Exodus 21
Summary for Exod 21:1: 21:1–23:33 a The terms of the covenant are now expanded. The beginning section (21:1–23:19 b) gives specific examples of the general principles stated in 20:3-17 c. The commitments to which God bound himself if the Israelites kept their side of the covenant are stated in 23:20-33 d, as are the blessings of obedience.Summary for Exod 21:1-23:19: 21:1–23:19 e The statements found here are in the typical case-law format of ancient Near Eastern law codes. This format begins with a hypothetical situation introduced by the word “if.” The following statement of what is to be done in such a case is introduced by “then.” While some cases are grouped into categories in these chapters, there is little attempt to separate personal, civil, or ceremonial laws from one another. For God, life is not compartmentalized. All of life is lived in relationship to God, so all kinds of behavior signify whether we are in loving submission to him or in defiance of him.
Summary for Exod 21:1-11: 21:1-11 f Slavery was a fact of life in the ancient world. In some cases, it was the only resort for those who were destitute. In much of the ancient world, people who were slaves felt that the gods had abandoned them. But the Lord cares about those who are in this helpless condition, so his covenant people must care also. Ultimately, the revelation that Jesus Christ had died for all people everywhere would make the practice of slavery untenable (Gal 3:28 g).
21:2 h A man might sell himself into slavery in order to get money to pay his debts. This law states that the man was never to become the permanent property of the master.
21:3 i If a man and a wife went into slavery together, they were also to go free together.
Summary for Exod 21:4-6: 21:4-6 j The master was not required to provide a slave with a wife who would then be freed with him. The slave in such a situation had to either abandon the family he began while he was a slave or become a permanent slave.
Summary for Exod 21:7-9: 21:7-9 k A female slave was treated differently from a male, possibly because it was understood that she was sold to become a concubine. For such a woman to be released after seven years would not be just. She would either have to return to her father (who clearly did not want her, having previously sold her), marry (an unlikely prospect for a former concubine), or become a prostitute. Thus, it was best for her to remain in the home of her master. Presumably, if a man bought a girl to be his son’s wife (21:9 l), it was understood that the purchase price was not actually buying her but was the equivalent of a bride-price. Typically, a young man wishing to marry a girl had to give her father a gift of some sort, either money or a gift in kind (see 22:16 m; Gen 24:53 n). A woman for whom a bride-price had been paid was not a slave.
Summary for Exod 21:12-17: 21:12-17 o The crimes of murder, kidnapping, and dishonoring one’s parents warranted the death penalty. A murderer forfeits his own life, and human life is so precious that even an accidental death cannot be overlooked. The place of refuge (see Num 35:6-28 p) was a place where an accidental killer could go so that the family of the deceased could not take vengeance (see study notes on Num 35:6-34).
21:14 q dragged ... from my altar: See 1 Kgs 2:28-33 r.
21:17 s Anyone who dishonors: See study note on Lev 20:9; see also Exod 20:12 t; Deut 5:16 u; 21:18-21 v; Eph 6:1-4 w.
Summary for Exod 21:18-27: 21:18-27 x These laws governed compensation for injuries that did not lead to death.
Summary for Exod 21:22-25: 21:22-25 y so she gives birth prematurely: It appears that if a child’s birth was caused prematurely and the child died (i.e., there was further injury), the penalty for murder was to be enacted. The law of retaliation (the lex talionis) called for a penalty that matched the injury inflicted on a victim. But this law also served to limit the punishment so it was not more severe than the original injury. Cp. Matt 5:38-39 z.
Summary for Exod 21:28-32: 21:28-32 aa If an animal caused a person’s death and the owner was judged to be negligent, the relatives of the deceased could demand the death penalty for both the animal and its owner. However, that penalty was not mandatory, and the relatives could elect to accept compensation (21:30 ab).
Summary for Exod 21:33-22:15: 21:33–22:15 ac In cases involving loss of property, the responsible person had to pay compensation equal to the value of what was lost. If the person had actually stolen the property, the compensation was multiplied (22:1 ad, 4 ae, 7 af). Where there was a question of responsibility, the parties were to appear before God for adjudication (22:8 ag). The means by which the judgment was reached is not reported.
Exodus 22
Summary for Exod 22:16-31: 22:16-31 ah These miscellaneous cases involving social responsibility are not categorized. All parts of life are an expression of one’s obedience to God (see study note on 21:1–23:19).22:18 ai The practices of a sorceress represented the pagan worldview from which God was delivering his people. That worldview was utterly incompatible with the biblical one (see 20:3 aj; 23:13 ak).
22:20 al must be destroyed: See thematic note for Complete Dedication at end of chapter.
22:21 am The Hebrews were to treat foreigners kindly because they, too, had once been foreigners (see also 23:9 an; Deut 10:18-19 ao). For further development of the principle, see Luke 6:31 ap.
Summary for Exod 22:22-23: 22:22-23 aq The widow, the orphan, and the foreigner were in a helpless and economically disadvantaged position. God, by his protective stance toward these persons, demonstrated that he does not value people on the basis of their power or wealth, the standards accepted by most humans. Instead, God values people because they share his image (Gen 1:27 ar).
Summary for Exod 22:25-27: 22:25-27 as Although interest could not be charged on a loan to another Israelite, collateral, or security, could be required. However, even the security had to be handled in a humane way. The requirements of the covenant mirrored the character of God.
22:30 at God is considerate even of animals (see Jon 4:11 au).
22:31 av Because of the symbolic significance of blood as life itself, God forbade eating meat with the blood still in it (see Lev 17:10-16 aw).
Thematic note: Complete Dedication
The Hebrew word kherem (“specially set apart”) is difficult to translate because it represents a concept for which there is no exact parallel in modern English. In the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, kherem designated something that was dedicated to a pagan god and therefore hostile to the Lord. Such things were to be destroyed (see Josh 6:18 ax). In the case of valuable metal items, they were brought to the sanctuary, where they became holy to the Lord (Lev 27:28 ay; see also Josh 6:19 az, 24 ba). The concept of being “specially set apart” was also applied to Israel’s enemies when they and their property were destroyed (Josh 6:17-19 bb; 1 Sam 15:2-3 bc).
In Leviticus 27:21 bd, 28 be, kherem indicates an acceptable vow devoting something to the Lord for use in the sanctuary (see Num 18:14 bf). This made the item, land, or person holy. The thing or person could not be bought back; it remained in the Lord’s service permanently.
The concept of complete dedication through total destruction underlies several passages in the apostle Paul’s writings. In Romans 9:3 bg, Paul was even willing to be declared anathema (the Greek equivalent of kherem) if it would bring about the salvation of his fellow Jews. In Galatians 1:8-9 bh, the same Greek word indicates an appropriate end for those who preach a false gospel. In 1 Corinthians 12:3 bi, Paul warns that no one speaking in the Spirit can call Jesus anathema, that is, no one who has God’s Spirit will interpret Jesus’ crucifixion as a sign of God’s rejection of him, as the Jews of Paul’s day did. Instead, they will recognize it as an act of atonement for sinful humanity.
Passages for Further Study
Exod 22:20 bj; Lev 27:28-29 bk; Num 18:8-14 bl; 21:2-3 bm; Deut 7:1-6 bn, 26 bo; 13:12-18 bp; Josh 6:17-19 bq, 24 br; 7:11-15 bs; 1 Sam 15:2-3 bt; 1 Kgs 20:42 bu; Isa 43:26-28 bv; Mal 4:5-6 bw; Rom 9:3 bx; 1 Cor 16:22 by; Gal 1:8-9 bz
Exodus 23:1-19
Summary for Exod 23:1-9: 23:1-9 ca This call for justice includes a miscellaneous list of covenant requirements, most of which have to do with fairness and integrity.Summary for Exod 23:1-3: 23:1-3 cb It is necessary to give true witness, even under the pressure of evil people (23:1 cc), the crowd (23:2 cd), or misguided motives (23:3 ce, 7-8 cf).
23:7 cg God’s character is the motive for righteous behavior (see 22:22-24 ch, 27 ci).
Summary for Exod 23:10-12: 23:10-12 cj Renewal, rest (23:12 ck), and refreshment are important. Just as humans and animals are to enjoy these in the weekly Sabbath, so the land is to be given rest every seven years (23:10-11 cl; see study note on 20:8-11).
Summary for Exod 23:14-17: 23:14-17 cm God’s command was that every man in Israel must appear before ... the Lord (23:17 cn), that is, at the Tabernacle, three times each year. While all the people were camped around the Tabernacle in the wilderness, this requirement did not create any problems. Later, when the people were dispersed throughout the land at a distance from the Tabernacle (later the Temple), it was more difficult. The stipulation seems to have been intended to keep the people from building local worship centers, which would splinter them as a people and allow for pagan influences on the worship of Yahweh. Sadly, these stipulations were not carefully carried out (see, e.g., 2 Kgs 23:21-23 co).
23:15 cp appointed time in early spring, in the month of Abib: See 13:4-5 cq; Lev 23:5-8 cr; Deut 16:1-8 cs.
23:16 ct The Festival of Harvest was celebrated seven weeks after Passover, around the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest (mid-May to mid-June). In postbiblical Judaism, this festival commemorated the giving of the Sinai covenant, which was calculated to have occurred fifty days after the first Passover in Egypt (see Lev 23:15-21 cu; Deut 16:9-12 cv).
• The Festival of the Final Harvest was celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (mid-September to mid-October), after the final harvest of grapes was complete. This festival commemorated the wilderness wanderings when God provided for his people.
23:18 cw Blood symbolized life (Lev 17:11-14 cx; Deut 12:23 cy), so blood must not be mixed with yeast, which was not normally included in offerings (see study note on Lev 2:11).
• The fat, considered the best part of the offering, was to be burned at once (see Lev 3:3-5 cz).
23:19 da The significance of the command not to cook a young goat in its mother’s milk is unknown. Its inclusion at this point suggests that it may have been a pagan religious practice.
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