Exodus 21:4 ![Click this icon to open a printer friendly page](images/printer.gif)
ContextNET © | If his master gave 1 him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself. |
NIV © | If 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. |
NASB © | "If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. |
NLT © | "If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave, and they had sons or daughters, then the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. |
MSG © | If the master gives him a wife and she gave him sons and daughters, the wife and children stay with the master and he leaves by himself. |
BBE © | If his master gives him a wife, and he gets sons or daughters by her, the wife and her children will be the property of the master, and the servant is to go away by himself. |
NRSV © | If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone. |
NKJV © | "If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. |
KJV | |
NASB © | |
HEBREW | |
LXXM | |
NET © [draft] ITL | |
NET © | If his master gave 1 him a wife, and she bore sons or daughters, the wife and the children will belong to her master, and he will go out by himself. |
NET © Notes |
1 sn The slave would not have the right or the means to acquire a wife. Thus, the idea of the master’s “giving” him a wife is clear – the master would have to pay the bride price and make the provision. In this case, the wife and the children are actually the possession of the master unless the slave were to pay the bride price – but he is a slave because he got into debt. The law assumes that the master was better able to provide for this woman than the freed slave and that it was most important to keep the children with the mother. |