Laws in the book of exodus

It all just comes back to a power struggle between the egyptian godking pharaoh and god. It takes the story of the israelites from their presence in and oppression by egypt up to the reception of the divine law that occupies the entire book of leviticus and much of numbers. The name was retained by the latin vulgate, by the jewish author philo a contemporary of christ and by the syriac version. This literary complex can be divided into four major units. Bible survery exodus hebrew name velleh shemoth these are the names greek name exodus departure author moses date from. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor exodus 20. Intro to exodus biblica the international bible society. Book of exodus, session 1 introduction yale divinity school. Indeed, the law exists as a way of life for moses and his people. The first part of exodus is mostly stories, and the second part is mostly a record of the laws which are the basis for how they interact with god and other people. In exodus, god invites the israelites into a covenant and comes to live among.

Yahweh will protect israel as his chosen people for all time, and israel will keep yahwehs laws and worship only him. The title in the greek, latin, and english versions means a going out, referring to the seminal event of the liberation of israel from egyptian bondage through the wondrous acts and power of god. The book begins with the story of moses birth and adoption by the egyptian princess. The book of numbers also covers some of the same time period as the book of exodus. Introduction to the book of exodus learn religions. Although the three hebrew slave laws may not represent exactly the same cases, the differences between them are indicative of different laws, from different times and places, reflecting different ideas of slavery.

The israelites are right where we left them in genesis, hanging out in egypt and multiplying. The book of exodus furnishes an excellent paradigm for studying the covenant and the law throughout the old testament. Roy honeycutt says of this section, all of exodus 118 is preparatory to the events described in 1924, and the sinai narrative 19. Exodus 20 to 23, commonly called the book of the covenant, contains in addition to the ten commandments a series of laws most of which begin with the word if. Chapters 118 narrate the history of the egyptian bondage, the exodus from egypt, and the journey to mount sinai under the leadership of moses. Covenant, book of the definition and meaning bible. Human beings are not created to be autonomous, each man a law unto himself, but rather to be subject to gods law. Moses was the author of the book of exodus exodus 17. And in many ways, exodus is the covenant book its the rules, the history, and the contract all wrapped up into one you probably remember abrahams covenant with god from genesis. Book of exodus, freedom of gods people from slavery, the patriarchs, abraham, isaac, jacob, joseph. God rescues and delivers his people as he guides them into the unfamiliar desert. This summary of the book of exodus provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of exodus. Now 40 years old moses is incensed over an episode where he witnesses an egyptian beat a hebrew slave.

The second half of the book tells of the covenant that was established between god and israel at sinai and promulgates laws for the ordering of israels life since exodus continues the sacred story of the divine promise to israel begun in genesis. Its hebrew title, shemoth names, is from the book s opening phrase, these are the names. The greek septuagint lxx, and the latin vulgate versions of the old testament assigned the title exodus to this second book of moses, because the departure of israel from egypt is the dominant historical fact in the book 19. The book celebrates and memorializes this great saving event in song and story and also the awesome revelation and covenant at mt. But then a new pharaoh comes to power, and he starts enslaving the israelites.

Various dates have been suggested for the compilation of the book of the covenant, ranging from the period of moses to postexilic times. Its hebrew title, shemoth names, is from the books opening phrase, these are the names. The book of exodus was written between 1440 and 1400 b. Exodus is the book which speaks of the physical and spiritual birth of israel as a nation. Book of exodus overview insight for living ministries. Exodus records more miracles of god than any other book in the old testament. Exodus 21 these are the laws you are to set bible gateway. The book of exodus is the story of god rescuing the children of israel from egypt and forging a special relationship with them. Exodus is not a critical evaluation of the rights and wrongs associated with slavery. List of gods laws christianity knowledge base fandom. Gather for the reading of the law every seventh year. There god institutes his system of laws, gives instruction in worship and establishes his people as the nation of israel.

Exodus is a latin word derived from greek exodos, the name given to the book by those who translated it into greek. In gods timing, the exodus of the israelites from egypt marked the end of a period of oppression for abrahams descendants genesis 15. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy. Deliverance of israel, suffering, divine presence, law and worship. In the hebrew bible, the opening words, and or now, these are the names, served as the title. We begin by recognizing that exodus is an integral part of the whole of scripture, not a standalone legal statue. Moses shows the stone tablets with the ten commandments to the jewish people. Exodus is the second book of the pentateuch the five books of moses, and its where we find the stories of the ten plagues, the first passover, the parting of the red sea, and the ten commandments. Jethro, moses fatherin law, gave him his blessing to return to his people in obedience to god exodus 4. This happened when the israelites had left egypt and.

Moses had sent zipporah and their sons back to midian, rather than take them to egypt, perhaps due to the dangers he would face in leading an entire nation out of slavery. The title exodus comes from the septuagint, which derived it from the primary event found in the book, the deliverance from slavery and exodus or departure of the. Weighing in at a little over 300 pages, this is a relatively brief treatment of the case laws, the applications of the decalogue to specific cases or circumstances. The key personalities include moses, miriam, pharaoh, pharaohs daughter, aaron, and joshua. Several statements in exodus indicate that moses wrote certain sections of the book see 17. Exodus is the second book of the pentateuch the five books of moses, and its where we find the stories of the ten plagues, the first passover, the parting of the red sea, and the ten commandments the book gets its name from the nation. Cassuto, a commentaru 0n the book of exodus, trans. Additionally, other biblical books refer to the law of moses joshua 1. The book of exodus consists mainly of two genres, narrative history and laws. It was written to record the events of israels deliverance from slavery in egypt.

There are also paradigmatic laws which are designed to give broad guidance for specific situations that arise. The second book of the pentateuch is called exodus, from the greek word for departure, because its central event was understood by the septuagints translators to be the departure of the israelites from egypt. The book of exodus is the second book of the bible and describes the exodus, which includes the israelites deliverance from slavery in egypt through the hand of yahweh, the revelations at biblical mount sinai, and the subsequent divine indwelling of god with israel. A lot goes down in exodus, so lets break it down into five sections. No doubt the laws contained in the book of the covenant were to a large extent old laws, which had been often acted on. That shows us that exodus is not really a completely separate book.

Exodus is the harshest version, and deuteronomy, with its humanitarian view, ameliorates somewhat the fate of the israelite slave. Although portions of exodus are devoted to legal matters, the declaration of law in exodus always comes in the form of a story, relayed by discussions between god and moses, and between moses and. Spread over the books of exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy, it tells the myth of the enslavement of the israelites in ancient egypt, their liberation through the hand of their tutelary deity yahweh, the revelations at biblical mount sinai, and their wanderings in the wilderness up to the borders of canaan, the land their god has given. Book of exodus, session 1 introduction the book of exodus is the second book of the torah or pentateuch, the first five books of the old testament. This tendency is continued in leviticus, which more. It is clear in the book of exodus that the cost of our sin is death, and we are in need of a perfect sacrifice to make atonement for our sins. The extensive laws on sacrifices foreshadow christs work on the cross. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. Moses shows the tables of the law, from the book of exodus. The climax of the exodus is the covenant binding legal agreement between god and israel mediated by moses at sinai. The book of exodus begins more than four hundred years after joseph, his brothers, and the pharaoh he once served have all died. The nt also claims mosaic authorship for various passages in exodus see, e. Watch our overview video on exodus 1940, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.

The new leadership in egyptfeeling threatened by jacobs descendants, who have increased greatly in sizeembarks on a campaign to subdue the israelites, forcing them into slavery and eventually decreeing that all hebrew boys must be. The covenant is more than just an agreement between god and the israelites. The book of exodus is the second book of the bible and describes the exodus, which includes the israelites deliverance from slavery in egypt through the hand of yahweh, the revelations at biblical mount sinai, and the subsequent divine indwelling of god with israel exodus is traditionally ascribed to moses, but modern scholars see its initial composition as a product of the babylonian. They called them the torah, which means law or instruction. Free online bible library the book of the covenant. Like rushdoonys magnum opus, the institutes of biblical law, tools of dominion is a work focusing its commentary on the long neglected aspect of scriptural cause and effect otherwise known as casuistry. That lawsummed up in the two great commands to love god and to love your neighbor as yourselfis abundantly set forth in scripture, from the commandment given to adam in the garden, to the ten commandments, to the teachings of jesus and the new testament letters. Moses, aaron, and pharaoh book of exodus key verses. Exodus is a book of redemption in which god delivers his people out of bondage and brings them into a special relationship with himself. The common opinion that the bible is a moral code book for christians falls far short, of course, of the full reality of what the bible is and does.

Jan 21, 2016 watch our overview video on exodus 1940, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. All the words that the lord has spoken, we will do. The theme of these chapters is the covenant and law. The laws are part of the narrative of gods graciously establishing a. The second half of the book tells of the covenant that was established between god and israel at sinai and promulgates laws for the ordering of israels life since exodus continues the sacred story of the divine promise to israel. After all, the israelites themselves kept slaves and had laws for dealing with them. The foundation of biblical ethics and morality is laid out first in the gracious character of god as revealed in the exodus itself and then in the ten commandments and the ordinances of the book of the covenant 20.

The second half of the book tells of the covenant that was established between god and israel at sinai and promulgates laws for the ordering of israels life. Nov 17, 2018 the book of exodus is the story of god rescuing the children of israel from egypt and forging a special relationship with them. Hebrew servants if you buy a hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. Moses shows the tables of the law, from the book of exodus marc chagall 1966. The key personalities include moses, miriam, pharaoh, pharaoh s daughter, aaron, and joshua. Summary of the book of exodus the story of the bible. It has its own quirks, subtleties, and superweird moments. It contains the stories of enslavement and liberation, of revelation and wanderings, of belief and apostasy. The case laws of exodus is perhaps one of the most important books ever to be written during the 20th century. Torah is not merely a list of laws, but, rather, the notion of law as a way of life. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her. The principle is also present in the code of hammurabi about 18501750 bc, though that code does not prioritize human life as highly as the torah does. These 5 books were the first part of the hebrew bible. Slavery was just a part of life in the ancient world.

Free bible version and commentary on the book of exodus in. Then a new king, who did not know about joseph, came to power in. The introduction to this book recognizes exodus as a christian book, although it respects its prechristian roots in the hebrew bible. The term judgment applies most properly to the decisions of courts and the laws founded upon them. Covenant, book of the definition and meaning bible dictionary.