Exodus 21 - The Book of the Covenant: Laws and Regulations
Timeline: 1450 BC
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Israelite Journeys Rameses
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The original Torah was not written with chapters and verses like the Bible today. It did not contain much punctuation or breathing marks. The manuscripts also lacked word spacing, so words, sentences, and paragraphs were a continuous string of letters, often with line breaks in the middle of words. The chapters, verses and punctuation were added to assist the reader in understanding the Word of God. Therefore, this is a continuation of the Ten Commandments from chapter 20. So God said: Exodus 21:1 "Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. Slavery has been around for thousands of years. The first written record about slavery comes from the Code of Hammurabi out of Mesopotamia. The Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian legal text composed during 1755–1750 BC and was discovered at Susa in 1901. This ancient text refers to slavery as a common practice throughout the ancient world in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa which had been in place for thousands of years at the time it was written. Slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. This passage pertains to Hebrew slaves, which is different from foreigners who had been taken in battle. God wanted Israel to respect the rights and dignity of servants so he made laws to protect their rights. The Hebrew servant was not like what we call "slaves" today. They were people who worked for others on the principle of servitude. Hebrews sold themselves or their parents, through poverty, or by the judges for their crimes. Cultural conditions made slavery a necessity. Public aid did not exist in that culture. If a man experienced extreme poverty, he could voluntarily sell himself to a fellow Hebrew and serve him as a hired worker or temporary resident (Lev 25:39-40) for six years and then be set free. Debt slavery always came with an expiration date. A man could sell himself into slavery in order to pay off debts they may have accrued such as from high taxation or high-interest loans. In the case of bankruptcy, a man might become servant to his creditors. If the man is married and brings his wife and children with him, they are to go with the man when the man is released. However, if the man is given a wife by his master, she and her children belong to the master. If the man decided to stay with the master, married or not, yet still wanted to serve his master out of love, he would go through a ceremony with a judge and his ear would be pierced. When the man is released, he was considered worth double the service of a hired man. So when he leaves, the freed man must be furnished with livestock, grain, and wine. Exodus 21:7 "And if a man sells his daughter to be a female slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has betrothed her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. And if he has betrothed her to his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marriage rights. And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money. An Israelite father, who is impoverished, may sell his daughter to another Israelite man with the intention of marriage to either the master or his son. She is not to be treated as an ordinary slave girl but instead it is a "test period" where they see if they are compatible with the intention of marriage. The girl's father will receive payment and if it works out, she is to be treated as a wife or a daughter even if her "husband" takes another wife with all the benefits of such. If it doesn't work out, the master is not allowed to sell her to a foreigner. If she did not please her master, she can be bought back by her father or another family member. If the master did not complete his obligations, she could be released free and clear without compensation to the master. Exodus 21:12 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. Capital punishment awaits a murderer. However, if the crime was not premeditated, if it was an accidental death, the Exodus 21:14 "But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. In the ancient world, the tabernacle contained a square altar of bronze-covered acacia wood for animal sacrifices that had four horns. If a person desired "sanctuary", he would grab the horns of the altar and ask for mercy. Protection of the altar is not to be extended to the willful murderer. Exodus 21:15 "And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. In the Old Testament and other ancient cultures, honoring parents was very important. A child who is a stubborn and rebellious and for willfulness and obstinacy murders, or attempts the murder of a parent, was to receive capital punishment. Exodus 21:16 "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. Kidnapping, or stealing men to make them slaves, was a very early and very wide-spread crime. Joseph's brothers could have been punished by death except by the grace of God. Human trafficking is used to force victims by fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Human trafficking is a global crime. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide – including right here in the United States. Today, human trafficking is punishable by a fine and up to 20 years in prison. Exodus 21:17 "And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. The term "cursing" in the Biblical context involves more than just harsh words; it encompasses any form of severe disrespect, rejection, or harm towards one's parents. Exodus 21:18 "If men contend with each other, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but is confined to his bed, if he rises again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed. Men were fighting without premeditation and without weapons, but then it elevated to one using his fists or picking up a stone, causing the other to be injured to the point of incapacity. This was considered aggravated assault. The one who caused the injury was arrested and confined until it was determined that the other would survive. If he died, the man was tried for murder; if he recovered, a fine was imposed to cover the cost of the doctor bill and his lost wages. Exodus 21:20 "And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished. Notwithstanding, if he remains alive a day or two, he shall not be punished; for he is his property. The word rod indicates a thin stick or switch that can inflict a small amount of physical pain with no lasting physical injury. The rod was used as an instrument of punishment. If the discipline becomes excessive and the servant dies, it becomes abuse and therefore will be punished. If the servant survives, the master may lose his investment in the servant. In other cultures, the servant was not considered a person so if the master murdered a servant was held blameless. God established this law to protect the rights of the slave. Exodus 21:22 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. If a pregnant woman was injured in a conflict, and she gave birth prematurely, a penalty was assessed if there was lasting damage. If the mother or the child dies, then a murder was committed. If not, any injuries would be compensated to the husband and he shall determine monetary value of the retribution. Exodus 21:26 "If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth. This gives the master and incentive to protect and honor his slave, treating them more like an employee than a work-animal. The loss of an eye is viewed as the greatest permanent injury to the person; the loss of a tooth as the least and his right to them as a servant was hereby forfeited. Exodus 21:28 "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him. If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. If an owner has an animal that kills a man or woman, the animal will be destroyed and was considered "unclean" food for Hebrews. The owner was not responsible unless he knew that it was dangerous and did not keep it locked up. If the animal showed aggression and the owner was aware of it, then would be guilty of the murder and would also be put to death. He could however be redeemed with money. The amount is reduced to thirty shekels of silver if it was a servant. Either way, the animal does not get to live. Interestingly enough, Judas sold out Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Exodus 21:33 "And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, the owner of the pit shall make it good; he shall give money to their owner, but the dead animal shall be his. Wells in the East were dug and covers were put over them and removed when water is drawn and then replaced. If a man neglected to replace a cover, he was responsible for any damage that might ensue. If an ox or donkey falls in, the owner of the pit keeps the animal and is allowed to do what he wishes with it but must pay the animal's owner its worth. Exodus 21:35 "If one man's ox hurts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it; and the dead ox they shall also divide. Or if it was known that the ox tended to thrust in time past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he shall surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal shall be his own. This rule is similar to verse 28. If the owner knows the animal is vicious, he is responsible and repays the victim's owner the worth of the animal. But if it was not known then they split the two. Bible Study Questions 1. If you buy a Hebrew servant, how long shall he serve? a. 1 year 2. If a servant is married when he is enslaved and is set free, what happens to his wife? a. She is allowed to go with her husband. 3. A daughter can be sold and treated like a male slave? a. Yes 4. What happens to a man who plans and kills another?
5. What happens to someone who kidnaps a man and sells him? a. He is banished to a city of refuge. 6. What is the penalty for a man who strikes his father or mother?
7. What happens to a man if he beats his servant with a rod? a. If the servant dies, the master will be punished. 8. What happens if men fight, and hurt a pregnant woman? a. If she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall be punished 9. What happens if a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant? a. If the eye is destroyed, the man is stoned to death. 10. If a man opens or digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, what happens to the owner of the pit? a. He shall give the dead animal to the owner. |
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