21:20 “If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or she 7 dies as a result of the blow, 8 he will surely be punished. 9
21:26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male servant or his female servant so that he destroys it, 10 he will let the servant 11 go free 12 as compensation for the eye.
1 sn These covenant promises are being reiterated here because they are about to be fulfilled. They are addressed to the nation, not individuals, as the plural suffixes show. Yahweh was their God already, because they had been praying to him and he is acting on their behalf. When they enter into covenant with God at Sinai, then he will be the God of Israel in a new way (19:4-6; cf. Gen 17:7-8; 28:20-22; Lev 26:11-12; Jer 24:7; Ezek 11:17-20).
2 tn Heb “from under the burdens of” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “from under the yoke of.”
3 tn Heb “a man…his brother.”
4 tn The perfect tense in this context requires the somewhat rare classification of a potential perfect.
5 tn This is a common form of praise. The verb בָּרוּךְ (barukh) is the Qal passive participle of the verb. Here must be supplied a jussive, making this participle the predicate: “May Yahweh be blessed.” The verb essentially means “to enrich”; in praise it would mean that he would be enriched by the praises of the people.
6 tn Heb “from under the hand of the Egyptians.”
7 tn Heb “so that he”; the words “or she” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 tn Heb “under his hand.”
9 tn Heb “will be avenged” (how is not specified).
9 tn The form וְשִׁחֲתָהּ (vÿshikhatah) is the Piel perfect with the vav (ל) consecutive, rendered “and destroys it.” The verb is a strong one, meaning “to ruin, completely destroy.”
10 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the male or female servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 sn Interestingly, the verb used here for “let him go” is the same verb throughout the first part of the book for “release” of the Israelites from slavery. Here, an Israelite will have to release the injured slave.
11 tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.
12 tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (’azav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).
13 sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.
13 tn Heb “after him”; NCV, NLT “after Aaron.”
14 tn The text just has the relative pronoun and the imperfect tense. It could be translated “who comes/enters.” But the context seems to indicate that this would be when he first comes to the tent to begin his tenure as High Priest, and so a temporal clause makes this clear. “First” has been supplied.
15 tn “Seven days” is an adverbial accusative of time. The ritual of ordination is to be repeated for seven days, and so they are to remain there in the court in full dress.
15 tn Heb “and he made.”
16 sn Since it was a small altar, it needed only two rings, one on either side, in order to be carried. The second mention of their location clarifies that they should be on the sides, the right and the left, as one approached the altar.
17 tn Heb “for houses.”