שמואל א, פרק ח׳, פסוק י״ג

The establishment of a monarchy would deeply impact the daily lives of the Israelites, reaching directly into the heart of their families. After detailing how young men would be drafted into the king's service, the reality of what awaited the young women becomes clear. They too would be taken from their homes to serve in the royal palace [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, their fate would differ significantly from that of the men. While the sons might rise to positions of authority and power, the daughters would be relegated to the simple, lowly roles of maidservants [מלבי״ם]. This forced labor was a standard practice among kings of the era, who would compel women to perform these duties entirely without pay or compensation [אברבנאל].

The primary approach among commentators is that the young women would be assigned three specific types of labor. First, they would work as perfumers, tasked with crafting fragrances, spices, and cosmetics intended for the king's wives [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. This role may have also included the preparation of spiced and flavored drinks [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A different perspective views this first duty not as a specific craft, but as a broad term for women working as general palace maids [רד״ק].

Second, the women would be employed as cooks, specifically preparing meat. This job went far beyond simply standing over a cooking pot; these young women would be required to personally slaughter and butcher the animals they were to cook [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Finally, they would be put to work as bakers, responsible for preparing the daily bread for the royal household.