Exodus 21:8
New International Version
If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her.

New Living Translation
If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her.

English Standard Version
If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.

Berean Standard Bible
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.

New American Standard Bible
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people, because of his unfairness to her.

NASB 1995
“If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her.

NASB 1977
“If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her.

Legacy Standard Bible
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his treachery to her.

Amplified Bible
If she does not please her master who has chosen her for himself [as a wife], he shall let her be redeemed [by her family]. He does not have the authority to sell her to a foreign people, because he has been unfair to her.

Christian Standard Bible
If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If she is displeasing to her master, who chose her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners because he has acted treacherously toward her.

American Standard Version
If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
If she is hated in the eyes of her Master so that he will not take her, let him redeem her for a foreign people; it is not legal for him to sell her, because he was false to her.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
If she be not pleasing to her master, after she has betrothed herself to him, he shall let her go free; but he is not at liberty to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has trifled with her.

Contemporary English Version
If she doesn't please the man who bought her to be his wife, he must let her be bought back. He cannot sell her to foreigners; this would break the contract he made with her.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If she displease the eyes of her master to whom she was delivered, he shall let her go: but he shall have no power to sell her to a foreign nation, if he despise her.

English Revised Version
If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If she doesn't please the master who has chosen her as a wife, he must let her be bought back by one of her close relatives. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has treated her unfairly.

Good News Translation
If she is sold to someone who intends to make her his wife, but he doesn't like her, then she is to be sold back to her father; her master cannot sell her to foreigners, because he has treated her unfairly.

International Standard Version
If she's displeasing to her master who selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He does not have the right to sell her to foreign people, because he has dealt unfairly with her.

JPS Tanakh 1917
If she please not her master, who hath espoused her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed; to sell her unto a foreign people he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

Literal Standard Version
if [it is] evil in the eyes of her lord, so that he has not betrothed her, then he has let her be ransomed; he has no power to sell her to a strange people, in his dealing treacherously with her.

Majority Standard Bible
If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her.

New American Bible
But if she displeases her master, who had designated her for himself, he shall let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.

NET Bible
If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully with her.

New Revised Standard Version
If she does not please her master, who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt unfairly with her.

New Heart English Bible
If she doesn't please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, seeing he has dealt deceitfully with her.

Webster's Bible Translation
If she shall not please her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.

World English Bible
If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.

Young's Literal Translation
if evil in the eyes of her lord, so that he hath not betrothed her, then he hath let her be ransomed; to a strange people he hath not power to sell her, in his dealing treacherously with her.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Laws for Servants
7And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. 8If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who had designated her for himself, he must allow her to be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, since he has broken faith with her. 9And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.…

Cross References
Exodus 21:7
And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.

Exodus 21:9
And if he chooses her for his son, he must deal with her as with a daughter.

Ezekiel 15:8
Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,' declares the Lord GOD."


Treasury of Scripture

If she please not her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her to a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he has dealt deceitfully with her.

please not.

Genesis 28:8
And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;

Judges 14:3
Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

1 Samuel 8:6
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

who hath

Deuteronomy 20:7
And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.

Deuteronomy 21:11-14
And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; …

seeing

Exodus 8:29
And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will intreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.

Judges 9:19
If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

Job 6:15
My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

Jump to Previous
Authority Betrothed Dealing Dealt Deceitfully Designated Displeasing Espoused Evil Eyes Faithlessly False. Foreign Foreigners Free Married Master Nation Payment Please Pleasing Power Price Ransomed Redeemed Right Selected Sell Strange Treacherously Unfaithfully
Jump to Next
Authority Betrothed Dealing Dealt Deceitfully Designated Displeasing Espoused Evil Eyes Faithlessly False. Foreign Foreigners Free Married Master Nation Payment Please Pleasing Power Price Ransomed Redeemed Right Selected Sell Strange Treacherously Unfaithfully
Exodus 21
1. Laws for men servants
5. For the servant whose ear is bored
7. For women servants
12. For manslaughter
16. For kidnappers
17. For cursers of parents
18. For smiters
22. For a hurt by chance
28. For an ox that gores
33. For him who is an occasion of harm














(8) Who hath betrothed her to himself.--The reading is to be preferred which gives the opposite sense--"who hath not betrothed her;" and the meaning is, "If the man, after purchasing the woman to be his wife, finds that he does not like her, and refuses to go through the ceremony of betrothal"--

Then shall he let her be redeemed.--Heb., then let him cause her to be redeemed: i.e., let him provide some one to take his place, and carry out his contract, only taking care that the substitute be a Hebrew, and not one of "a strange nation," since her father did not intend to have her wed a foreigner.

Verse 8. - If she please not her master. If he decline, i.e., to carry out the contract, and take her for his wife. Then let her be redeemed. Rather, "Then let him cause her to be redeemed." Let him, i.e., look out for some one who will buy her of him and take his obligation of marriage off his hands To sell her to a strange nation he shall not have power. Only, this purchaser must be a Hebrew, like himself, and not a foreigner, since her father consented to her becoming a slave only on the condition of her being wedded to a Hebrew. Seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. By professing to take her as a secondary wife, and not carrying out the contract.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

she is displeasing
רָעָ֞ה (rā·‘āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

in the eyes
בְּעֵינֵ֧י (bə·‘ê·nê)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

of her master
אֲדֹנֶ֛יהָ (’ă·ḏō·ne·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

who
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

had designated her for himself,
יְעָדָ֖הּ (yə·‘ā·ḏāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3259: To fix upon, to meet, to summon, to direct, to engage

he must allow her to be redeemed.
וְהֶפְדָּ֑הּ (wə·hep̄·dāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6299: To sever, ransom, gener, to release, preserve

He has no
ל֥וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3808: Not, no

right
יִמְשֹׁ֥ל (yim·šōl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4910: To rule, have dominion, reign

to sell
לְמָכְרָ֖הּ (lə·mā·ḵə·rāh)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4376: To sell

her to foreigners,
לְעַ֥ם (lə·‘am)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

since he has broken faith
בְּבִגְדוֹ־ (bə·ḇiḡ·ḏōw-)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 898: To cover, to act covertly, to pillage

with her.
בָֽהּ׃ (ḇāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew


Links
Exodus 21:8 NIV
Exodus 21:8 NLT
Exodus 21:8 ESV
Exodus 21:8 NASB
Exodus 21:8 KJV

Exodus 21:8 BibleApps.com
Exodus 21:8 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 21:8 Chinese Bible
Exodus 21:8 French Bible
Exodus 21:8 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Exodus 21:8 If she doesn't please her master who (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 21:7
Top of Page
Top of Page