What is the difference between "ba'l" (husband/master) and "zawj" (spouse) in the verse: {She said, "Oh, woe is me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman and this, my ba'l, is an old man? Indeed, this is an astonishing thing!"}?

The words "ba'l" (بعل) and "zawj" (زوج) are used interchangeably in most contexts, but the word "ba'l" is more general than "zawj." This is because "ba'l" is sometimes used to refer to the master or owner of a female slave. The narration in Sahih Muslim, part of the Hadith of Gabriel, "that the slave woman will give birth to her ba'l," has been interpreted as referring to the owner. Similarly, Allah's saying, "Do you call upon Ba'l?" (أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلًا) has been interpreted as "Do you call upon a lord?"