דברי הימים א, פרק ב׳, פסוק ל״ה

A marriage between a master's daughter and his servant stands out as a highly unusual event in the social landscape of biblical times. To understand how such a union came about, it is suggested that the servant integrated deeply into his master's household and earned his deep respect. As a result, the servant converted, making him a worthy husband for the master's daughter [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This unique arrangement also offers practical guidance. If a father has an older daughter and faces difficulty finding her a suitable match, it is considered better to free his own servant and arrange a marriage between them rather than leave her unmarried [רש"י].

The family line born from this marriage, continuing through their son Attai, provides a historical lesson regarding the nature of converts. A tradition cautions against placing full trust in a convert until fifteen generations have passed. This specific count begins with Attai—though some start the count of sixteen generations with the servant himself—and ends many generations later with a descendant named Ishmael.

A historical question arises regarding this descendant Ishmael. In another context, he is described as being of royal descent, which is puzzling because his family tree stems from Jerahmeel rather than the royal lineage of Ram. The explanation is that this title is not a literal claim to the throne, but rather a dark reference to his actions, as he gave his own children over to the idol worship of Molech [רש"י].