marrying a ſtranger, which was not pleaſing ro God, asappears from Deut: 21: i 1.Ezr8 10:2: Neh: 13. 23: And that this woman was a ſtran- ger,and not an Hebreweſs, is manifeſt,becauſe then ſhe alſo muſt have gone out free; verſe 7, 8, 9. and Dew: 15: 12. '5 And if the ſervant + fhall plainly fay,IT love my ma- ſter. my wife,and my children, I will not go out free : 6 Then his waſter ſhall bring him unto the Judges g; he ſhall alſo bring him to the door þ, or unto the door poſt, and his maſter ſhall bore his ear chrough with an awl #, and he ſhall ſerve him for ever &. g Partly, that it may appear he chuſeth this freelv,and is not over- awed nor over-reached by his Maſter; and partly,that the agreement being ſo publickly and ſolemnly confirmed, might be irrevocable.
b To wit, ef his Maſter's Houſe, asit is expreſſed, Dext: 5:17. A+
token that he was fixed there,and never to go a Freeman out of theſe doors. # As anete ofa Servant ; asit continued to be long after this in Syria and frabia, as Juvengl and Petronins Arbiter affirm: And it did firly repreſent his ſertled and perpetual obligation to abide in thar Houſe, and there to hear and obey his Maſter's Commands: See Pſal. 40; 6. k(3:e. |) Notonly for fix years more,but without any 1i-
mitation of time, as long as he lives,until the Jubilee, which is an ex+ ceptien made by God to this Law,Lev: 25. 40: Deut.r5; 17. The He- brew word, elm, here ufed,oft ſignifies not eternity, jbut only a lon,, cime. See Exod, 12. 14.
7 Andifa man [ſell his daughter to be a maid-ſer- vant »,ſhe ſhall not go out as the men-ſervants do ».
I (i.e. ) An Hebrew, as appears by the oppoſition of one of a ſtrange wation, verſe 8. m Which was allowedin caſe of extreme neceſlity becaufe ofthe hardneſs of their hearts. » But upon better terms,a: being one of the weaker and mere helpleſs Sex. Que#: How doth
EXODUS:
Verſes ſufficiently imply. 2. Diftinguiſh things. The likeneſs be-
caſe ſhe conſented tv perpetual ſervirude : The difference here 15, in :aſe they both were made free, in which caſe ſhe had ſome priviled- ves, which here follow.
8 If ſhe + pleaſe not her maſter her to himſelf o, chen ſhall he let her be redeemed p: to ſell her unto a ſtrange nation he ſhall have no power 9,
ſeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her r. 0 For a Cencubine or ſecondary Wife. Not that Mafters did al- ways take Maid-ſervants upon theſe terms,as ſome conceive; but chat ſome did fo, and of them this place ſpeaks. Though here is a diffe- ring reading ; and as the Margent hath /» the Pronoun ſignifying ro him, ſo the Text hath Þ the Adverb ſignifying not ; and 1o the Text may be tranſlated thus, ſs that he doth not betroth her, to wit, to him» {elf, or to his ſon, as he gave her hopes he intended. Either reading or ſenſe is proper and probable. p Either by herſelf or Friends, or any other perſon that will redeem her. Que#. How could he part with her,and fell her, when ſhe was betrothed to him ? nſw. 1.This might be one of choſe many Indulgences given to them for the hard- neſs of their hearts, and there is no doubt God could diſpenſe with his own poſitive Laws. 2- The Jatter reading avoids this difficulty. 9 This was in general prohibited for all Hebrew Servants, but it is par- ticularly. mentioned here, becauſe there was ſpecial reaſon for ic ; both becauſe there was more danger of her corruption in Chaſtity and Religion in regard of her Sex, and becauſe the Maſter in thasy caſe was under a greater temptation of ſelling her to a Foreigner, be= cauſe no Iſraelites would buy her, or give ſo much money for her as a Heathen would, whowould and-might keep her for a perpetual Ser- vant, which the Iſraelites might not do. r Yiz. In breaking his pro- miſe of marriage made to her, or blaſting the hopes ke encouraged her to have of it. The Hebrew words are exattly rendred thus,n dealing deceirfully or falſly with her or againft her ; and they mey be added as an aggravation of that ſin of ſelling her to a ſtrange Nation, wherein there was a double falſe dealing, the one towards God, whe by his Law forbad this ; the other towards her, whom he hired upon other terms, and not with a power to diſpoſe of her contrary to the Law and manner of the 1ſraclites.
9 And ithehave betrothed her unte hisſon, he ſhall deal with her after the manner of daughters s,
s (#.e. ) Give her a convenient Portion, as he doth to his own Daughters, Chap; 22; 16»
to If he take him another wife, her food, her raiment,
and ker duty of marriage * (ball he not diminiſh «»
# Called aue benevolence, x Cor;-7; 3. Or, her dwelling, as the word is oft uſed. So here are the three great conveniencies of life, food, and raiment, and habitation, all which he is to provide for her, or her cohabitation, or, her time, the convenient and appointed times for conjugal converſe with her ; for ſome times werediſallowed for it, Lev; 15; and when there were plurality of Wives,they had their vi- ciſſirudes, Gen; 30; 15, 16. w Or rather, not withdraw, or deny it, as the word ſignifies, and as the LXX. Chaldee, Samaritan, Vulgar,and others render it.
11 And if he do not theſe three unto her, then ſha!l ſhe go out free x without money,
x And with gifts alſo by vertueof che Law, Deut; 15: 14, The ſumis this, The Maſter was either 1. willing to part with her,and then he was to let her be redeemed by her ſelf,or any of her Friends, but not by an Heathen,verſe 8. Or 2. willing to keep her,and then as he had betrothed her,he was to perform all the duties of an Husband to her,. although he had another wife befides her, werſe 10; 3. If he would keep her, and yer deny theſe duties to her, then as his fault was aggravated, ſo was his punifhment ; for now he cannot ſell her, but mult let her go freely, inthis verſe.
12 *He that ſmiteth a man y ſo that he die,(ball be ſure-
ly put to death z.
2 pardon, or accept a ranſom for him, Numb: 35; 31. 13 And if a manlie not in wait a, but God deliver
whither he ſhall flee c.
s If it appear, that the Man-ſlayer did not intend nor deſire 1t,bur only it fell out by his heedleſneſs,or by ſome caſuality. b By ſome unexpected Providence ; or, God, and not Man, God without the Man's contrivance or deſign ; for otherwiſe in a general ſenſe and way, God delivered Chriſt into the hands of Judas and the Jews, who aid adviſedly and maliciouſly kill him. c( 7, e. ) A Ciry or place of refuge, Numb: 35: 11; Dent; 19. 5.