Exodus 21:1

The Decisions

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

Exodus 23:6

23:6 “You must not turn away justice for your poor people in their lawsuits.

Exodus 21:9

21:9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rights ²  of daughters.

Exodus 26:30

26:30 You are to set up the tabernacle according to the plan ³  that you were shown on the mountain.

Exodus 21:31

21:31 If the ox ⁴  gores a son or a daughter, the owner ⁵  will be dealt with according to this rule. ⁶ 

Exodus 28:30

28:30 “You are to put the Urim and the Thummim ⁷  into the breastpiece of decision; and they are to be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. Aaron is to bear the decisions ⁸  of the Israelites over his heart before the Lord continually.

Exodus 15:25

15:25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him ⁹  a tree. ¹⁰  When Moses ¹¹  threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord ¹²  made for them ¹³  a binding ordinance, ¹⁴  and there he tested ¹⁵  them.

Exodus 28:15

28:15 “You are to make a breastpiece for use in making decisions, ¹⁶  the work of an artistic designer; you are to make it in the same fashion as the ephod; you are to make it of gold, blue, purple, scarlet, and fine twisted linen.

Exodus 28:29

28:29 Aaron will bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of decision over his heart ¹⁷  when he goes into the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.

Exodus 24:3

24:3 Moses came ¹⁸  and told the people all the Lord’s words ¹⁹  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ²⁰  “We are willing to do ²¹  all the words that the Lord has said,”

[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.

[21:9]  ² tn Or “after the manner of” (KJV, ASV); NRSV “shall deal with her as with a daughter.”

[26:30]  ³ tn The noun is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), often translated “judgment” or “decision” in other contexts. In those settings it may reflect its basic idea of custom, which here would be reflected with a rendering of “prescribed norm” or “plan.”

[21:31]  ⁴ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the ox) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to this judgment it shall be done to him.”

[28:30]  ⁵ sn The Urim and the Thummim were two objects intended for determining the divine will. There is no clear evidence of their size or shape or the material of which they were made, but they seem to have been familiar items to Moses and the people. The best example of their use comes from 1 Sam 14:36-42. Some have suggested from the etymologies that they were light and dark objects respectively, perhaps stones or sticks or some other object. They seem to have fallen out of use after the Davidic period when the prophetic oracles became popular. It may be that the title “breastpiece of judgment” indicates that these objects were used for making “decisions” (J. P. Hyatt, Exodus [NCBC], 283-84). U. Cassuto has the most thorough treatment of the subject (Exodus, 378-82); he lists several very clear rules for their uses gathered from their instances in the Bible, including that they were a form of sacred lot, that priests or leaders of the people only could use them, and that they were used for discovering the divine will in areas that were beyond human knowledge.

[28:30]  ⁶ tn Or “judgment” (KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV). The term is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat), the same word that describes the breastpiece that held the two objects. Here it is translated “decisions” since the Urim and Thummim contained in the breastpiece represented the means by which the Lord made decisions for the Israelites. The high priest bore the responsibility of discerning the divine will on matters of national importance.

[15:25]  ⁶ tn The verb is וַיּוֹרֵהוּ (vayyorehu, “and he showed him”). It is the Hiphil preterite from יָרָה (yarah), which has a basic meaning of “to point, show, direct.” It then came to mean “to teach”; it is the verb behind the noun “Law” (תּוֹרָה, torah).

[15:25]  ⁷ tn Or “a [piece of] wood” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, TEV, CEV); NLT “a branch.”

[15:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:25]  ⁹ tn Heb “there he”; the referent (the Lord) is supplied for clarity.

[15:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for him” (referring to Israel as a whole).

[15:25]  ¹¹ tn This translation interprets the two nouns as a hendiadys: “a statute and an ordinance” becomes “a binding ordinance.”

[15:25]  ¹² tn The verb נִסָּהוּ (nissahu, “and he tested him [them]”) is from the root נָסָה (nasah). The use of this word in the Bible indicates that there is question, doubt, or uncertainty about the object being tested.

[28:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “a breastpiece of decision” (חֹשֶׁן מִשְׁפָּט, khoshen mishpat; so NAB). The first word, rendered “breastpiece,” is of uncertain etymology. This item was made of material similar to the ephod. It had four rows of three gems on it, bearing the names of the tribes. In it were the urim and thummim. J. P. Hyatt refers to a similar object found in the Egyptian reliefs, including even the twisted gold chains used to hang it from the priest (Exodus [NCBC], 282).

[28:29]  ⁸ sn So Aaron will have the names of the tribes on his shoulders (v. 12) which bear the weight and symbol of office (see Isa 9:6; 22:22), and over his heart (implying that they have a constant place in his thoughts [Deut 6:6]). Thus he was to enter the presence of God as the nation’s representative, ever mindful of the nation’s interests, and ever bringing the remembrance of it before God (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 306).

[24:3]  ⁹ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ¹⁰ sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ¹¹ tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ¹² tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.