Exodus 21

1 These be the dooms, which thou shalt set forth to them. (These be the laws, which thou shalt set forth to them.)

2 If thou buyest an Hebrew servant, he shall serve thee six years; in the seventh year he shall go out free, without price; (If thou buyest a Hebrew slave, he shall serve thee for six years; then in the seventh year he shall go out free, without payment of any money;)

3 with what manner cloak he entered, with such cloak go he out; if he entered having a wife, also the wife shall go out together with him.

4 But if the lord of a servant gave a wife to him, and she childed sons and daughters, the woman and her children shall be her lord's; soothly the servant shall go out with his own cloth. (But if the lord of a slave gave a wife to him, and she bare him sons and daughters, the woman and her children shall be her lord's; the slave shall go out free with only his own cloak.)

5 And if the servant saith, I love my lord, and my wife, and children, I will not go out free; (And if the slave saith, I love my lord, and my wife, and my children, and I shall not go out free;)

6 his lord shall bring him to [the] gods, that is, (to the) judges; and he shall be set to the door, and to the posts; and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl, and he shall be servant to him till into the world. (then his lord shall bring him to the judges; and he shall put him up against the door, or the door-post; and his lord shall pierce his ear with an awl, and then he shall be his slave forevermore.)

7 If any man selleth his daughter into a servantess, she shall not go out as handmaids were wont to go out; (If any man selleth his daughter to be a slave-girl, she shall not go out free like slaves can go out free;)

8 if she displeaseth in the eyes of her lord, to whom she was betaken, he shall deliver her; soothly he shall not have power, (or the right,) to sell her to an alien people, if he forsaketh her. (yea, if she displeaseth in the eyes of her lord, to whom she was delivered, then he shall sell her back to her father; and he shall not have the power, or the right, to sell her to a foreign people, if he forsaketh her.)

9 Forsooth if he weddeth her to his son, he shall do to her by the custom of daughters (he shall treat her like a daughter);

10 and if he take with this handmaid another woman, or wife, to his son, he shall purvey to the (first) damsel, or handmaid, weddings, and clothes, and he shall not deny her the price of (her) chastity, that is, the hour of yielding debt. (but if he get another wife, besides this woman, for his son, he shall still give this young woman her wedding, and her clothes, and he shall not deny her the rights of her marriage bed.)

11 If he doeth not to her these three (things), she shall go out freely without money. (And if he giveth her not these three things, then she shall go out free without payment of any money.)

12 He that smiteth a man, and will slay him, die he by death; (He who striketh a man, and killeth him, shall be put to death;)

13 forsooth if a man setteth not ambush, but God betook him into his hands, I shall ordain a place to thee (I shall ordain a place for thee), whither he oughteth to flee.

14 If any man slayeth his neighbour by before-casting, and by ambush, draw thou him away from mine altar, that he die (and put him to death).

15 He that smiteth his father, or his mother, die he by death. (He who striketh his father, or his mother, shall be put to death.)

16 He that curseth his father, or mother, die he by death. (He who curseth his father, or his mother, shall be put to death.)

17 He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if he is convicted of the guilt, die he by death (shall be put to death).

18 If men chide, and the tother smite his neighbour with a stone, or with the fist, and he is not dead, but lieth in the bed,

19 if he riseth (up), and goeth forth on his staff, he that smote (him) shall be innocent; so nevertheless that he restore (to him for) his travails, and his costs in leaches (and his expenses for physicians).

20 He that smiteth his servant, or handmaid, with a rod, and they be dead in his hands, he shall be guilty of the crime, or hideous trespass. (He who striketh his slave, or his slave-girl, with a rod, and they die by his hands, he shall be guilty of a crime, or of a hideous trespass.)

21 Soothly if the servant liveth over this beating one day, or twain, the smiter shall not be subject to the pain of death, for the servant is his master's chattel.

22 If men chide, and a man smiteth a woman with child, and soothly he maketh the child dead-born, but the woman liveth over that smiting, he shall be subject to the harm (he shall be subject to a fine), as much as the woman's husband asketh (for), and as the judges deem (appropriate).

23 Soothly if the death of her followeth (And if her death followeth), he shall yield life for life,

24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,

25 burning for burning, wound for wound, sore for sore.

26 If a man smiteth the eye of his servant, either of his handmaid, and maketh them one-eyed, he shall deliver them free for the eye which he put out (he shall let them go out free for the eye which he hath put out).

27 Also if he smite out a tooth of his servant, or (of) [his] handmaid, in like manner he shall deliver them free (likewise he shall let them go out free).

28 If an ox smiteth with his horn either man, or woman, and they be dead, the ox shall be thrown down with stones, and his flesh shall not be eaten, and the lord of the ox shall be guiltless. (If an ox striketh with his horn a man, or a woman, unto the death, the ox shall be thrown down with stones, and his flesh shall not be eaten, but the lord of the ox shall be guiltless.)

29 That if the ox was an horn-putter from yesterday and the third day ago, and men warned his lord, (yet) neither the lord closed him, and he slayeth a man, or a woman, both the ox shall be thrown adown with stones, and they shall slay his lord; (But if the ox was a horn-putter from yesterday and the third day ago, and men had warned his lord, but his lord did not enclose him, and he killeth a man, or a woman, the ox shall be thrown down with stones, and they shall also kill his lord;)

30 that if the price be put to the lord, he shall give for his life whatever he is asked. (but if a fine be put on the ox's lord, he shall give whatever he is asked for, as the ransom for his life.)

31 And if he smiteth with (his) horn a man's son, and his daughter (And if the ox striketh with his horn a man's son, or his daughter), his lord shall be subject to the same sentence.

32 If the ox assaileth a manservant, and an handmaid, the lord of the ox shall give thirty shekels of silver to the lord of that servant; forsooth the ox shall be oppressed with stones. (But if the ox assaileth a slave, or a slave-girl, the ox's lord shall give thirty shekels of silver to their lord, and the ox shall be thrown down with stones.)

33 If any man openeth a cistern, or a pit, and diggeth it, and covereth it not, and an ox either an ass falleth into it, (If anyone openeth a cistern, or a well, and diggeth it, and covereth it not up, and an ox or a donkey falleth into it,)

34 the lord of the cistern shall yield the price of the beasts (the lord of the cistern shall pay the fair value for the beast); forsooth that that is dead shall be his.

35 If one man's ox woundeth the ox of another man, and he is dead, they shall sell the quick ox, and they shall part the price (If one person's ox woundeth another person's ox, and it dieth, they shall sell the living ox, and they shall evenly divide the price); soothly they shall part betwixt them(selves) the carcass of the dead ox.

36 Forsooth if the lord knew, that his ox was a (horn)-putter from yesterday and the third day ago, and kept not him (and did not keep him in), he shall yield (another) ox for (the dead) ox, and he shall take the whole dead carcass.

Exodus 21 Commentary

Chapter 21

Laws respecting servants. (1-11) Judicial laws. (12-21) Judicial laws. (22-36)

Verses 1-11 The laws in this chapter relate to the fifth and sixth commandments; and though they differ from our times and customs, nor are they binding on us, yet they explain the moral law, and the rules of natural justice. The servant, in the state of servitude, was an emblem of that state of bondage to sin, Satan, and the law, which man is brought into by robbing God of his glory, by the transgression of his precepts. Likewise in being made free, he was an emblem of that liberty wherewith Christ, the Son of God, makes free from bondage his people, who are free indeed; and made so freely, without money and without price, of free grace.

Verses 12-21 God, who by his providence gives and maintains life, by his law protects it. A wilful murderer shall be taken even from God's altar. But God provided cities of refuge to protect those whose unhappiness it was, and not their fault, to cause the death of another; for such as by accident, when a man is doing a lawful act, without intent of hurt, happens to kill another. Let children hear the sentence of God's word upon the ungrateful and disobedient; and remember that God will certainly requite it, if they have ever cursed their parents, even in their hearts, or have lifted up their hands against them, except they repent, and flee for refuge to the Saviour. And let parents hence learn to be very careful in training up their children, setting them a good example, especially in the government of their passions, and in praying for them; taking heed not to provoke them to wrath. Through poverty the Israelites sometimes sold themselves or their children; magistrates sold some persons for their crimes, and creditors were in some cases allowed to sell their debtors who could not pay. But "man-stealing," the object of which is to force another into slavery, is ranked in the New Testament with the greatest crimes. Care is here taken, that satisfaction be made for hurt done to a person, though death do not follow. The gospel teaches masters to forbear, and to moderate threatenings, ( Ephesians 6:9 ) , considering with Job, What shall I do, when God riseth up? ( Job 31:13 Job 31:14 ) .

Verses 22-36 The cases here mentioned give rules of justice then, and still in use, for deciding similar matters. We are taught by these laws, that we must be very careful to do no wrong, either directly or indirectly. If we have done wrong, we must be very willing to make it good, and be desirous that nobody may lose by us.

Chapter Summary

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.