Keluaran 22:16

Moral and Ceremonial Laws

22:16 ¹ “If a man seduces a virgin ²  who is not engaged ³  and has sexual relations with her, he must surely endow ⁴  her to be his wife.

Keluaran 23:12

23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant’s son and any hired help ⁵  may refresh themselves. ⁶ 

Keluaran 34:19

34:19 “Every firstborn of the womb ⁷  belongs to me, even every firstborn ⁸  of your cattle that is a male, ⁹  whether ox or sheep.

[22:16]  ¹ sn The second half of the chapter records various laws of purity and justice. Any of them could be treated in an expository way, but in the present array they offer a survey of God’s righteous standards: Maintain the sanctity of marriage (16-17); maintain the purity of religious institutions (18-20), maintain the rights of human beings (21-28), maintain the rights of Yahweh (29-31).

[22:16]  ² tn This is the word בְּתוּלָה (bÿtulah); it describes a young woman who is not married or a young woman engaged to be married; in any case, she is presumed to be a virgin.

[22:16]  ³ tn Or “pledged” for marriage.

[22:16]  ⁴ tn The verb מָהַר (mahar) means “pay the marriage price,” and the related noun is the bride price. B. Jacob says this was a proposal gift and not a purchase price (Exodus, 700). This is the price paid to her parents, which allowed for provision should there be a divorce. The amount was usually agreed on by the two families, but the price was higher for a pure bride from a noble family. Here, the one who seduces her must pay it, regardless of whether he marries her or not.

[23:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “alien,” or “resident foreigner.” Such an individual would have traveled out of need and depended on the goodwill of the people around him. The rendering “hired help” assumes that the foreigner is mentioned in this context because he is working for an Israelite and will benefit from the Sabbath rest, along with his employer.

[23:12]  ⁶ tn The verb is וְיִּנָּפֵשׁ (vÿyyinnafesh); it is related to the word usually translated “soul” or “life.”

[34:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “everything that opens the womb.”

[34:19]  ⁸ tn Here too: everything that “opens [the womb].”

[34:19]  ⁹ tn The verb basically means “that drops a male.” The verb is feminine, referring to the cattle.