Daughter

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)

Used in Scriptures in several more or less distinct senses:

(a) for daughter in the ordinary, literal sense (Ge 46:25; Ex 1:16);

(b) daughter-in-law (Ru 2:2);

(d) the women of a country, or of a place, taken collectively (Lu 23:28), of a particular religion (Mal 2:11);

(e) all the population of a place, taken collectively, especially in Prophets and poetic books (Ps 9:14; Isa 23:10; Jer 46:24; Mt 21:5);

(f) used in familiar address, "Daughter, be of good comfort" (Mt 9:22 the King James Version; Mr 5:34; Lu 8:48);

(g) women in general (Pr 31:29);

(h) the personification of towns or cities, as of the female sex (Isa 47:1; Eze 16:44,46; compare Na 3:4,7), especially of dependent towns and villages (Ps 48:11; Nu 21:25 margin; Jud 1:27 margin);

(i) in Hebrew idiom for person or thing belonging to or having the characteristics of that with which it is joined, as "daughter of ninety years," of Sarah, ninety years old (Ge 17:17); "daughters of music," singing birds, or singing women (Ec 12:4); daughters of a tree, i. e. branches; daughter of the eye, i. e. the pupil.

Daughters were not so highly prized as sons, not being usually mentioned by name. A father might sometimes sell his daughter as bondwoman (Ex 21:7); though not to a foreigner (Ex 21:8); daughters might sometimes inherit as did sons, but could not take the inheritance outside of the tribe (Nu 36:1-12).