And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
Exodus 21:23 belongs to the statutes, judgments, and additional precepts given through Moses to Israel to regulate dealings with one another and to explain duties toward one another. These detailed judgments illustrate, apply, and amplify the principles of the Ten Commandments, making the obligations of the Decalogue more fully understood and enforced and guarding the sacredness of the Ten Commandments. These added precepts were needed because the minds of Israel, blinded and debased by slavery, were not prepared to fully appreciate the far-reaching principles of the ten precepts.
Unlike the Ten Commandments proclaimed publicly by God, these judgments were delivered privately to Moses for him to communicate to the people. They were written by Moses as God directed so Israel would know what was required and would not confuse God's precepts with human customs or err in applying them. The verse states the principle that a life taken must be answered for with the loss of the killer's life. The law's protection extended even to enslaved people, so that one who murdered an enslaved person was to be punished.
The laws in these chapters guard against injustice and show care for the people as well as the impartiality and high standard of God's requirements. The instruction remains relevant to guide human conduct in dealings with one another and was to be strictly obeyed. Careful reading and obedience of these commandments would prevent the troubled condition now seen in the world.
Exodus 21:23 belongs to the statutes, judgments, and additional precepts given through Moses to Israel to regulate dealings with one another and to explain duties toward one another. These detailed judgments illustrate, apply, and amplify the principles of the Ten Commandments, making the obligations of the Decalogue more fully understood and enforced and guarding the sacredness of the Ten Commandments. These added precepts were needed because the minds of Israel, blinded and debased by slavery, were not prepared to fully appreciate the far-reaching principles of the ten precepts.
Unlike the Ten Commandments proclaimed publicly by God, these judgments were delivered privately to Moses for him to communicate to the people. They were written by Moses as God directed so Israel would know what was required and would not confuse God's precepts with human customs or err in applying them. The verse states the principle that a life taken must be answered for with the loss of the killer's life. The law's protection extended even to enslaved people, so that one who murdered an enslaved person was to be punished.
The laws in these chapters guard against injustice and show care for the people as well as the impartiality and high standard of God's requirements. The instruction remains relevant to guide human conduct in dealings with one another and was to be strictly obeyed. Careful reading and obedience of these commandments would prevent the troubled condition now seen in the world.