Exod 20 – The Ten “Words” or Commandments:  The Schocken Bible points out that they are unusual in that no penalties are attached for breaking them as in the more detailed regulations that will follow.  They are the framework against which the more detailed infractions must be understood.  The order differs for Jews as it does for Catholics and Protestants.  The following is the Jewish division:

Tablet 1

• I am YHWH “who brought you out from the land of Egypt. . .
• You shall have no other gods before me. . .
• You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
• Remember the Sabbath. . .
• Honor your father and mother
• You shall not murder
• You shall not commit adultery
• You shall not steal
• You shall not bear false witness. . .
• You shall not covet. . .

Tablet 2

Catholics and Protestants take the first as an introductory passage and not a commandment.  Then Protestants divide the second; Catholics divide the covet commandment.

The passage that begins with verse 20:15 is very interesting, because the people here recoil from the personal encounter with YHWH whom they see in smoke and fire.  “They say to Moshe: You speak with us, and we will hearken, but let not God speak with us, lest we die!” The people do not want a “personal relationship” with this God.  He is too overwhelming, too frightening to encounter.  They want Moses to be their intermediary, and Moses tells them God has come to them in such awesome countenance to inspire “awe” or fear in them and to show the people that He cannot be contained in figures of silver or gold (20:20).

Exod 21 – Now we get into some of the details of the Mosaic Law, details that my Jerusalem Bible called the “Book of the Covenant” and notes come from the “Elohistic” tradition. This division of Old Testament texts into Jahwist, Elohist, Priestly and Deuteronomist traditions was very well established in the 20^th century, but more recent biblical study seems to have left it a bit undermined.

The chapter goes into much greater detail on a variety of things modern Quakers will likely find either uninteresting or disturbing: rules concerning slaves or serfs, women - those "sold" into marriage by their fathers and those who break the commandment against killing. Like most modern “states” the community here does not feel that the Mosaic commandment against killing applies to them - the community's leadership is empowered to subject offenders to the death penalty. It is imposed for intentional murders, for offenders who "strike" their father or mother or even curse their father or mother. Then the author goes through a whole array of cases that seem very “common law” [based on specific cases that must have come before the judges of the community]. The approach on setting penalties for crimes seems very similar to the Code of Hammurabi, which dates back to the 18^th c. BCE. The famous principle “eye for eye” appears in 21:23-25: “. . .if harm should occur, then you are to give life in place of life—eye in place of eye, tooth in place of tooth, hand in place of hand, foot in place of foot, burnt-scar in place of burnt-scar, wound in place of wound, bruise in place of bruise.”

If the eye put out belongs to a serf, however, the penalty will be his freedom.  The law also deals with mischief done by animals - mischief done by animals not properly contained by their owners. Irresponsibility to the community is punishable, and many misdeeds are to be penalized by money fines. 

Exod 22 – Perspective on more morally complex injuries and deeds: what to do if a thief is killed in the act of stealing—at night vs. during the day [a problem we still worry about]; allowing cattle to graze in other man’s field (or as the NAB translates it, fires set on purpose to other men’s fields); theft of other people’s property; injuries to animals in the custody of people who are not their owners; seduction of virgin girls, sorcery, bestiality, treatment of sojourners, widows, orphans, money lending.

Exod 23 – The discussion of various crimes continues: repeating false reports or rumors; siding with the majority to the perversion of justice; favoring the poor in a lawsuit when the facts do not support their cause [this is an interesting one]; finding lost property; care of animals—even if they belong to people who hate you and your help will indirectly help your enemy; not denying the needy they rights; keeping away from dishonesty; not condemning the innocent man to death; not sparing the guilty man; refusing bribes; not oppressing aliens; reminders about not tilling the soil each 7^th year-“that the poor among you may eat of it and the beast of the field may eat what the poor leave”; the Sabbath rest; celebration of the pilgrim feasts—Passover, Pentecost  (Shavu’ot or Weeks—wheat harvest and first fruits in early June) and booths (final grape harvest in late September or early October—called Sukkot or Huts).; offerings; not boiling a kid in its mother’s milk.

The chapter ends with a shift to preparing God's people to enter into the land God has promised them. God promises to send them his angel “to guard you. . . and bring you to the place I have prepared.  Be attentive to him and heed his voice” (23:20—hearkening often connotes obeying in Deuteronomy).  The Lord promises his blessings on those who are faithful—fertility, health, fullness of life (23:25). The victory over those in the land will not be quick but little by little (23:30).