EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:1 This section contains basic guidelines for living together as a just society and as a people set apart to the Lord. The specific laws are not intended to be exhaustive but are to encourage and safeguard justice, civility, and moral excellence. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:2 WHEN YOU BUY A HEBREW SLAVE. Despite the use of “buy,” it should be clear that slaves were considered human beings rather than mere possessions, since there is no mention of slaves in the laws governing loss of property (Exodus 21:33). (See notes on 1 Cor. 7:21; Ephesians... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:5 Debt was the most common reason that people became slaves. To take a destitute person as a slave could be seen as benevolent, as it guaranteed him food and shelter and some income. The security provided by a good employer led some slaves to choose to remain in that status... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:7 If a poor family could not afford a normal wedding, the father might “sell” his daughter to a rich man as his “slave,” that is, as a secondary wife like Zilpah and Bilhah (Genesis 29:24, Genesis 29:29). These laws aim to prevent any mistreatment the daughter might then fac... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:13 The reference to A PLACE TO WHICH HE MAY FLEE looks forward to the cities of refuge that the Lord will provide (see Numbers 35:9) to protect those who killed unintentionally. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:17 Placing this rule here, with the prescription of the death penalty, highlights the gravity of the command to honor one’s parents (Exodus 20:12; see Mark 7:9). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:20 These verses provide a general rule relating to cases in which a slave has been severely beaten by his master (STRIKES HIS SLAVE... WITH A ROD). The instruction not to avenge a slave who survives such a beating because THE SLAVE IS HIS MONEY relates only to the financial... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:22 These verses are difficult to interpret. The esv offers a traditional understanding in the text and an alternative view in the footnote. Interpreters agree that the passage describes a brawl in which a pregnant woman is accidentally hit, resulting in either a premature li... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:23 Compensation for a life taken or harmed shall be LIFE FOR LIFE, EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH... STRIPE FOR STRIPE (see also Leviticus 24:17). As it applies to human life, the rule is grounded in humanity being made in God’s image (see Genesis 9:6). The principle was meant... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:28 When an animal gores and kills a person, it SHALL BE STONED, for human life is holy to the Lord (see also Exodus 19:12). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 21:33 If a person was irresponsible (such as in not covering a pit, v. Exodus 21:33) or had previous knowledge of a problem (such as knowing but disregarding an ox’s tendency to gore, v. Exodus 21:36), such things should be taken into account when determining the amount of a fi... [ Continue Reading ]