Exodus 21
Exodus 21 is the section among the laws received at Mount Sinai where detailed regulations about daily life and human relationships begin. Following the Ten Commandments, it covers the specific legal codes and standards for judgments that the Israelites’ community is to observe. It mainly consists of rules related to laws concerning animals, as well as matters of killing and assault, and rules concerning damage and compensation.
1verse“Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:
2verse“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.
3verseIf he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4verseIf his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
5verseBut if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’
6versethen his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
7verse“If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
8verseIf she doesn’t please her master, who has married 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.
9verseIf he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.
10verseIf he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.
11verseIf he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
12verse“One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
13versebut not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
14verseIf a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15verse“Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
16verse“Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17verse“Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18verse“If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed;
19verseif he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.
20verse“If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.
21verseNotwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his property.
22verse“If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.
23verseBut if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,
24verseeye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25verseburning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
26verse“If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
27verseIf he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.
28verse“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
29verseBut if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
30verseIf a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.
31verseWhether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.
32verseIf the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33verse“If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
34versethe owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
35verse“If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.
36verseOr if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Regulations Concerning Servants (Verses 1–11)
In verses 1–11, regulations regarding Hebrew servants are discussed. It states that after six years of servitude, a person can obtain freedom in the seventh year (verse 2), and it explains in detail the relationship and rights between the servant and the master, including the servant’s freedom, family relationships, and the master’s responsibilities. Unlike customs in ancient society, the intention is to protect the servant’s human rights and dignity.
Regulations on Violence and Damage (Verses 12–27)
In this section, it lays out what judgment and responsibility should be applied when someone causes harm to another (assault, murder, injury, and other details). It deals specifically with the distinction between intentional murder and accidental killing, assault or cursing toward one’s parents, compensation and punishment when one injures another person, and even violence toward a servant, emphasizing a just and orderly social order.
Responsibility for Damage Caused by Animals (Verses 28–36)
In verses 28–36, when livestock such as cattle causes harm to a person the responsibility and compensation of the owner are discussed. It also highlights the importance of mutual responsibility within the community, including regulations concerning accidents resulting from neglect in managing the livestock, along with the corresponding punishments and compensation.
Overall Meaning and Flow
Exodus 21 contains practical wisdom from God that guides the ancient Israelite community to live according to God’s justice and mercy. Beyond merely being legal provisions, it carries the fundamental spirit that encourages an attitude of respecting others’ rights, lives, and property, and a culture of communal responsibility and care.
Reflection Points
- Does God’s law contain justice and love that protect the vulnerable and victims in the community?
- How can we put honesty, responsibility, and consideration into practice in our society and families today?
Personal Application
- Take time to reflect on whether you are truly carrying out consideration and responsibility for those around you who are marginalized and the weak.
- Also check whether you have the courage to admit honestly and take responsibility if you have caused harm to someone or made a mistake.
