Exodus Chapter 21

“Now these are the judgments, etc.] The judicial laws respecting the civil state of the people of Israel, so called because they are founded on justice and equity, and are according to the judgment of God, whose judgment is according to truth; and because they are such by which the commonwealth of Israel was to be judged or governed, and were to be the rule of their conduct to one another, and a rule of judgment to their judges in the execution of judgment and justice among them: which thou shall set before them; besides the ten commands before delivered. They were spoken by God himself in the hearing of the…”

“LAWS FOR MENSERVANTS. (Exo 21:1-6) judgments--rules for regulating the procedure of judges and magistrates in the decision of cases and the trial of criminals. The government of the Israelites being a theocracy, those public authorities were the servants of the Divine Sovereign, and subject to His direction. Most of these laws here noticed were primitive usages, founded on principles of natural equity, and incorporated, with modifications and improvements, in the Mosaic code.”

“Judgments - i. e. decisions of the law. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The first verse is the general title of the laws contained in this and the two following chapters. Their government being purely a theocracy; that which in other states is to be settled by human prudence, was directed among them by a divine appointment. These laws are called judgments; because their magistrates were to give judgment according to them. In the doubtful cases that had hitherto occurred, Moses had particularly enquired of God, but now God gave him statutes in general, by which to determine particular cases. He begins with the laws concerning servants, commanding mercy and moderation towards them. The…”

“21:1–23:33 The terms of the covenant are now expanded. The beginning section (21:1–23:19) gives specific examples of the general principles stated in 20:3-17. The commitments to which God bound himself if the Israelites kept their side of the covenant are stated in 23:20-33, as are the blessings of obedience. 21:1–23:19 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…”

“the judgments: Lev 18:5, Lev 18:26, Lev 19:37, Lev 20:22; Num 35:24, Num 36:13; Deu 5:1, Deu 5:31, Deu 6:20; Kg1 6:12; Ch2 19:10; Neh 9:13, Neh 9:14, Neh 10:29; Psa 147:19; Eze 20:11, Eze 20:25; Mal 4:4 which: Exo 19:7, Exo 24:3, Exo 24:4; Deu 4:5, Deu 4:8, Deu 4:14, Deu 4:45, Deu 6:20; Mat 28:20; Th1 4:1 Exodus 21:2”

“The mishpatim ( Exo 21:1) are not the "laws, which were to be in force and serve as rules of action," as Knobel affirms, but the rights, by which the national life was formed into a civil commonwealth and the political order secured. These rights had reference first of all to the relation in which the individuals stood one towards another. The personal rights of dependants are placed at the head ( Exo 21:2-11); and first those of slaves ( Exo 21:2-6), which are still more minutely explained in Deu 15:12-18, where the observance of them is urged upon the hearts of the people on subjective grounds. Exodus 21:2”