Why does Exodus 21:11 allow for a woman to be set free without payment? Canonical Text and Immediate Context “‘If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to be set free without any payment of money.’ ” (Exodus 21:11) Exodus 21:7–11 regulates the situation in which a father, out of poverty, sells his young daughter as a servant with the expectation she will become either the master’s wife or the wife of his son. Verses 8–10 list three scenarios in which the man reneges on the marriage arrangement or neglects his marital duties. Verse 11 specifies the remedy: unconditional release. The verse concludes a single, unified casuistic law (an “if–then” case) that functions as protective legislation, not permission to exploit. Three Obligations of Provision Exodus 21:10 states, “If he takes another wife, he must not reduce her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.” 1. Food (Heb. šĕʿēr) – daily sustenance. 2. Clothing (Heb. kĕsut) – garments, shelter, basic material needs. 3. Marital rights (Heb. ʿōnāh) – conjugal intimacy and the status/privileges of a wife. Failure in any of the three nullifies the master’s claim over her. Release Without Payment: Legal Rationale 1. Broken Contract: The mohar or bride-price the master paid to the girl’s father assumed fulfillment of the three obligations. Default dissolves the contract; the girl owes no “redemption money.” 2. Compensation Principle: In biblical law the guilty party bears the loss (cf. Exodus 22:1; Leviticus 6:4–5). Because the master’s breach caused the injustice, he forfeits financial compensation. 3. Preservation of Dignity: Requiring the woman to buy her freedom would double the injury. Deuteronomy 24:7 forbids treating fellow Israelites as chattel; the same spirit undergirds Exodus 21:11. Protection of the Vulnerable in Ancient Israel Women, particularly minors sold because of economic hardship, were socially vulnerable. Yahweh repeatedly identifies Himself as defender of the weak (Exodus 22:22-24; Psalm 68:5). Exodus 21:11 operationalizes that attribute: safeguarding a girl in the most fragile social position. Archaeological tablets from Nuzi and Alalakh (15th century BC) show contracts where brides could be demoted to slave status if a husband married another woman; Scripture does the opposite, elevating the servant-bride to protected status. Comparative Ancient Near Eastern Law Code of Hammurabi §§144–147 allows a neglected wife to leave only after a drawn-out legal process and usually without dowry. In contrast, Exodus 21:11 grants immediate, cost-free emancipation. The difference highlights Israel’s covenant ethic rooted in Imago Dei rather than mere state interest. Theological Motifs of Redemption The Hebrew verb for “set free” (ḥānān in context of favor; šimta in v. 2) anticipates New-Covenant redemption language. Just as the girl departs freely when the price has been paid yet the covenant is broken, so believers are redeemed “without money” (Isaiah 55:1) because Christ the Bridegroom fulfilled the price in His own blood (1 Peter 1:18-19). Christological Foreshadowing Paul invokes similar imagery in Ephesians 5:25–29, commanding husbands to nourish and cherish their wives as Christ does the Church. Exodus 21:11 pre-echoes this gospel ethic: failure to love releases the spouse from bondage; Christ’s perfect love secures eternal freedom. The resurrection validates that ransom (Romans 4:25). Mosaic Ethics, Consistency, and Manuscript Witnesses All extant Hebrew manuscripts (Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Dead Sea Scrolls fragments like 4QExod) agree on Exodus 21:11’s substance, demonstrating textual stability. Septuagint translators rendered the verse with the same import (“...she shall depart freely without silver”), underscoring consistency across traditions. Practical Applications for Contemporary Ethics • Marriage entails non-negotiable obligations of provision, protection, and intimacy. • Economic desperation never licenses exploitation; the community must intervene (James 1:27). • Covenant breakers bear material loss; the oppressed bear none—a paradigm for labor, immigration, and human-trafficking policy discussions. Frequently Raised Objections and Responses Objection: “The law still condones selling daughters.” Response: The text regulates an existing Near Eastern practice, sharply curbing abuse and embedding a trajectory toward emancipation (cf. Deuteronomy 15:12–18). Objection: “Why not outlaw the practice entirely?” Response: God’s progressive revelation moves from regulation to realization of ideal ethics in Christ (Matthew 19:8; Galatians 3:24). The seed principles of equality and liberty germinate here and blossom in the gospel era. Conclusion Exodus 21:11 embodies God’s justice and compassion, preventing a vulnerable young woman from remaining in a loveless, exploitative arrangement. By voiding financial penalties, the law shifts cost to the violator, defending human dignity and prefiguring the grace that sets every believer free through the fulfilled covenant of Jesus Christ. |
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