Exodus 21:4

New Life Version

If his owner gives him a wife and she gives birth to his sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her owner, and he will leave by himself.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
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 by himself.

King James Version
If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

Lexham English Bible
If his master gives him a wife and she bears for him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the slave will go out single.

New Century Version
If the slave's master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the woman and her children will belong to the master. When the slave is set free, only he may leave.

New English Translation
If his master gave 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.

Amplified Bible
"If his master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall leave [your service] alone.

New American Standard Bible
"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 leave alone.

Geneva Bible (1587)
If his master haue giuen him a wife, and she hath borne him sonnes or daughters, he wife and her children shalbe her masters, but he shall goe out himselfe alone.

Legacy Standard Bible
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.

Contemporary English Version
If you give him a wife, and they have children, only the man himself must be set free; his wife and children remain the property of his owner.

Complete Jewish Bible
But if his master gave him a wife, and she bore him sons or daughters, then the wife and her children will belong to her master, and he will leave by himself.

Darby Translation
If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone.

Easy-to-Read Version
If the slave is not married, the master can give him a wife. If that wife gives birth to sons or daughters, she and her children will belong to the master. After the slave is finished with his years of service, he will be made free.

English Standard Version
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.

George Lamsa Translation
If his master has given him a wife and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be his masters and he shall go out alone.

Good News Translation
If his master gave him a wife and she bore him sons or daughters, the woman and her children belong to the master, and the man is to leave by himself.

Christian Standard Bible®
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children belong to her master, and the man must leave alone.

Literal Translation
If his master gives him a wife, and she bears sons or daughters to him, the wife and her children shall belong to her master; and he shall go out with his body.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf his master haue geue him a wife, & she haue borne him sonnes or doughters, the shal the wife and ye children be the masters, but he shall go out alone.

American Standard Version
If his master give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

Bible in Basic English
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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And if his maister haue geuen hym a wyfe, and she haue borne him sonnes or daughters: then the wyfe and her chyldren shalbe her maisters, and he shall go out alone.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If his master give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

King James Version (1611)
If his master haue giuen him a wife, and she haue borne him sonnes or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her masters, and he shall go out by himselfe.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Moreover, if his master give him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters, the wife and the children shall be his master’s; and he shall go forth alone.

English Revised Version
If his master give him a wife, and she bear him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.

Berean Standard Bible
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.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But if the lord of the servaunt yaf a wijf to hym, and sche childide sones and douytris, the womman and hir children schulen be hir lordis; sotheli the seruaunt schal go out with his owne clooth.

Young's Literal Translation
if his lord give to him a wife, and she hath borne to him sons or daughters -- the wife and her children are her lord's, and he goeth out by himself.

Update Bible Version
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 by himself.

Webster's Bible Translation
If his master hath given him a wife, and she hath borne him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall depart by himself.

World English Bible
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 by himself.

New King James Version
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.

New Living Translation
"If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master.

New Revised Standard
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.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If his lord gave him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her lords, and, he shall go out by himself.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if his master gave him a wife, and she hath borne sons and daughters; the woman and her children shall be her master’s: but he himself shall go out with his raiment.

Revised Standard Version
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.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"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.

Contextual Overview

¹ "Now these are the Laws which you are to give them. ² If you buy a Hebrew servant, he will work for six years. In the seventh year he will go free, paying nothing. ³ If he comes alone, he will leave by himself. If he is married, then his wife will leave with him. ⁴ If his owner gives him a wife and she gives birth to his sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her owner, and he will leave by himself. ⁵ But if the servant says, ‘I love my owner, my wife and my children; I do not care to go free,' ⁶ then his owner will bring him to the judges. And he will bring him to the door or the side of the door. There his owner will make a hole in his ear with a sharp object. And he will serve him all his life. ⁷ "If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she is not to go free as the male servants do. ⁸ If she does not please her owner who has taken her for himself, he will take pay for her to be set free. He does not have the right to sell her to a strange people, because he has not been fair to her. ⁹ If he takes her for his son, he will act toward her as with a daughter. ¹⁰ If he marries again, her food, clothing and marriage rights are to stay the same.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shall be her: Exodus 4:22, Genesis 14:14, Genesis 15:3, Genesis 17:13, Genesis 17:27, Genesis 18:19, Ecclesiastes 2:7, Jeremiah 2:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 16:2 - obtain children

Cross-References

Genesis 21:10
So Sarah said to Abraham, "Put this woman servant and her son out of your home. The son of this woman servant will never get any of the riches of the family as will my son Isaac."

Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Do not be full of sorrow because of the boy and the woman who serves you. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you. For your children and all their children's children after you will be given a name through Isaac.

Genesis 21:22
At that time, Abimelech with Phicol, the head of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.

Genesis 21:23
So promise me here by God that you will not work against me, or my son, or any children after me. I have shown you kindness. So return kindness to me and to the land where you have come."

Exodus 12:48
But when a stranger staying with you wants to share in this special supper to the Lord, let all his men and boys go through the religious act of becoming a Jew. Then let him come near to share in the special supper. He will be like one who is born in the land. But no person who has not gone through the religious act may eat of it.

Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day the child is to go through the religious act of becoming a Jew.

Deuteronomy 12:32
"Be careful to do whatever I tell you. Do not add to it or take away from it.

Luke 1:6
They were right with God and obeyed the Jewish Law and did what the Lord said to do.

Luke 1:59
On the eighth day they did the religious act of the Jews on the child. They named him Zacharias, after his father.

Luke 2:21
When eight days were over, they did the religious act of becoming a Jew on the Child. He was named Jesus. This name was given to Him by the angel when Mary was told He was to be born.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If his master have given him a wife,.... One of his slaves, a Canaanitish woman, on purpose to beget slaves on her, since all born in his house were his own; this is supposed to be after he was come into his house, and into his service:

and she have born him sons or daughters; as she might have born him several of the one sort, or the other, if she was given to him quickly after his servitude began:

the wife and her children shall be her master's: she being his slave, and bought with his money, he had a right unto her, and to the children belonging to her, the birth following the belly; and being born in his house, they were also his. Jarchi here observes, that the Scripture speaks of a Canaanitish woman, for an Hebrew woman went out at the sixth year, and even before the sixth, if she produced the signs, that is, of puberty:

and he shall go out by himself; without his wife and children: if it be objected to this law, that it is contrary to the law of marriage, which is indissoluble, but by this dissolved; it may be replied, that the servant was not obliged by it to leave his wife, unless he chose it; on complying with certain conditions after mentioned, he might continue with her; besides, she was, according to Jarchi, but his secondary wife, and not only so, the marriage was not lawful, being with a Canaanitish woman, and not agreeable to the Lord; and being also her master's slave, to whom he had a right, he could retain her if he pleased, having only given her to his servant to beget slaves on for him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 21:4. The wife and her children shall be her master's — It was a law among the Hebrews, that if a Hebrew had children by a Canannitish woman, those children must be considered as Canaanitish only, and might be sold and bought, and serve for ever. The law here refers to such a case only.