Dictionary of Bible Themes: 5674 daughters

5674 daughters

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Dictionary of Bible Themes » 5000 Humanity » 5650 Human relationships » 5674 daughters

The female offspring of parents. Daughters lived in their father's house, under his protection, until marriage. Usually they became his heirs only if he had no sons to inherit his estate. Normally they shared in the inheritance of their husbands.

Protection of daughters

Fathers were responsible for protecting their daughters

Genesis 31:50 See also Genesis 19:12-13,15-17; Numbers 30:3-5

Examples of fathers who failed to protect their daughters

Genesis 19:8 See also Judges 19:24; 2 Samuel 13:6-14

Marriage of daughters

Fathers were responsible for arranging marriages for their daughters

Genesis 34:8-9 See also Genesis 29:26; Joshua 15:16-17 pp Judges 1:12-13; Judges 12:9; Judges 21:1; 1 Samuel 18:17-21; Samuel 25:44

Fathers received a bride-price from their daughters' husbands

1 Samuel 18:25 See also Genesis 29:16-27

Fathers gave a dowry to their daughters

1 Kings 9:16 See also Joshua 15:17-19 pp Judges 1:13-15

Sometimes the marriage of a daughter was the basis of a political alliance

1 Kings 3:1 See also Daniel 11:6,17

In cases of dispute, parents were expected to prove their daughter's virginity

Deuteronomy 22:13-21

Inheritance of daughters

If a man had no sons, the inheritance went to his daughters

Numbers 27:1-11 See also Joshua 17:3-6

Daughters who inherited their father's property were obliged to marry within his clan

Numbers 36:1-12

Job allocated his daughters an inheritance

Job 42:13-15

Priests' daughters

Leviticus 10:14 See also Leviticus 21:1-2,9; Leviticus 22:12-13; Numbers 18:11,19; Ezekiel 44:25

Slavery of daughters

In dire circumstances fathers sometimes sold their daughters into slavery

Nehemiah 5:5 See also Exodus 21:7

A slave girl married to a son was to be accorded the rights of a daughter

Exodus 21:9

Immorality of daughters

Prostitution of daughters forbidden

Leviticus 19:29 See also Leviticus 21:9

Incest of Lot's daughters

Genesis 19:30-38

Daughters-in-law

Sexual relations with daughters-in-law forbidden

Leviticus 18:15 See also Leviticus 20:12; Ezekiel 22:11

Examples of daughters-in-law

Ruth 4:14-15 See also Genesis 38:6-26; Ruth 1:3-17

Daughters in a spiritual role

Acts 21:9 See also Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17

An adopted daughter

Esther 2:7

Daughter in a non-literal sense

Of an area, town or country or its population

Matthew 21:5 pp John 12:15 See also 2 Kings 19:21; Psalm 137:8; Isaiah 10:30; Isaiah 23:12; Isaiah 52:2; Jeremiah 6:23; Jeremiah 48:18; Jeremiah 51:33; Lamentations 1:15; Lamentations 2:10; Micah 4:8; Zephaniah 3:14; Zechariah 2:7; Zechariah 9:9

Of the female inhabitants of an area, town or country

Luke 23:27-29 See also Genesis 24:3,13; 2 Samuel 1:24; Songs 3:5; Songs 5:8; Isaiah 32:9-11; Ezekiel 13:17; Ezekiel 32:18

Of the female descendants

Luke 13:16 See also 1 Peter 3:5-6

As an honorific term

Matthew 9:22 pp Mark 5:34 pp Luke 8:48

Daughters in a theological sense

God's people are his sons and daughters

2 Corinthians 6:18 See also Jeremiah 14:17; Jeremiah 31:21-22

Family relationships must be subservient to one's relationship with God

Matthew 10:37 See also Matthew 10:35 pp Luke 12:53