Exodus 27, The Altar and Courtyard

Instructions for the building of the Tabernacle continue.

Exodus 27:1-8, Altar

"Build an altar of acacia wood, three cubits high; it is to be square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece, and overlay the altar with bronze.    

    

Make all its utensils of bronze--its pots to remove the ashes, and its shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans.

    

Make a grating for it, a bronze network, and make a bronze ring at each of the four corners of the network. Put it under the ledge of the altar so that it is halfway up the altar.

    

Make poles of acacia wood for the altar and overlay them with bronze. The poles are to be inserted into the rings so they will be on two sides of the altar when it is carried.

    

Make the altar hollow, out of boards. 

    

It is to be made just as you were shown on the mountain.

In verse 1, since a cubit is estimated to be about 1.5 feet then the height of the altar is about 4.5 feet (a little over a meter) and its width is about 7.5 feet, just over 2 meters.

There is an interesting phrase at the end of this paragraph, in a reference to designs shown to Moses up on the mountain. The author of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews will use this to suggest (Hebrews 8: 5) that there is a real heavenly tabernacle of which the earthly one is merely a copy. 

Exodus 27:9-11, Courtyard

"Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. 

    

"The north side shall also be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains, with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases and with silver hooks and bands on the posts.  The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases. On the east end, toward the sunrise, the courtyard shall also be fifty cubits wide."

The courtyard is about 150 feet by 75 feet, larger than a basketball court but slightly smaller than half a football field.

           

Exodus 27:14-15, Curtains

Curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, and curtains fifteen cubits long are to be on the other side, with three posts and three bases.

The curtains are over 20 feet long.

Exodus 27:16-19, Entrance to the courtyard

"For the entrance to the courtyard, provide a curtain twenty cubits long, of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen--the work of an embroiderer--with four posts and four bases. All the posts around the courtyard are to have silver bands and hooks, and bronze bases.

    

The courtyard shall be a hundred cubits long and fifty cubits wide, with curtains of finely twisted linen five cubits high, and with bronze bases.  All the other articles used in the service of the tabernacle, whatever their function, including all the tent pegs for it and those for the courtyard, are to be of bronze.

Intricate details of the beauty of the courtyard are described here.

Exodus 27:20-21, Keep the lamps burning

"Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the LORD from evening till morning. 

    

"This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come."

The lamps of the Tent of Meeting are to burn perpetually. One might notice that there are lots of times in the future where the Tent of Meeting seems to be in disrepair or abandoned, much less the lamps!

First published Match 31, 2023; updated Match 31, 2026

Exodus 26, The Tabernacle

God continues to give Moses precise instructions on constructing the tabernacle.  Artists' rendition of this tabernacle are at this Wikipedia site.

Exodus 26:1-6, Ten curtains

"Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim worked into them by a skilled craftsman. All the curtains are to be the same size--twenty-eight cubits long and four cubits wide. 

    

"Join five of the curtains together, and do the same with the other five. Make loops of blue material along the edge of the end curtain in one set, and do the same with the end curtain in the other set. Make fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the end curtain of the other set, with the loops opposite each other.  Then make fifty gold clasps and use them to fasten the curtains together so that the tabernacle is a unit."

Presumably these curtains form walls for the tabernacle.  In verse 2, the curtains are about 42 feet long and 6 feet wide.

Exodus 26:7-13, And an eleventh curtain

"Make curtains of goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle--eleven altogether. All eleven curtains are to be the same size--thirty cubits long and four cubits wide. Join five of the curtains together into one set and the other six into another set. Fold the sixth curtain double at the front of the tent. Make fifty loops along the edge of the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the other set. Then make fifty bronze clasps and put them in the loops to fasten the tent together as a unit.

     

"As for the additional length of the tent curtains, the half curtain that is left over is to hang down at the rear of the tabernacle. The tent curtains will be a cubit longer on both sides; what is left will hang over the sides of the tabernacle so as to cover it."

The curtains for the tent over the tabernacle are a little bit longer than the curtains mentioned previously in verse 2. Instead of being 28 cubits in length (about 42 feet) hey are 30 cubits in length (about 45 feet.)

Exodus 26:14-25, Tent covering

Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows.

    

"Make upright frames of acacia wood for the tabernacle. Each frame is to be ten cubits long and a cubit and a half wide, with two projections set parallel to each other. Make all the frames of the tabernacle in this way.    

    

"Make twenty frames for the south side of the tabernacle and make forty silver bases to go under them--two bases for each frame, one under each projection. For the other side, the north side of the tabernacle, make twenty frames and forty silver bases--two under each frame. Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle, and make two frames for the corners at the far end. At these two corners they must be double from the bottom all the way to the top, and fitted into a single ring; both shall be like that. So there will be eight frames and sixteen silver bases--two under each frame."

The frames are about 15 feet long and a little over two feet wide.

Exodus 26:26-30, Crossbars

"Also make crossbars of acacia wood: five for the frames on one side of the tabernacle, five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle. The center crossbar is to extend from end to end at the middle of the frames.

    

"Overlay the frames with gold and make gold rings to hold the crossbars. Also overlay the crossbars with gold."

Everything is rich and elegant, overlaid with gold.

Exodus 26:30, Reminder

 "Set up the tabernacle according to the plan shown you on the mountain.

The instructions for this traveling worship center are intricate and precise.  We see, again, an emphasis of "get the pattern right!"

Exodus 26:31-33, The curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place

"Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.

Beautiful curtains separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies.) In the ancient Near East, colorful yarn would have been expensive.

Exodus 26:34-37, The Holy of Holies

"Put the atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. Place the table outside the curtain on the north side of the tabernacle and put the lampstand opposite it on the south side.

    

"For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen--the work of an embroiderer. Make gold hooks for this curtain and five posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold. And cast five bronze bases for them."

Here we read additional emphasis on separating the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place.

Some Hebrew vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for the day is yam,

יָם

a masculine noun meaning "sea." Since the Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, was west of Canaan, the word also came to mean "west" and it is used this way in verses 22 and 26 to describe the west side of the tabernacle.

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First published March 30, 2023; updated March 30, 2026

The Gospel according to Exodus

In among the Vacation-Bible-School stories of a burning bush, of ten miraculous plagues, of a path through the sea, of drowned Egyptian soldiers and pillars of fire and cloud, the book of Exodus includes considerable dialogue between YHWH, the Creator of the universe, and our reluctant hero Moses.  It took numerous readings (and some suggestions from commentators) before I realized how remarkable those conversations are!

For example, after the gross idolatry of the golden calf, while Moses is still on the mountain, YHWH says, "I see what these people are doing! Leave me alone so that I can destroy them and then start all over with you, Moses, to make a great nation out of you." (This is Exodus 32:9-10, loosely translated.)

Moses responds, "Wait! You brought these people out of Egypt with your 'mighty hand' and 'outstretched arm'. You showed Yourself to the Egyptians! But what will the Egyptians say if now you destroy this people?"

And so YHWH, responding to the plea of Moses, relents and decides not to destroy the people. (Exodus 32:11-14.)  

Then Moses went down the mountain and saw, for himself, what the people were really doing, and he lost his temper! (Exodus 32:19-20.) Moses agrees that the people have grievously sinned against YHWH. It is clear that YHWH will not put up with this rebellion and sinfulness. After more conversation with Moses, YHWH orders the people into the desert, to led by an angel (Exodus 33: 1-6), but states that He, YHWH, will not go with them, lest he destroy them because of their stubbornness. YHWH will not condescend to their rebellion!  It is He Who created the universe, not them!  

When the people realize the consequence of this statement, they weep and take off their jewelry. They realize that they do not really want to be abandoned.

Then YHWH says to Moses, "Let's talk." (Exodus 33:7-11.) 

At this point we have a remarkable conversation, even an argument. (Exodus 33:12-13.) Moses says, "Wait a minute!  You have, all along, told me to lead this people! You have said, 'I know you by name' and that you are pleased with me. I beg you, please, teach me your ways so that I may find favor with you!"  Moses then adds, "Remember, this nation is Your people!" He essentially repeats the earlier argument that YHWH has made promises to create a great nation in the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

God responds (Exodus 33:14-18), "OK, my Presence will go with you and give you rest."

Moses says, "If You don't go with us, don't send us on!"  He adds, a moment later, "How else will the nations be able to distinguish us from the other peoples of the earth?" In this remark, he reminds YHWH of YHWH's plan to create a special people who will be a blessing to all the earth.

To this God responds, "Yes, I will do the very thing you ask. I am pleased with you and know you by name."

To which Moses responds, "Show me your glory!"

After that, YHWH starts all over again with a covenant with Moses and the broken people of Israel. Moses, in his persistence, has caused YHWH to "relent" from His plan to begin again with just Moses. In Exodus 34:8-10, as Moses intercedes for the people of Israel, YHWH agrees to a covenant with "these stiff-necked people". With these people, YHWH says, "I will do wonders never done in any nation before! The people around you will see how awesome is the work that I, YHWH, do for you!"

We then have the covenant given, again, with its sacrificial system, to this "stiff-necked" broken people.

There is a lot here. As described throughout the book of Genesis, YHWH has a plan to bless all nations through descendants of Abraham.  But (as is also clear in Genesis), humans are broken, selfish and stubborn. YHWH will not overlook this and ignore it. This stubbornness ("sin") is egregious and deadly.  So YHWH creates a covenant with the people of Israel, a path towards redemption (and Eden.) Yet in so doing, YHWH listens to -- even argues with -- Moses! This conversation is face to face, speaking as friend to friend. This communication is so remarkable that Moses's face glows!  (Exodus 34: 33-35.)

Before modern Christians interrupt this passage with "theology", arguing that God does not relent/repent, that God does not change His mind and that all events are "predestined" for all time, I want to do a bit of meditation on the conversations of Exodus 32-34. We Christians believe in "prayer" (that is, conversing with God and making requests of Him), yet much theology has taught me, indirectly, that God always has His plan and that making requests of Him are only asking Him to do what He already planned to do. So why pray? Why make requests of YHWH at all?

Yet Moses (and later David) very boldly went to YHWH and said, "Remember your plan and please do the following..."  And YHWH said, "Yes, I will do the very thing you ask. I am pleased with you and know you by name."

Indeed, in the New Testament, the author of the letter to Hebrews insists that, through Messiah Yeshua, each of us, ourselves, can enter the Most Holy Place and make direct requests to YHWH. (Hebrews 10:19-22 and Hebrews 12: 18-24.) 

Much earlier, on a mountain at Sinai, a reluctant, stuttering Moses showed us the way.

Exodus 25, A Sanctuary for YHWH

Moses spends forty days with YHWH on Mount Sinai.  There are then seven conversations with Moses. Here is the first.

Exodus 25:1-7, Offerings for the Tabernacle

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.    

    

"These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.

Are these instruction given while Moses is within the cloud?

Gold, silver, bronze and other valuable materials will be used to create a sanctuary, a "tabernacle" that will represent a place that YHWH resides.  

NIV footnotes say that "sea cows" could be translated "dugongs". A dugong is a large sea animal similar to the manatee. But Robert Alter argues that the Hebrew word tehashim (singular tachash, תַּחַשׁ) is close to an Arkadian term for a yellow or orange dye. If this is a loan word from Arkadian, this term fits with the colors and dyes described earlier in the sentence.

  

Exodus 25:8-9, Follow the pattern given!

"Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The people are to follow these instructions completely. Presumably this structure will be with the people of Israel for centuries.

As we read further in the text, it helps to have an image of the tabernacle before us.  A Wikipedia page on the tabernacle includes this sketch.

The main items in the outer courtyard were an altar of burnt offering and a washbasin (here "lavar".) Inside the Holy Place, where only priests could enter, was the altar of incense, the lampstand (here "golden candlestick") and the table of shewbread.  In the Holy of Holy, only, was the Ark of the Covenant.

Exodus 25:10-15, A chest

"Have them make a chest of acacia wood--two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.

It is strange to me to imagine an ancient Hebrew text which is (here) a construction manual! (NIV footnotes translate the measurements in verse 10 as a chest "about 3 3/4 feet long and 2 1/4 feet wide and high.")

The poles are to be a permanent part of the ark, so that the ark can be transported. YHWH will not stay on Mt. Sinai but will travel with His people.

Exodus 25:16-22, The ark and cherubim

"Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you."

     

"Make an atonement cover of pure gold--two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover.

    

"Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

This is the most significant part of the tabernacle. This is to be a place where YHWH physically appears to communicate to the Israelites.  

What is a cherubim?  It is described here briefly: a creature with wings, but that does not give a lot of detail. We are to think back to Genesis 3:24. (Much of these instructions will have echoes of Creation.)

(NIV footnotes: In verse 17, an atonement cover is traditionally called "a mercy seat".)

Exodus 25:23-30, A table

"Make a table of acacia wood--two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high.  Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it.  Also make around it a rim a handbreadth wide and put a gold molding on the rim. Make four gold rings for the table and fasten them to the four corners, where the four legs are. The rings are to be close to the rim to hold the poles used in carrying the table.  Make the poles of acacia wood, overlay them with gold and carry the table with them. And make its plates and dishes of pure gold, as well as its pitchers and bowls for the pouring out of offerings.

    

"Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.

On this beautiful table sits bread (near the lampstand.) The bread of the Presence has traditionally been called the "shewbread".

Exodus 25:31-40, The lampstand

"Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand--three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.    

"And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair--six branches in all.  The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

"Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.  Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories.

    

"See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

This is an elegant lampstand, with crafted branches and buds.  (Does this remind us of Day 3 of Creation? See Genesis 1:9-12.) The seven lamps light the space in front of them, possibly lighting the shewbread.

In the New Testament, in Hebrews 8:5, this last verse will be quoted to emphasize the importance of the ancient tabernacle, now replaced by the actions of the Messiah.

(NIV footnotes: in verse 39, a talent is apparently about 75 pounds.)

Some Hebrew vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for the day is kerub,

כְּרוּב

a masculine noun for an angelic being or an order of angelic beings. These were not cute little babylike creatures often drawn in medieval paintings, but frightening supernatural beings, the first of which we see in Genesis 3 (as mentioned above) guarding (with flaming sword) the way to the Tree of Life. This angelic being, cherubim in the plural, towers over the Ark of the Covenant in verse 22. It is described there briefly as a creature with wings, but that does not give a lot of detail. They would, most likely, have represented God's supernatural servants, surrounding and worshiping Him, as He sat above the mercy seat, watching the worship at the altar.

Some Random Thoughts

The instructions for the building of the sanctuary are intricate and a bit tedious to a modern reader like me. But from the point of view of the Old Testament, from the point of view of the Torah, the sanctuary allowed a dramatic entrance of an infinite God into a finite, physical realm close to the people of Israel. The details of the construction of the sanctuary, of the Ark and the temple, are intended to emphasize this unique physical presence. We will see this emphasis throughout the book of Leviticus.

First published Match 29, 2023; updated Match 28, 2026

Exodus 24, Confirming the Covenant

The people of Israel are ready to march on towards Palestine.

Exodus 24:1-4a, Moses alone

Then he said to Moses, "Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him."

    

When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do."

Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said. 

Only Moses is allowed to approach YHWH. The others must worship from a distance. Throughout the Torah, closeness to YHWH is a terrible, frightening experience.

Moses writes down everything that YHWH said. This is likely the material that makes up chapters 20-23 of Exodus.

Exodus 24:4b-8, A sacrifice

He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD.

    

Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. 

    

They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."

    

Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

The blood of this sacrifice stands for God's covenant with Israel. The people of Israel are committed to this covenant. The Book of the Covenant is a written record of the previous instructions from YHWH, probably what was written down in verse 4.  

Note the sprinkling of blood on people! (Yuk!)  In some way the blood represents a priestly ordination, representing the initiation of the people of Israel (symbolized by the twelve stone pillars) into this covenant.

A "fellowship offering" is a "peace offering", an offering made to engage in reconciliation.

 

Exodus 24:9-11, Seeing God

Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Note a recurrence of the special number 70.

A brief vision of YHWH's throne room is given here, with a pavement clear "as the sky itself". I am reminded of the "sea of glass, clear as crystal", in Revelation 4:6. A somewhat similar description of the throne occurs in Ezekiel 1:26. (NIV footnotes: The word translated "sapphire" in verse 10 could be "lapis lazuli".)

For some reason, unexplained here, these 74 leaders are allowed to see YHWH and live!

Exodus 24:12-14, Aaron and Hur left in charge

The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

    

Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them."

Moses is to go up the mountain, accompanied by Joshua. Aaron and Hur are to oversee the nation during the absence of these two leaders. Joshua showed up briefly before as the military leader against the Amelekites in Exodus 17:8-16. During that time, Aaron and Hur stood by Moses and held up his hands.

Exodus 24:15-18, Moses in the cloud

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.

    

To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.

    

Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Moses returns to the mountain while the others wait. Moses stays for six days (echoing the Days of Creation) then goes into the cloud for another forty.

First published Match 28, 2023; updated Match 27, 2026

Exodus 23, Instructions Regarding Truth, Falsehood, Holy Living

We continue to elaborate on the Ten Commandments, giving a number of amplifications and corollaries to the Ten.

Exodus 23:1-3, Do not bear false witness

"Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness.

    

"Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit."

These are follow-up examples of what it means to bear false witness. These examples are certainly applicable today. In these instructions, we observe a command to resist "the crowd." Acting righteously often involves going against the grain of society.

Exodus 23:4-5, Caring for the neighbor's property

"If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it."

Even though it is not your donkey, you are to care for it because it is your neighbor's. (Regardless of your feelings for him!)

Exodus 23:6-7, Reject falsehood

"Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. Have nothing to do with a false charge and do not put an innocent or honest person to death, for I will not acquit the guilty."

Justice is important.  Do not let the innocent be falsely punished.  This instruction will be repeated in various ways throughout the Old Testament, especially by the prophets.

Exodus 23:8, Bribes

"Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous."

False testimony might be paid for....

Exodus 23:9, Aliens

"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."

This message of support for the alien -- and the reason for it -- is repeated.

Exodus 23:10-11, Sabbatical for crops

"For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

The concept of a sabbath rest, of a seventh, also applies to years of harvest.

Exodus 23:12, Sabbatical for animals

"Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.

The Sabbath of the week is re-emphasized.

Exodus 23:13, Do not name other gods

"Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

Don't even use the names of other gods!  (Presumably this is a form of blasphemy or profanity -- in context one assumes this prohibits using the names of other gods in an oath or interjection.  Presumably one could say things like "Don't worship Baal!" but not make an oath in the name of Baal.)

Exodus 23:14-16, Three festivals

"Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.

    

"Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in that month you came out of Egypt. 

    

"No one is to appear before me empty-handed.

   

"Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. 

    

"Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

There are three festivals mandated as part of the religious calendar. The Feast of Harvest was also called the Festival of Weeks since it occurred seven weeks after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The Festival of Weeks is called Pentecost in the New Testament.

The remark, "No one is to appear before me empty-handed", is presumably an instruction for all the festivals.

Exodus 23:17-19, Sons of Israel

"Three times a year all the men are to appear before the Sovereign LORD.

    

"Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast. 

    

"The fat of my festival offerings must not be kept until morning.

    

"Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. 

    

"Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

Here appear five random instructions.  Some have suggested that cooking a young goat in its mother's milk is related to an ancient fertility rite but apparently the evidence for that is thin. I find it horrific that the baby goat that nursed at its mothers teats might later be cooked in the same milk and I suspect that is the obscenity forbidden here.

Exodus 23:20-23, My angel

"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.

The Messenger of God will lead the Israelites in the desert, giving them success.  The promise in verse 23 is that the inhabitants will be "wiped out".  But shortly there will be instructions on living among the previous inhabitants of the land. Imes argues that Plan A was to drive the inhabitants out. Otherwise the people are to be assimilated. And when they aren't, the Israelites are warned against falling for their pagan worship.

Exodus 23:24-26, Destroy idols and receive blessing

"Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.

This is a strong promise of health for this traveling tribe -- if they avoid the pagan idolatry of their neighbors. If the people of Israel keep to the covenant, their lives will be closer to that of Eden.

Exodus 23:27-33, The Angel will give you the land

"I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you.  Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.

    

I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you."

These paragraphs are about entering the Promised Land. The "terror" will make their enemies run.  

The instructions against idolatry are repeated.

In verse 29, we see a basic predator-prey model: if we destroy the human predators in that land, the wild animals (prey) will flourish. So this conquest will go slowly. These instructions come with warnings about allowing the previous residents the ensnare the Israelites into their worship.

In verse 31 the "Red Sea" is literally the Sea of Reeds, the "Sea of the Philistines" is the Mediterranean Sea and "the River" is the Euphrates. This is a large region!

Some Random Thoughts

Christianity Today has an article by Carmen Imes confronting Paula White's interpretation of Exodus 23.

First published Match 27, 2023; updated Match 26, 2026

Exodus 22, Theft, Damages, Deception

We continue an elaboration of details following from the Ten Commandment of Exodus 20. The examples below provide specific examples of commandments such as "Do not steal" or "Do not commit adultery."  These concepts are expanded in greater detail in the book of Deuteronomy.

Exodus 22:1-4, Regulations regarding theft

"If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.

    

"If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed; but if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of bloodshed. 

    

"A thief must certainly make restitution, but if he has nothing, he must be sold to pay for his theft. 

    

"If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession--whether ox or donkey or sheep--he must pay back double.

It is possible that these examples describe some of the judicial issues Moses dealt with before his father-in-law stepped in.

(NIV footnotes: In verse 3 it is likely that the event occurring after sunrise is that of striking the thief.)

Why the distinction between night and sunrise?  Presumably this has to do with visibility and therefore intent?  If one strikes a thief after sunrise and kills him then they intended to kill when other options were available?

Exodus 22:5-6, Damage to a neighbor's field

"If a man grazes his livestock in a field or vineyard and lets them stray and they graze in another man's field, he must make restitution from the best of his own field or vineyard.

    

"If a fire breaks out and spreads into thornbushes so that it burns shocks of grain or standing grain or the whole field, the one who started the fire must make restitution.

Here we deal with accidental damage to a neighbor's property caused by negligence.

Exodus 22:7-8, Theft of loaned items

"If a man gives his neighbor silver or goods for safekeeping and they are stolen from the neighbor's house, the thief, if he is caught, must pay back double. But if the thief is not found, the owner of the house must appear before the judges to determine whether he has laid his hands on the other man's property.

There is an apparent distinction between a theft where the thief is identified and an alleged theft where the supposed thief disappears.

In verses 8 and 9, as earlier in 21:6, the Hebrew word translated "judges" by the NIV is elohim (אֱלהִים, gods or God.) Based on context, an appearance before judges is a more reasonable translation than an appearance before gods or before God.

Exodus 22:9-15, Disputes on ownership

In all cases of illegal possession of an ox, a donkey, a sheep, a garment, or any other lost property about which somebody says, `This is mine,' both parties are to bring their cases before the judges. The one whom the judges declare guilty must pay back double to his neighbor.

    

"If a man gives a donkey, an ox, a sheep or any other animal to his neighbor for safekeeping and it dies or is injured or is taken away while no one is looking, the issue between them will be settled by the taking of an oath before the LORD that the neighbor did not lay hands on the other person's property. The owner is to accept this, and no restitution is required. But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make restitution to the owner. If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, he shall bring in the remains as evidence and he will not be required to pay for the torn animal.

    

"If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, he must make restitution. But if the owner is with the animal, the borrower will not have to pay. If the animal was hired, the money paid for the hire covers the loss.

These rules are for resolving disputes of ownership.  Although I am distracted by the cultural strangeness of this (what, aren't there additional possibilities? where are jury trials?) we should not miss the assumption that possessions are all agricultural, that everyone has (or desires) a donkey or an ox!

Exodus 22:16-17, Seducing a virgin

"If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.

Do I read too much into the word "seduce"?  If a man seduces a woman (and she presumably was willing to sleep with him, as opposed to the case of rape) then the man has to go ahead and commit to marriage and pay the bride price. He has to follow up on those passionate professions of love that got him into her bed! There is no such thing as a free sexual experience where the man gets away with all fun and no responsibility.

But if the father says,"No way," then the man must pay a bride-price since she is no longer a virgin.  (Does the daughter have a say in this? Given the culture of Genesis and the Ancient Near East, probably not?)

These are rules for the ancient tribe of Israel.  As in all of these laws and regulations, one should not attempt to move them into modern culture. Although strange to us, this regulation at least gives the woman some significant power. (And if the father says, "No, he doesn't deserve you!" then the lover has to pay a price to resolve this love affair.)

Exodus 22:18-20, Capital crimes

"Do not allow a sorceress to live.

    

"Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death.

    

"Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.

Here, quickly, are three short commands that each involve death. There seems to be no negotiation here!

(NIV footnotes: In verse 20, the Hebrew term translated "destroyed", refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the LORD, often by totally destroying them.)

Exodus 22:21-24, Abusing the vulnerable

"Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.

    

"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.

God watches over the vulnerable: the alien, the widow, the orphan.  So we, also, are to care for the vulnerable. The concern for the alien and the widow and orphan will resonate throughout the Old Testament.

Exodus 22:25, Interest

"If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest.

A loan should be made out of concern for the needy, not out of greed.

(NIV footnotes: The term translated "interest" in verse 25 might mean "excessive interest".)

Exodus 22:26-27, One cloak

If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Do not take advantage of your neighbor!  Note the assumption that the neighbor has but one cloak.

Exodus 22:28-31, Give the best to YHWH

"Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

    

"Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats.

    

"You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.

    

"You are to be my holy people. So do not eat the meat of an animal torn by wild beasts; throw it to the dogs.

(NIV footnotes: Verse 28, "Do not blaspheme God" could be translated "Do not revile the judges".

The Hebrew phrase about granaries or vat is uncertain.)

Even the smallest of one's deceptions and deceits reveal one's view of YHWH. Worship requires an honest and full commitment.

An admonition to holiness, to be a special people of God, is somehow followed by an instruction not to eat "roadkill", not to eat an animal already killed.

Some Hebrew vocabulary

Our Hebrew word for the day is pathah,

פָתָה

a verb meaning "to entice," "to seduce'" to deceive." It appears in verse 16 describing seduction of a virgin. It carries with it the clear meaning of deception and dishonesty.

Some Random Thoughts

I find it useful to think of these legal instructions as providing examples of covenant life and covenant compassion within this new nation of Israel. If one wishes to be a citizen of this new nation, a nation that takes on the name of Yahweh, then one would expect the behavior described in these chapters.

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First published March 25, 2023; updated March 25, 2026

Exodus 21, On Servants and Property

YHWH has given the Israelites the Ten Commandments. There are then follow-up instructions that set some basic standards of conduct for this new nation.

Exodus 21:1-6, On treating servants

"These are the laws you are to set before them: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him.  If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.    

"But if the servant declares, `I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,' then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

This passage is very strange to modern ears. The word translated "servant" is ebed (עֶבֶד.) Since there were laws against kidnapping and slave trading (see verse 16 below) then these people are indentured servants, people who, presumably, because of poverty, have asked to enter this service out of desperation. (A parallel passage in Deuteronomy 15:12-15 makes this clear as it alludes to people selling themselves as servants.)

There seems to be no opposition to this indentured servanthood but instead control over its use. If a society allows indentured servants, then these passages apply some type of protection for them; the slaves/servants should be allowed to go free on a Sabbath year.

The restrictions about a wife given by the master may simply indicate that a female indentured servant did not get out of her contract by marrying another servant.

In verse 6, the Hebrew word translated "judges" by the NIV is elohim (אֱלהִים) which usually is translated as "God" or "gods." The NIV is making a judgment call here, based on context, and admits in a marginal note that the phrase "before the judges" could be "before God."

Exodus 21:7-11, On female servants

"If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as menservants do.

    

If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her. If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter. If he marries another woman, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights. If he does not provide her with these three things, she is to go free, without any payment of money.

Here "servant" is a translation of a different Hebrew word, amah (אָמָה.) This is often translated "maid" or "handmaid." This paragraph concentrates on the use/abuse of female servants.  It is not clear what "selection" of the servant means but it may mean marriage or a status as a concubine?

Exodus 21:12-14, On murder and manslaughter

"Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death. However, if he does not do it intentionally, but God lets it happen, he is to flee to a place I will designate. But if a man schemes and kills another man deliberately, take him away from my altar and put him to death.

Murder and manslaughter are separated. The one who commits manslaughter has a refuge at "the altar".  The one who commits murder does not. (This concept will be described in further detail in Deuteronomy 19;1-13.)

Exodus 21:15-17, Attacking, kidnapping, cursing....

"Anyone who attacks his father or his mother must be put to death.

    

"Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.

    

"Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.

Cursing one's parents also carries a death penalty! (It violates the fifth commandment.) But the statement about "attacking" one's parents in verse 15 is unclear. The Hebrew word nakah (נָכָה), translated by the NIV as "attacks", can also mean "kills."

In this new nation, kidnapping a person or trading in humans carries a death penalty. This then prohibits the capture of people as slaves and prohibits slave trading. In combination with the earlier text, the entry of one into the role of slave or indentured servant is presumably initiated by the slave, out of desperation.

Exodus 21:18-21, Assault and manslaughter

"If men quarrel and one hits the other with a stone or with his fist and he does not die but is confined to bed, the one who struck the blow will not be held responsible if the other gets up and walks around outside with his staff; however, he must pay the injured man for the loss of his time and see that he is completely healed.

    

"If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.

Slaves are "property"!  According to the NIV Theological Study Bible, the word translated "property" here is more commonly translated "silver". Imes argues that this is best translated "since the slave is his loss."

Exodus 21:22-25, Hitting a pregnant woman

"If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

(NIV footnotes: "gives birth prematurely" (verse 22) could mean a miscarriage.)

This passage seems to set up an "equal replacement" form of justice where the violent person is to suffer as the victim suffered. Of emphasis, presumably, is that this applies to all people, irrespective of their wealth or power.

Exodus 21:26-27, Maiming a servant

"If a man hits a manservant or maidservant in the eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the eye. And if he knocks out the tooth of a manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free to compensate for the tooth.

If one strikes a servant and hurts him/her, one must free the servant.

Exodus 21:28-32, Death by Property

"If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull must be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.

     

If, however, the bull has had the habit of goring and the owner has been warned but has not kept it penned up and it kills a man or woman, the bull must be stoned and the owner also must be put to death.

    

However, if payment is demanded of him, he may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded.

    

This law also applies if the bull gores a son or daughter. If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave, and the bull must be stoned.

The passage distinguishes between the killing by an animal and the killing by an animal known to be dangerous.

(NIV footnotes: Thirty shekels, verse 32, is about 12 ounces of silver.) The exact value of this fine implies that these laws are intended for a particular culture and time.

Exodus 21:33-36, Accidental loss

"If a man uncovers a pit or digs one and fails to cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay for the loss; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.

    

"If a man's bull injures the bull of another and it dies, they are to sell the live one and divide both the money and the dead animal equally. However, if it was known that the bull had the habit of goring, yet the owner did not keep it penned up, the owner must pay, animal for animal, and the dead animal will be his.

Various accidental damages are covered here.

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First published March 24, 2023; updated March 24, 2026