to be his wife is not pleased with her, then he must allow her family to buy her back. He cannot sell her to foreigners, because he has broken his promise to her.
This verse protects a female servant from being sold to strangers if her master breaks his promise to marry her, requiring him to let her family redeem her instead.
📚 Historical Context
This law addressed the situation of Hebrew families selling daughters into servitude, often with the understanding she might become the master's wife. In ancient Near Eastern culture, such arrangements provided economic relief for poor families while offering the daughter potential social advancement. The law prevented masters from treating these women as mere property to be discarded to foreign buyers.
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