1
“These are the ordinances that you shall set before them.
2
If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve you six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free, without paying anything.
3
If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he was married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out by himself.
5
But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
6
then his master shall bring him before God, and shall bring him to the door or the doorpost; and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall serve him for life.
7
If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
8
If she does not please her master, who has taken her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed; he has no right to sell her to a foreign people, because he has dealt falsely with her.
9
If he takes her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the rights of daughters.
10
If he takes another wife, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
11
And if he does not do these three things for her, then she shall go out free, without paying money.
12
“Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death.
13
But if it was not done intentionally, but God allowed it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee.
14
But if a man acts presumptuously against his neighbor, killing him by deceit, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15
Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
16
Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he has sold him or he is still found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
17
Whoever curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18
If people quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, so that the other does not die but is forced to lie in bed,
19
then the one who struck him shall be free from punishment, if the other is able to rise again and walk outside with the help of a staff; only he must pay for the other man’s loss of time, and provide for his healing until he is well.
20
If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
21
But if the slave survives a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the slave is his property.
22
If men are fighting and one of them strikes a pregnant woman, so that her child is born early, but no fatal harm follows, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband sets it for him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.
23
But if fatal harm follows, then you shall give life for life,
24
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25
burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26
If a man strikes the eye of his male slave or the eye of his female slave and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free in compensation for the eye.
27
And if he knocks out a tooth of his male slave or a tooth of his female slave, he shall let the slave go free in compensation for the tooth.
28
If an ox gores a man or a woman so that they die, the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be free from punishment.
29
But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned, yet has not kept it under guard, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.
30
If a ransom is laid upon him, then he shall pay whatever is laid upon him as the price of his life.
31
If it gores a son or a daughter, this same rule shall be applied to its owner.
32
But if the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall give thirty shekels of silver to the slave’s master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33
If someone opens a pit, or if someone digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
34
the owner of the pit must make restitution: he must pay the owner in money for the animal, but the dead animal shall be his.
35
If one man’s ox injures another man’s ox so that it dies, then the live ox shall be sold, and the money divided; and the dead animal also shall be divided.
36
But if it is known that the ox has been in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it under control, he must make full restitution: ox for ox, but the dead animal shall be his.”
⚖️👨⚖️🔗 Summary of Exodus 21 – Social and Human Laws
Exodus 21 continues the revelation of God at Mount Sinai, containing social laws that regulate slavery, violence, and human responsibility within the community, as a practical application of the Ten Commandments.
1. Laws concerning Hebrew Servants (verses 1–11)
- A Hebrew servant must be set free in the seventh year.
- If he wishes to remain a servant out of love for his master, his ear is pierced at the door of the house as a sign of lifelong devotion.
- Special protection is given to female servants, so that they are not treated carelessly or abandoned.
2. Laws concerning Violence and Murder (verses 12–27)
- The law distinguishes between intentional murder (death penalty) and unintentional killing (one may flee to a place of refuge).
- Striking one’s parents or cursing father or mother is punished by death.
- Physical violence such as striking, injuring, or causing bodily harm is punished with fines and restitution.
- If someone beats his servant to death, it is considered a crime. But if the servant lives for several days, no severe punishment is imposed (this part shows the limits of social understanding at that time, yet there is still regulation for the protection of servants).
3. Laws concerning Social Responsibility (verses 28–36)
- If an ox gores someone to death, the ox must be stoned, and its owner is punished if negligent.
- If the victim is a slave, the owner of the ox must pay compensation.
- In other cases, fines and restitution are set according to the case.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord cares about social justice and humanity, not only matters of worship.
- Protection is given even to slaves and the lowly—something revolutionary in that time.
- Moral and legal responsibility rests on every action that harms another person.
- There is a difference between intentional and unintentional wrongdoing, showing that God’s justice is fair and considerate.
- The Lord desires a civilized, orderly, and responsible community.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- Although slavery existed at that time, God’s law gave limits and protection to the practice—moving toward a fuller understanding of human worth.
- The principle “eye for eye” (verse 24) is not a call to revenge, but rather a boundary of equal and fair justice—to prevent excessive punishment.
- Responsibility for livestock or property shows that faith affects how we treat one another and the environment.
- All of this shows that God calls His people to live rightly in horizontal relationships, not only vertically (with God).
