Exodus 21:3
“If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.”
What does Exodus 21:3 mean?
This verse is part of Israel's ancient laws about debt servitude, where someone in poverty could sell themselves into service for six years to pay off what they owed. The rule here is straightforward: if a man entered that service as a single person, he leaves as a single person with nothing but his freedom. But if he married *while* in service (often to a woman also in servitude), his wife goes free with him, so the family stays together. The heart of it protects family bonds during hardship. Even in a system that allowed debt slavery, there's recognition that people shouldn't be separated from their spouses because of poverty. It's a small guardrail of dignity built into an otherwise harsh economic reality, reminding us that Scripture sometimes shows mercy within unjust systems while pointing toward something better.