Slave and captive wives

There is legislation about slave wives in Exodus 21:7-11. It is confused, because one word could either be l'o, 'not' (Masoretic Text [MT] and NEB) or lo, 'to him' (Qere reading and NIV). A man has sold his daughter as an amah, slave woman. If he (the owner) has not 'selected her', he has treated her unfairly and she can be redeemed. This suggests that the purpose of the arrangement was marriage. A husband would normally pay a bride-price (mohar) to the father, so one wonders how this amah arrangement differed from regular marriage, since money still changed hands. On the alternative reading, he had selected her for himself (i.e. taken her sexually), and then she displeased him. If she is married [the word used is 'designated'] to a son, she is treated as a daughter (i.e. as an equal). She cannot be sold to a foreigner. If he marries another woman, he must continue to provide her with food, shelter and (probably) oil. Although this has been taken as an example of sexual freedom and polygyny, this is not inevitable. The rights of this woman as wife are protected. According to the MT, he has not consummated the union sexually and has been unfair.

Marriage to a captured woman is dealt with humanely in Deuteronomy 21:10-14. She is allowed time to mourn. The marriage is given dignity, and rights are given in case of dismissal (sending away). She cannot be sold as a slave because of the sexual relationship which existed.