Exodus 21:8

First special case under the general law of v.7: if a woman, bought with the intention of being made her master's concubine, does not please her master, he must let her be redeemed, and he has no power to sell her into foreign slavery.

who hath designated (2 Samuel 20:5; Jeremiah 47:7) her for himself viz. at the time when he bought her: -for himself" is shewn by its position in the Heb. to be emphatic; it is opposed to -for his son" in v.9, The marg. (לא for לו) may be disregarded, if only because yâ-addoes not mean to -espouse": to -designate" a woman forany one may indeed be equivalent to -to espouse," but that does not justify -designate," used absolutely, being rendered -espouse."

let her be redeemed by her father, or other relative, if able to do so: she had been bought to become a concubine, and had consequently certain rights. If however the woman's relatives did not redeem her, her master was apparently at liberty to sell her to another Israelite; for the following clause only forbids him to sell her into foreignservitude. Of course, the woman is not to be supposed to have actually become her master's concubine: in this case, if he found he did not like her, he would have to give her her freedom unconditionally (cf. v.11).

strange foreign, the now obsolete sense of -strange" noticed on Exodus 2:22.

deceitfully or untruly, viz. in not making her his concubine, as it was understood, when he bought her, that he would do.