Exodus 21 Research Paper

Exodus 21 about the laws that will or was governing the Ancient society upon slavery. They were addressing the masters and their slaves, the husband and his wife, the father and his children. In any consideration of the rights of persons, those of the slave class naturally presented themselves first of all, since they were the most liable to infraction. Slaves might be either natives or foreigners. A Hebrew could become a slave through crime (Exodus 22:3); through indebtedness (Leviticus 25:39); (3) through his father’s right to sell him (Nehemiah 5:5). Foreign slaves might be either prisoners taken in war, or persons bought of their owners (Leviticus 25:45.

Exodus 22nd outlines how long the Hebrew serves when there are convicted, “Six years shall he serve.” The Hebrew was not to be retained in slavery for a longer space than six years. If a jubilee year occurred before the end of the six years, then he regained his freedom earlier (Leviticus 25:39-41); but in no case could he be retained more than six years in the slave condition, except by his own

The closing law, however, is not ceremonial, but the prohibition of a practice considered to be cruel.

Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, all the words which the LORD hath said will we do Exodus 24:3. Moses gave them an outline of the legislation which he subsequently committed to writing (Exodus 24:4) and formed into “the Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:7). Its general purport and main heads were communicated, but probably not all its details. The people willingly gave in their adhesion, feeling the laws to be “holy, just, and good,” and not yet knowing how difficult they would find it to render a perfect