Exodus 21

After Exodus 20 presents the Ten Commandments and the regulations for the altar, a section follows in which God, through Moses, makes known the specific "judgments" to be set before the people. Exodus 20:22–23:33 is commonly called the "Book of the Covenant," a name taken from Exodus 24:7. Chapter 21 is the first chapter of this section.

Outline

• Verse 1 Introduction to the judgments to be set before the people
• Verses 2–6 A Hebrew male servant serves six years and goes out free in the seventh year without payment. If he wishes to remain, his ear is pierced with an awl at the doorpost, and he serves for life.
• Verses 7–11 Provisions protecting a daughter sold as a maidservant. If her clothing, food, or marital rights are withheld, she is to go out free without payment.
• Verses 12–17 Capital offenses, including intentional murder, striking or cursing a parent, and kidnapping. For one who kills unintentionally, a place of refuge is appointed.
• Verses 18–27 Injuries resulting from quarrels and assault, including the case of a pregnant woman who is harmed, the principle of "eye for eye, tooth for tooth," and the provision that a servant whose eye or tooth is destroyed must be set free.
• Verses 28–36 Liability for an ox that gores a person, an ox that gores a servant (thirty shekels of silver), an uncovered pit, and oxen that fight one another

Key Verses

• Exodus 21:2 "Six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing." This verse expresses the principle of release in the seventh year and is read together with the regulations on the sabbatical year and the Jubilee.
• Exodus 21:24 "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth." This is the classic statement of the so-called lex talionis (the principle that repayment should correspond to the harm inflicted), which Jesus quotes in Matthew 5:38–42.

People and Places

No specific people or places appear in the chapter. The word "judges" in verse 6 translates the Hebrew Elohim, so some versions render the phrase "before God." The "place" in verse 13 anticipates the later institution of the cities of refuge. The Hebrew servant of verse 2 is a fellow Israelite sold because of debt or similar circumstances.

Points for Reflection

• Many interpreters read the lex talionis as a limiting provision that prevents retaliation greater than the injury. Jewish rabbinic tradition interpreted it as a standard for monetary compensation. The same principle appears in Leviticus 24:17–22 and Deuteronomy 19:18–21.
• The Hebrew wording of verses 22–23 can be read as referring either to a miscarriage or to a premature birth. Because the reading adopted affects how the status of the unborn child is understood, the passage is frequently cited in discussions of abortion and the church.
• The regulations concerning servitude and oxen presuppose the slavery and legal systems of the ancient Near East. The Code of Hammurabi in particular is known to contain similar provisions.
• The Westminster Confession of Faith (chapter 19), a Presbyterian doctrinal standard, holds that the judicial laws given to Israel expired together with that nation, and that only the general equity contained in them remains.
• Some sermons link the thirty shekels of silver in verse 32 with the thirty pieces of silver received by Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:15). Matthew's Gospel itself, however, does not quote this verse.

In the Korean Church

The servant with the pierced ear in verse 6 is often cited in sermons as a picture of voluntary, devoted service. Verses 23–25 are also presented alongside the teaching on love for enemies in the Sermon on the Mount.