Jewish Daughters can be Sold into Servitude
In Biblical times a Jewish father was under great societal pressure to marry off his daughter at a very early age. That wasn’t taboo back then. Life expectancy was 45 to 50 years, and girls were married off as soon as they hit puberty.
If there was a delay for any reason and she was not married at about the age of 12 1/2 (and having attained puberty), she was in danger of becoming a "whore". This refers to fathers marrying one's young daughter to an old man, usually for sexual purposes, simply because she may become unchaste if not married and, having lost her virginity, becomes valueless for marital purposes. Plus, a father was not allowed to impose his will on an adult (12 1/2 years old or older) daughter or attempt to force her into a marriage against her will.
And if he married her off while in her minority she could repudiate the marriage on reaching the age of twelve, and have it annulled without a divorce.
The civil law recognized the power of the father to sell his daughter into bondage with the evident intention that she should become the wife of her master or of her master's son, however, the sale was justified only by extreme poverty.
“If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money." (Exodus 21:7-11, NIV)
The Covenant Code offers automatic manumission of male Israelite slaves, after they have worked for six years; however, this specifically excludes Israelite daughters who were sold into slavery servitude by their fathers, from such automatic seventh-year manumission. "If you buy a Jewish slave, he shall work for six years and in the seventh year he shall go free, without liability." (Exodus 21:2)
The daughter entered the master’s household as an adopted daughter belonging to the master’s family, and was contracted (kinyan) as the wife of either the master or one of the master’s sons. She did not become the property of her ‘master’, nor was she an indentured servant.
The position of married women in Israel was naturally improved when the wife brought a dowry to her husband instead of being purchased. A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to a marriage. Dowry contrasts with bride price, which is paid by the groom or his family to the bride's parents, and with dower, which is property given to the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage.
The obligation to return the dowry and to pay the jointure (ketubah) served as a good security against divorce on insufficient grounds. The wife, if she brings no dowry, is bound to do such housework for the husband as grinding, baking, washing, cooking, suckling her child, spreading the bed, and working in wool (spinning, knitting, and the like). These were the same duties the daughter of the master was expected to do.
If the wife brings one slave woman, or the means to buy one, she need not grind, bake, nor wash clothes; if two, she need not cook, nor suckle her child; if three, she need not spread the bed nor work in wool; if four, she may sit still in her chair as long as she didn't become melancholy.
Generally, prior to the consummation of the marriage a betrothal agreement was entered into; under this arrangement the bride-price (mohar) was established (Gen. 34:12; Ex. 22:16; I Sam. 18:25), accompanied by a gift (Gen. 34:12). A time limit was set by which the payments were to be completed and the marriage put into effect (I Sam. 18:17–19, 26:27). The engagement was a legal transaction in the fullest sense.
For the groom’s family, the contract concerned payment of the bride-price, which was a considerable sum of silver in the Old Babylonian period. The bride-price was an act of good faith, insuring the grooms’ right to the bride. The bride-price could be paid in installments until the first child was born, at which time the balance of payments was due. The marriage was legally finalized after the balance was paid and the mother assumed the legal rights of ‘wife’.
The man who purchased her was called her master because she had entered his custody and was not free to leave that custody without fulfilling the marriage contract, but she did not perform servile duties, unlike a son or daughter sold as an indentured servant. Her master was accountable to the law for his treatment of her, she had the legal status of a free woman. If she had been contracted to his son, the master was to treat her as his own daughter, even before the marriage took place.
Some Christians today argue that we are no longer bound by this law because it is from the old Covenant and we are now under a new Covenant that was established by Jesus. However, Jesus said that the Old Testament law is to remain in effect until heaven and earth pass away. "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:18-19, NIV)
And "everything" has not been accomplished yet. Armageddon!
According to Christian interpretation, the Messiah will return to earth and defeat the Antichrist (the "beast") and Satan the Devil in the Battle of Armageddon. Then Satan will be put into the "bottomless pit" or abyss for 1,000 years, known as the Millennium. After being released from the abyss, Satan will gather Gog and Magog (peoples of two specific areas of the world) from the four corners of the earth. They will encamp surrounding the "holy ones" and the "beloved city" (this refers to Jerusalem). Fire will come down from God, out of heaven and devour Gog and Magog after the Millennium. The Devil and those not found written in the Book of Life are then thrown into Gehenna (the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone). See Revelation 19:11-21 and Revelation 20 for more information.
In Revelation 21:6 it says, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End." Everything is not "accomplished" until after Armageddon.