Exodus 21:2-27

Listen to Exodus 21:2-27
2 If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee, and in the seventh year he shall go forth free for nothing.
3 If he should have come in alone, he shall also go forth alone; and if his wife should have gone in together with him, his wife also shall go out.
4 Moreover, if his master give him a wife, and she have him sons or daughters, the wife and the children shall be his master's; and he shall go forth alone.
5 And if the servant should answer and say, I love my master and wife and children, I will not go away free;
6 his master shall bring him to the judgment-seat of God, and then shall he bring him to the door, —to the door-post, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him for ever.
7 And if any one sell his daughter as a domestic, she shall not depart as the maid-servants depart.
8 If she be not pleasing to her master, after she has betrothed herself to him, he shall let her go free; but he is not at liberty to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has trifled with her.
9 And if he should have betrothed her to his son, he shall do to her according to the right of daughters.
10 And if he take another to himself, he shall not deprive her of necessaries and her apparel, and her companionship .
11 And if he will not do these three things to her, she shall go out free without money.
12 And if any man smite another and he die, let him be certainly put to death.
13 But as for him that did it not willingly, but God delivered him into his hands, I will give thee a place whither the slayer may flee.
14 And if any one lie in wait for his neighbour to slay him by craft, and he go for refuge, thou shalt take him from my altar to put him to death.
15 Whoever smites his father or his mother, let him be certainly put to death.
16 He that reviles his father or his mother shall surely die.
17 Whosoever shall steal one of the children of Israel, and prevail over him and sell him, and he be found with him, let him certainly die.
18 And if two men revile each other and smite the one the other with a stone or his fist, and he die not, but be laid upon his bed;
19 if the man arise and walk abroad on his staff, he that smote him shall be clear; only he shall pay for his loss of time, and for his healing.
20 And if a man smite his man-servant or his maid-servant, with a rod, and die under his hands, he shall be surely punished.
21 But if continue to live a day or two, let not be punished; for he is his money.
22 And if two men strive and smite a woman with child, and her child be born imperfectly formed, he shall be forced to pay a penalty: as the woman's husband may lay upon him, he shall pay with a valuation.
23 But if it be perfectly formed, he shall give life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 And if one smite the eye of his man-servant, or the eye of his maid-servant, and put it out, he shall let them go free for their eye's sake.
27 And if he should smite out the tooth of his man-servant, or the tooth of his maid-servant, he shall send them away free for their tooth's sake.

Exodus 21:2-27 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 21

In this, and the two following chapters, are delivered various laws and precepts, partly of a moral, and partly of a religious, but chiefly of a civil nature, respecting the commonwealth of Israel, and its political good. This chapter treats of servants, and laws relating to them; to menservants, how long they shall serve, and what is to be done to those who are desirous of staying with their masters after their time is up, Ex 21:1-6, to maidservants, and especially betrothed ones, either to a father or a son, Ex 21:7-11, likewise it contains laws concerning the slaughter of men, whether with design or unawares, Ex 21:12-14, and concerning the ill usage of parents, Ex 21:15,17, and man stealing, Ex 21:16 and of mischief that comes by men's quarrelling and fighting, Ex 21:18,19 and by smiting a man or maidservant, Ex 21:20,21,26,27, to a woman with child, that is, by means of men's striving and contending with each other, Ex 21:22-25 and of damages that come by oxen, or to them, Ex 21:28-36.

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Footnotes 2

  • [a] do not run away.
  • [b] who has.

The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.