If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
English Standard Version (ESV)
When a man takes another wife, he's specifically commanded not to diminish his first wife's "food, her clothing, or her marital rights." This last phrase, often translated as "duty of marriage," points to something more than just physical intimacy; it includes her conjugal rights and the expectation of his consistent presence and affection, preventing her from being neglected or shamed when a new wife enters the household. It reveals that even within the accepted practice of polygamy, God established clear protections for the dignity and well-being of the first wife, ensuring she wasn't relegated to a lesser status.
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage is part of a larger section detailing specific laws for Israelites, particularly concerning social justice and the treatment of those in vulnerable positions. Following laws about runaway slaves and the selling of daughters into servitude, these verses address the specific rights of a woman who was betrothed as a maidservant. If her master, after betrothing her, decides to take another wife, he is obligated to continue providing for the first woman's essential needs and marital rights, ensuring she isn't neglected or mistreated due to his subsequent marriage.
When God legislates for a society, His commands go beyond the obvious. This verse spells out what a husband must provide, but it includes more than just the basics.
In ancient Israelite society, and even today, a person's status and well-being are often measured by their provisions: food to eat, clothes to wear. But Exodus 21:10 adds a crucial third element: "her marital rights." This refers to the intimate, conjugal relationship and the commitment inherent in marriage. It wasn't just about physical sustenance; it was about the full covenantal bond. Even when a man took another wife, the original wife retained her right to the husband's presence, affection, and intimacy. This protected her dignity and security in a polygamous culture.
The Mosaic Law often addressed real-world issues without endorsing every societal norm. This verse shows God's grace in setting boundaries for practices that weren't ideal.
The presence of polygamy in ancient Israel is a clear example of how God's law regulated, rather than eradicated, certain practices due to the 'hardness of hearts,' as Jesus noted (Matthew 19:8). Exodus 21:10 doesn't commend polygamy, but it establishes clear protections for the vulnerable. If a man took another wife, his existing wife (especially if she was a servant who had been taken as a wife) was not to suffer neglect in her fundamental needs—physical sustenance, clothing, and marital intimacy. The law ensured that even in a complex social structure, a woman's dignity and rights were upheld, preventing her from being unjustly diminished.
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Understand the original words
onah · Hebrew Noun
The physical or emotional intimacy and exclusive access within a marriage covenant, recognized as a fundamental obligation between spouses.
This passage speaks to marital rights and provisions for a wife, even when a man's affection turns to another woman, emphasizing that the rights of the first wife should not be lessened.
1 Corinthians 7:3-5Paul addresses the 'duty of marriage' or 'conjugal rights' in the New Testament, mirroring the concern in Exodus for the spouse's physical and relational needs within marriage, especially when facing potential neglect.
Matthew 19:6Jesus' teaching on the permanence of marriage ('What God has joined together, let no one separate') provides a foundational principle that underscores the importance of upholding the marital rights and provisions for all wives, as seen in Exodus 21:10.
Ephesians 5:28-33Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church, providing for and cherishing them, which echoes the Mosaic Law's requirement in Exodus 21:10 to ensure a wife's provisions and rights are not diminished.
gillExodus 21:10: "If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish."
If he take him another wife,.... The father takes another wife for his son, or the son takes another wife to himself after he has betrothed and married his father's maidservant: her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish; neither deny it her in whole, nor lessen it in part, but give her her full due of each. What is meant by the two former words is eas…
calvinExodus 21:7-11: "And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do."
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.
Si displicuerit hero suo, nec sibi desponderit eam, redimendam curabit: populo alieno non habebit potestatem vendendi eam, quum spreverit eam.
And if he have betrothed her u…
When a man takes another wife, he's specifically commanded not to diminish his first wife's "food, her clothing, or her marital rights." This last phrase, often translated as "duty of marriage," points to something more than just physical intimacy; it includes her conjugal rights and the expectation of his consistent presence and affection, preventing her from being neglected or shamed when a new wife enters the household. It reveals that even within the accepted practice of polygamy, God established clear protections for the dignity and well-being of the first wife, ensuring she wasn't relegated to a lesser status.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing specific laws for Israelites, particularly concerning social justice and the treatment of those in vulnerable positions. Following laws about runaway slaves and the selling of daughters into servitude, these verses address the specific rights of a woman who was betrothed as a maidservant. If her master, after betrothing her, decides to take another wife, he is obligated to continue providing for the first woman's essential needs and marital rights, ensuring she isn't neglected or mistreated due to his subsequent marriage.
This passage is part of a larger section detailing specific laws for Israelites, particularly concerning social justice and the treatment of those in vulnerable positions. Following laws about runaway slaves and the selling of daughters into servitude, these verses address the specific rights of a woman who was betrothed as a maidservant. If her master, after betrothing her, decides to take another wife, he is obligated to continue providing for the first woman's essential needs and marital rights, ensuring she isn't neglected or mistreated due to his subsequent marriage.
"If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights." — When a man takes another wife, he's specifically commanded not to diminish his first wife's "food, her clothing, or her marital rights." This last phrase, often translated as "duty of marriage," po…
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Last reviewed October 2026