exodus 20 and 21

Read Exodus 20 and 21 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions:

Exo 20:1 {s} And God spoke all these words, saying
Exo 20:2-6 {s} Israel shall have no gods before YHVH
Exo 20:7 {p} Israel shall not take the name of YHVH in vain
Exo 20:8-11 {s} Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart
Exo 20:12 {s} Honor your father and mother
Exo 20:13 {s} You shall not murder
Exo 20:14 {s} You shall not commit adultery
Exo 20:15 {s} You shall not steal
Exo 20:16 {s} You shall not bear false witness
Exo 20:17a {s} You shall not covet your neighbor’s house
Exo 20:17b {p} You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s
Exo 20:18-21 {s} The fear of God prevents us from sinning (breaking commandment)
Exo 20:22-26 {p} Explanation of ‘Have no gods before Me.’
Exo 21:1-6 {s} Conditions for a Hebrew male slave to go out free
Exo 21:7-11 {s} Conditions for a Hebrew female slave to go out free
Exo 21:12-13 {s} Manslaughter is not murder
Exo 21:14 {s} Murder receives the death penalty
Exo 21:15 {s} Striking father or mother receives the death penalty
Exo 21:16 {s} Kidnapping receives the death penalty
Exo 21:17 {s} Cursing father or mother receives the death penalty
Exo 21:18-19 {s} Assault of a neighbor when he does not die
Exo 21:20-21 {s} Assault of a male or female slave when he does or does not die
Exo 21: 22-25 {s} Assault of a woman with child when the child does or does not die
Exo 21:26-27 {p} Conditions for male or female slaves to go out free
Exo 21:28-32 {s} Restitution when an ox gores a person to death
Exo 21:33-34 {s} Restitution when a pit causes the death of an animal
Exo 21:35-36 {s} Restitution when an ox causes the death of an animal

Exo 18:1-20:26 chiastic structure:

1a) Exo 18:1-27 {p}, YHVH is greater than all the gods;

1a) Exo 18:1-6, Jethro arrives to Moses;
1b) Exo 18:7-8, Moses met his father-in-law + Moses tells Jethro how YHVH judged Egypt;
1c) Exo 18:9-10, Jethro rejoiced in YHVH;
central axis) Exo 18:11, “Now I know that YHVH is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
2c) Exo 18:12a, Jethro sacrificed to YHVH;
2b) Exo 18:12b-27, Aaron + elders met Moses’ father-in-law + Jethro tells Moses how to judge Israel;
2a) Exo 18:27 {p} Jethro departs from Moses;

1b) Exo 19:1-25 {s}, Moses, the mediator of the marriage covenant between God and Israel;

central axis) Exo 20:1-17 {s+s+p+sx7+p}, God spoke the Ten Commandments;

1a) Exo 20:1-6 {s+s} 1st & 2nd: Keep the sanctity of the worship of YHVH;
1b) Exo 20:7 {p} 3rd: Keep the sanctity of YHVH’s name;
1c) Exo 20:8-11 {s} 4th: Keep the sanctity of YHVH’s Sabbath;
1d) Exo 20:12 {s} 5th: Keep the sanctity of YHVH’s authority;
central axis) Exo 20:13 {s} 6th: Keep the sanctity of life;
2d) Exo 20:14 {s} 7th: Keep the sanctity of marital intimacy;
2c) Exo 20:15 {s} 8th: Keep the sanctity of private property;
2b) Exo 20:16 {s} 9th: Keep the sanctity of truth;
2a) Exo 20:17 {s+p} 10th: Keep the sanctity of the heart’s affections;

2b) Exo 20:18-21 {s}, Moses, mediate between us and God lest we die;

2a) Exo 20:22-26 {p}, Preserve the sanctity of YHVH’s worship and altar.

We can look at Exo 21, what most Bible commentators label “Miscellaneous commandments” (they aren’t really) tomorrow.

But let’s pick up the strong themes from where we left off last time, because what they teach us is amazing!

The strong themes are from Exo 19:1-20:7, Exo 20:8-17, and Exo 20:18-26. These divisions, not where human logic would place them, seem to make no sense. But it is a puzzle with a truly elegant solution.

Exo 19:1-20:7, the first strong theme:

Exo 19:1-25 {s} YHVH descended upon Mt Sinai in fire, to enact the covenant with Israel
Exo 20:1 {s} And God spoke all these words, saying
Exo 20:2-6 {s} Israel shall have no gods before YHVH
Exo 20:7 {p} Israel shall not take the name of YHVH in vain

We saw yesterday when we were looking at Exo 19 that the structures revealed YHVH making a marriage covenant between Himself and Israel, which He introduced with His declaration of love. But then what does it mean that God includes the first three commandments of the Ten Commandments within this strong theme which seems to be about a marriage covenant? Did not Jesus tell us, that if we love Him, then keep His commandments? (Joh 14:15). So I propose that the first strong theme is:

Exo 19:1-20:7 {sx3+p} Marriage covenant: how YHVH has loved us + how we love YHVH

Exo 20:8-17, the second strong theme:

Exo 20:8-11 {s} Remember the Sabbath day to set it apart
Exo 20:12 {s} Honor your father and mother
Exo 20:13 {s} You shall not murder
Exo 20:14 {s} You shall not commit adultery
Exo 20:15 {s} You shall not steal
Exo 20:16 {s} You shall not bear false witness
Exo 20:17a {s} You shall not covet your neighbor’s house
Exo 20:17b {p} You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s

Now the next strong theme begins with the commandment about Sabbath rest, and also includes commandments which we would classify as doing no wrong to a neighbor (Rom 13:10).

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Rom 13:8-10

So I propose that this strong theme is:

Exo 20:8-17 {sx7+p} The commandments of God: how we love ourselves and others

There is no commandment of the Ten Commandments which has passed away and is obsolete, including Sabbath rest, for what defines love has not changed from that day to this.

Exo 20:18-26 , the third strong theme:

Exo 20:18-21 {s} The fear of God prevents us from sinning (breaking commandment)
Exo 20:22-26 {p} Explanation of ‘Have no gods before Me.’

When we fear God and not someone or something else, then we have no gods before Him. Likewise when we have no gods before Him, we fear Him and do not break His commandments, if He is truly our God. So the strong theme is:

Exo 20:18-26 {s+p} If God is our God, and not another idol, then we fear Him and keep His commandments (sin not).