If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself. This is the first contingency - "please not" - literally, 'be ... evil in the eyes of' (cf. Genesis 28:8; 1 Samuel 8:6; 1 Samuel 18:8). "hath betrothed her." [There is a difference of reading in the text here, arising from the use of a single letter-an 'aleph (') or a waw (w) after lamed (L) in the Hebrew word which precedes yª`aadaah (H3259), appointed, fixed upon, betrothed. The first, lo' (H3808), is supported, with a single exception by all the MSS. examined by Kennicott, by the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Syriac, Persian, and Arabic versions. The other, low (H3807a), is recommended in the margin or Masoretic text. The Septuagint adopted this reading, which has been followed by our translators. The meaning is not materially affected, whichever be taken; because the choice of the first necessitates this rendering. 'If she please not her master, so that he does not betroth her (to himself)'-does not form a matrimonial relation with her. This is the translation given in the version of de Wette. But the other-namely, that in our English translation-has received more general approval.]
Let her be redeemed. In the event of a change of feelings toward her, on the part of her master, the easiest course would be to have her redeemed, either by her father repaying a part of the price, or by some other party entertaining a purpose of marrying her. But in the event of her parents or friends being unable to pay the redemption money, her owner was not at liberty to sell her elsewhere.
To sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, х lª`am (H5971) naakªriy (H5237)] - to a foreign people. Since the natural right of the father had been transferred by the quasi-sale of his daughter, so that he had no longer any right to interfere, her master, who otherwise had acquired an absolute control of her, was restricted by this law from disposing of her to any but a native Israelite or a resident proselyte, though he was at liberty to release himself in this way, if he found such a party willing to accept her. Seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her, х bªbigdow (H899) baah (H871a)] - in his defrauding, or acting faithlessly toward her.