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

Examples of fathers who failed to protect their daughters Ge 19:8 See also Jdg 19:24; 2Sa 13:6-14

Marriage of daughters

Fathers were responsible for arranging marriages for their daughters Ge 34:8-9 See also Ge 29:26; Jos 15:16-17 pp Jdg 1:12-13; Jdg 12:9; Jdg 21:1; 1Sa 18:17-21; 1Sa 25:44

Fathers received a bride-price from their daughters’husbands 1Sa 18:25 See also Ge 29:16-27

Fathers gave a dowry to their daughters 1Ki 9:16 See also Jos 15:17-19 pp Jdg 1:13-15

Sometimes the marriage of a daughter was the basis of a political alliance 1Ki 3:1 See also Da 11:6,17

In cases of dispute, parents were expected to prove their daughter’s virginity Dt 22:13-21

Inheritance of daughters

If a man had no sons, the inheritance went to his daughters Nu 27:1-11 See also Jos 17:3-6

Daughters who inherited their father’s property were obliged to marry within his clan Nu 36:1-12

Job allocated his daughters an inheritance Job 42:13-15

Priests’daughters

Lev 10:14 See also Lev 21:1-2,9; Lev 22:12-13; Nu 18:11,19; Eze 44:25

Slavery of daughters

In dire circumstances fathers sometimes sold their daughters into slavery Ne 5:5 See also Ex 21:7

A slave girl married to a son was to be accorded the rights of a daughter Ex 21:9

Immorality of daughters

Prostitution of daughters forbidden Lev 19:29 See also Lev 21:9

Incest of Lot’s daughters Ge 19:30-38

Daughters-in-law

Sexual relations with daughters-in-law forbidden Lev 18:15 See also Lev 20:12; Eze 22:11

Examples of daughters-in-law Ru 4:14-15 See also Ge 38:6-26; Ru 1:3-17

Daughters in a spiritual role

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

An adopted daughter

Est 2:7

Daughter in a non-literal sense

Of an area, town or country or its population Mt 21:5 pp Jn 12:15 See also 2Ki 19:21; Ps 137:8; Isa 10:30; Isa 23:12; Isa 52:2; Jer 6:23; Jer 48:18; Jer 51:33; La 1:15; La 2:10; Mic 4:8; Zep 3:14; Zec 2:7; Zec 9:9

Of the female inhabitants of an area, town or country Lk 23:27-29 See also Ge 24:3,13; 2Sa 1:24; SS 3:5; SS 5:8; Isa 32:9-11; Eze 13:17; Eze 32:18

Of the female descendants Lk 13:16 See also 1Pe 3:5-6

As an honorific term Mt 9:22 pp Mk 5:34 pp Lk 8:48

Daughters in a theological sense

God’s people are his sons and daughters 2Co 6:18 See also Jer 14:17; Jer 31:21-22

Family relationships must be subservient to one’s relationship with God Mt 10:37 See also Mt 10:35 pp Lk 12:53

See also