Exodus 21:1

The Decisions

21:1 ¹ “These are the decisions that you will set before them:

Deuteronomy 4:45

4:45 These are the stipulations, statutes, and ordinances that Moses spoke to the Israelites after he had brought them out of Egypt,

Deuteronomy 5:1

The Opening Exhortation

5:1 Then Moses called all the people of Israel together and said to them: ²  “Listen, Israel, to the statutes and ordinances that I am about to deliver to you today; learn them and be careful to keep them!

Psalms 119:20

119:20 I desperately long to know ³ 

your regulations at all times.

Psalms 119:106

119:106 I have vowed and solemnly sworn

to keep your just regulations.

Psalms 119:160

119:160 Your instructions are totally reliable;

all your just regulations endure. ⁴ 

Psalms 119:164

119:164 Seven ⁵  times a day I praise you

because of your just regulations.

Psalms 119:175

119:175 May I ⁶  live and praise you!

May your regulations help me! ⁷ 

Isaiah 26:8-9

26:8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, ⁸ 

O Lord, we wait for you.

We desire your fame and reputation to grow. ⁹ 

26:9 I ¹⁰  look for ¹¹  you during the night,

my spirit within me seeks you at dawn,

for when your judgments come upon the earth,

those who live in the world learn about justice. ¹² 

[21:1]  ¹ sn There follows now a series of rulings called “the decisions” or “the judgments” (הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים, hammishpatim). A precept is stated, and then various cases in which the law is applicable are examined. These rulings are all in harmony with the Decalogue that has just been given and can be grouped into three categories: civil or criminal laws, religious or cultic laws, and moral or humanitarian laws. The civil and criminal laws make up most of chap. 21; the next two chapters mix the other kinds of laws. Among the many studies of this section of the book are F. C. Fensham, “The Role of the Lord in the Legal Sections of the Covenant Code,” VT 26 (1976): 262-74; S. Paul, “Unrecognized Biblical Legal Idioms in Light of Comparative Akkadian Expressions,” RB 86 (1979): 231-39; M. Galston, “The Purpose of the Law According to Maimonides,” JQR 69 (1978): 27-51.

[5:1]  ² tn Heb “and Moses called to all Israel and he said to them”; NAB, NASB, NIV “Moses summoned (convened NRSV) all Israel.”

[119:20]  ³ tn Heb “my soul languishes for longing for.”

[119:160]  ⁴ tn Heb “the head of your word is truth, and forever [is] all your just regulation.” The term “head” is used here of the “sum total” of God’s instructions.

[119:164]  ⁵ tn The number “seven” is use rhetorically to suggest thoroughness.

[119:175]  ⁶ tn Heb “my life.”

[119:175]  ⁷ tn God’s regulations will “help” the psalmist by giving him moral and ethical guidance.

[26:8]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text has, “yes, the way of your judgments.” The translation assumes that “way” is related to the verb “we wait” as an adverbial accusative (“in the way of your judgments we wait”). מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (mishpatekha, “your judgments”) could refer to the Lord’s commandments, in which case one might translate, “as we obey your commands.” However, in verse 9 the same form refers to divine acts of judgment on evildoers.

[26:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “your name and your remembrance [is] the desire of [our?] being.”

[26:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with my soul I.” This is a figure for the speaker himself (“I”).

[26:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “long for, desire.” The speaker acknowledges that he is eager to see God come in judgment (see vv. 8, 9b).

[26:9]  ¹² tn The translation understands צֶדֶק (tsedeq) in the sense of “justice,” but it is possible that it carries the nuance “righteousness,” in which case one might translate, “those who live in the world learn to live in a righteous manner” (cf. NCV).