◄ Exodus 21:1 ►
"These are the ordinances that you are to set before them:
Study Bible
These are the ordinances
The term "ordinances" refers to specific laws or decrees. In Hebrew, the word used is "מִשְׁפָּטִים" (mishpatim), which can be translated as judgments or laws. This indicates a set of rules that are meant to govern the community's behavior. Historically, these ordinances were given to the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt, serving as a foundation for their societal structure. The use of "ordinances" underscores the divine authority and order that God intended for His people, reflecting His justice and righteousness.

that you are to set
The phrase "you are to set" implies a directive given to Moses, who was to present these laws to the Israelites. The Hebrew root "שׂוּם" (sum) means to place, set, or appoint. This conveys the idea of establishing these laws as a permanent fixture in the life of the community. It highlights the responsibility of leadership in ensuring that God's commandments are clearly communicated and upheld. This act of setting the ordinances before the people signifies the importance of transparency and accessibility in the administration of justice.

before them
The phrase "before them" indicates that these laws were to be presented openly to the people of Israel. The Hebrew word "לִפְנֵיהֶם" (lifneihem) suggests a sense of presence and immediacy. This reflects the communal aspect of the law, emphasizing that it was not just for the leaders or a select few, but for all members of the community. The public presentation of these ordinances ensured that everyone was aware of the standards by which they were to live, fostering a sense of collective responsibility and accountability. This openness is a testament to the fairness and inclusivity that God desired for His people, ensuring that His laws were known and understood by all.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Moses
The leader of the Israelites who received the laws and ordinances from God on Mount Sinai. He is the mediator between God and the people.

2. Israelites
The chosen people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and are now receiving God's laws to govern their community.

3. Mount Sinai
The place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments and other laws, including the ordinances in Exodus 21.

4. God
The divine lawgiver who provides these ordinances to guide His people in righteousness and justice.

5. Covenant
The agreement between God and the Israelites, of which these ordinances are a part, establishing the terms of their relationship.
Teaching Points
Understanding God's Justice
The ordinances in Exodus 21 reflect God's justice and concern for order within the community. They provide a framework for fair treatment and accountability.

The Role of Law in Society
These laws were given to maintain social order and protect individuals, especially the vulnerable. They remind us of the importance of laws in promoting justice and peace.

Moral and Ethical Living
The ordinances serve as a guide for moral and ethical behavior, encouraging us to live in a way that honors God and respects others.

Covenant Relationship
The giving of these ordinances is part of God's covenant with Israel, reminding us of the importance of living in faithful relationship with God.

Application to Modern Life
While the specific ordinances may not directly apply today, the principles of justice, fairness, and respect for others are timeless and relevant.
Bible Study Questions
1. How do the ordinances in Exodus 21 reflect God's character and His desire for justice among His people?

2. In what ways can the principles found in these ordinances be applied to our modern legal systems and societal norms?

3. How does understanding the context of these ordinances enhance our appreciation of the covenant relationship between God and His people?

4. What are some specific ways we can demonstrate fairness and justice in our daily interactions, inspired by the principles in Exodus 21?

5. How do the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament relate to the ordinances given in Exodus 21, and what does this mean for us as followers of Christ today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 20
The chapter preceding Exodus 21, which contains the Ten Commandments, setting the foundation for the ordinances that follow.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2
Emphasizes the importance of following God's statutes and ordinances as given to the Israelites, reinforcing the continuity of God's law.

Matthew 5:17-20
Jesus speaks about fulfilling the Law, highlighting the enduring significance of God's commandments and ordinances.

Romans 7:12
Paul describes the law as holy, righteous, and good, affirming the value of God's ordinances in guiding moral conduct.
Sermons
The Hebrew Commonwealth Founded on ReligionH. M. Field, D. D.Exodus 21:1
The JudgmentsJ. M. Gibson, D. D.Exodus 21:1
The JudgmentsJ. Orr Exodus 21:1
Regulations for the Treatment of SlavesD. Young Exodus 21:1-11
People
Moses
Places
Mount Sinai
Topics
Judgments, Laws, Ordinances
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 21:1

     7263   theocracy

Library
The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Kinsman Redeemer
'After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him.'--LEV. xxv. 48. There are several of the institutions and precepts of the Mosaic legislation which, though not prophetic, nor typical, have yet remarkable correspondences with lofty Christian truth. They may be used as symbols, if only we remember that we are diverting them from their original purpose. How singularly these words lend themselves to the statement of the very central truths of Christianity--a slavery …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Non-Resistance
'Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.'--MATT. v. 38-42. The old law …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Discourse of the Building, Nature, Excellency, and Government of the House of God; with Counsels and Directions to the Inhabitants Thereof.
BY JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. 'Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.'--Psalm 26:8 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Beautiful in its simplicity is this treatise on the Church of Christ, by John Bunyan. He opens, with profound knowledge and eminent skill, all those portions of sacred writ which illustrate the nature, excellency, and government of the house of God, with the personal and relative duties of its inhabitants. It was originally published in …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Appeal to the Christian Women of the South
BY A.E. GRIMKE. "Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not within thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place: but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this. And Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer:--and so will I go in unto the king, …
Angelina Emily Grimke—An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South

The Doctrine of Non-Resistance to Evil by Force Has Been Professed by a Minority of Men from the Very Foundation of Christianity. Of the Book "What
CHAPTER I. THE DOCTRINE OF NON-RESISTANCE TO EVIL BY FORCE HAS BEEN PROFESSED BY A MINORITY OF MEN FROM THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIANITY. Of the Book "What I Believe"--The Correspondence Evoked by it-- Letters from Quakers--Garrison's Declaration--Adin Ballou, his Works, his Catechism--Helchitsky's "Net of Faith"--The Attitude of the World to Works Elucidating Christ's Teaching--Dymond's Book "On War"--Musser's "Non-resistance Asserted"--Attitude of the Government in 1818 to Men who Refused to …
Leo Tolstoy—The Kingdom of God is within you

The Sermon on the Mount - the Kingdom of Christ and Rabbinic Teaching.
It was probably on one of those mountain-ranges, which stretch to the north of Capernaum, that Jesus had spent the night of lonely prayer, which preceded the designation of the twelve to the Apostolate. As the soft spring morning broke, He called up those who had learned to follow Him, and from among them chose the twelve, who were to be His Ambassadors and Representatives. [2500] [2501] But already the early light had guided the eager multitude which, from all parts, had come to the broad level …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Deputation from Jerusalem - the Three Sects of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes - Examination of their Distinctive Doctrines.
APART from the repulsively carnal form which it had taken, there is something absolutely sublime in the continuance and intensity of the Jewish expectation of the Messiah. It outlived not only the delay of long centuries, but the persecutions and scattering of the people; it continued under the disappointment of the Maccabees, the rule of a Herod, the administration of a corrupt and contemptible Priesthood, and, finally, the government of Rome as represented by a Pilate; nay, it grew in intensity …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Sixth Commandment
Thou shalt not kill.' Exod 20: 13. In this commandment is a sin forbidden, which is murder, Thou shalt not kill,' and a duty implied, which is, to preserve our own life, and the life of others. The sin forbidden is murder: Thou shalt not kill.' Here two things are to be understood, the not injuring another, nor ourselves. I. The not injuring another. [1] We must not injure another in his name. A good name is a precious balsam.' It is a great cruelty to murder a man in his name. We injure others in …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

That Deep Things Ought not to be Preached at all to Weak Souls.
But the preacher should know how to avoid drawing the mind of his hearer beyond its strength, lest, so to speak, the string of the soul, when stretched more than it can bear, should be broken. For all deep things should be covered up before a multitude of hearers, and scarcely opened to a few. For hence the Truth in person says, Who, thinkest thou, is the faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord has appointed over his household, to give them their measure of wheat in due season? (Luke xii. 42). …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia.
Part I. History of the Councils. Reason why two Councils were called. Inconsistency and folly of calling any; and of the style of the Arian formularies; occasion of the Nicene Council; proceedings at Ariminum; Letter of the Council to Constantius; its decree. Proceedings at Seleucia; reflections on the conduct of the Arians. 1. Perhaps news has reached even yourselves concerning the Council, which is at this time the subject of general conversation; for letters both from the Emperor and the Prefects …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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