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Exodus22:16–31

Laws of Social Responsibility

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Exodus 22:16–31 — Laws of Social Responsibility. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

16

If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged in marriage and sleeps with her, he must pay the full dowry for her to be his wife.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·ḵî- ’îš yə·p̄at·teh bə·ṯū·lāh ’ă·šer lō- ’ō·rā·śāh wə·šā·ḵaḇ ‘im·māh mā·hōr yim·hā·ren·nāh lōw lə·’iš·šāh

Word by word13 · parsed
וְכִֽי־wə·ḵî-IfH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
wə-ḵî (H3588), "and if" — the casuistic that opens the case-laws. Keil & Delitzsch note that from v. 18 onward this drops away, marking a seam in the chapter between civil torts and the demands of holiness.
אִ֗ישׁ’îša manH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular
’îš (H376), "a man" — the responsible party; no penalty is named for the woman, which Poole explains: "she was not so culpable as the man, both because she was of the weaker sex, and because she was drawn to the sin by the man's persuasion."
יְפַתֶּ֣הyə·p̄at·tehseducesH6601
√ pâthâh — to open, iVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
בְּתוּלָ֛הbə·ṯū·lāha virginH1330
√ bᵉthûwlâh — a virgin (from her privacy)Nounfeminine singular
bᵉthûlāh (H1330), "virgin" — derived, says Strong's, "from her privacy." The economic logic of the law treats her, in Cambridge's frank phrase, as "part of her father's property," whose value is diminished.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerwhoH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
לֹא־lō-is notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
אֹרָ֖שָׂה’ō·rā·śāhpledged in marriageH781
√ ʼâras — to engage for matrimonyVerbPualPerfectthird person feminine singular
’ōrāśāh (H781), Pual perfect, "betrothed." The hinge of the case: the seduction of an unbetrothed girl is a property-and-marriage matter (here); the seduction of a betrothed girl is treated, says Cambridge, "as virtually the same thing as adultery" (Deut 22:23-27).
וְשָׁכַ֣בwə·šā·ḵaḇand sleepsH7901
√ shâkab — to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
עִמָּ֑הּ‘im·māhwith herH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPrepositionthird person feminine singular
מָהֹ֛רmā·hōrhe must pay the full dowryH4117
√ mâhar — to bargain (for a wife), iVerbQalInfinitive absolute
mâhōr (H4117), infinitive absolute of the verb "to acquire a wife by paying the bride-price." The noun form môhar (H4119) appears in v. 17 — a rare term occurring in only three verses (Gen 34:12; 1 Sam 18:25; here/v.17).
יִמְהָרֶ֥נָּהyim·hā·ren·nāh. . .H4117
√ mâhar — to bargain (for a wife), iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singularthird person feminine singular
לּ֖וֹlōwfor her
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃lə·’iš·šāhto be his wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
lᵉ-’iššāh (H802), "to be his wife" — the goal-clause. Keil: the seducer "was to obtain her for a wife by the payment of a dowry." Restoration of status, not mere compensation, is the law's first remedy.
17

If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, the man still must pay an amount comparable to the bridal price of a virgin.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- ’ā·ḇî·hā mā·’ên yə·mā·’ên lə·ṯit·tāh lōw yiš·qōl ke·sep̄ kə·mō·har hab·bə·ṯū·lōṯ

Word by word10 · parsed
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
’im (H518), "if" — the protasis of the alternative case: the father may decline the marriage. Benson: "if he denied his consent, it must be no marriage."
אָבִ֖יהָ’ā·ḇî·hāher fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular constructthird person feminine singular
’āḇîhā (H1), "her father" — the holder of the right. Benson reads the clause as a charter of parental consent: "how ill a thing it is... that children should marry without their parents' consent."
מָאֵ֧ןmā·’ênabsolutely refusesH3985
√ mâʼên — to refuseVerbPielInfinitive absolute
mâ’ên (H3985), "to refuse" — infinitive absolute reinforcing the finite verb that follows; the strong-assertion idiom of Hebrew law.
יְמָאֵ֛ןyə·mā·’ên. . .H3985
√ mâʼên — to refuseVerbPielImperfectthird person masculine singular
לְתִתָּ֣הּlə·ṯit·tāhto give herH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
ל֑וֹlōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
יִשְׁקֹ֔לyiš·qōl[the man] still must payH8254
√ shâqal — to suspend or poise (especially in trade)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yišqōl (H8254), "he shall weigh out." Cambridge notes the sum is left open here, but is fixed in Deuteronomy 22:29 at "50 shekels of silver," the case there being rape rather than seduction.
כֶּ֣סֶףke·sep̄an amount comparableH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
כְּמֹ֖הַרkə·mō·harto the bridal priceH4119
√ môhar — a price (for a wife)Preposition-kNounmasculine singular construct
הַבְּתוּלֹֽת׃סhab·bə·ṯū·lōṯof a virginH1330
√ bᵉthûwlâh — a virgin (from her privacy)ArticleNounfeminine plural
hab-bᵉthûlōṯ (H1330), "the virgins" — feminine plural; the going bride-price of marriageable maidens is the benchmark. Poole: "in such proportion as the virgin's quality requires; for there was no certain and equal dowry appointed for all women."
18

You must not allow a sorceress to live.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō mə·ḵaš·šê·p̄āh ṯə·ḥay·yeh

Word by word3 · parsed
לֹ֥אYou must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖הmə·ḵaš·šê·p̄āhallow a sorceressH3784
√ kâshaph — properly, to whisper aspell, iVerbPielParticiplefeminine singular
mᵉḵaššēp̄āh (H3784), "sorceress" — a rare lexeme found in only six verses. Cambridge notes this is "the fem. (only here)" of the masculine "sorcerer" (Deut 18:10; Mal 3:5; 2 Chron 33:6; Dan 2:2), establishing a tight verbal network across the canon.
תְחַיֶּֽה׃סṯə·ḥay·yehto liveH2421
√ châyâh — to live, whether literally or figurativelyVerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine singular
tᵉḥayyeh (H2421), "you shall let live" — Piel imperfect, 2ms. Keil argues the unusual negative form leaves room for mercy: not every Hebrew witch was to be executed, only those who "would not give up their witchcraft when it was forbidden." Cambridge, by contrast, reads the law as belonging "to the older dispensation" and not breathing "the spirit of Christ (Luke 9:55)" — a frank, fallible editorial verdict, not the text's claim.
19

Whoever lies with an animal must surely be put to death.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kāl- šō·ḵêḇ ‘im- bə·hê·māh mō·wṯ yū·māṯ

Word by word6 · parsed
כָּל־kāl-WhoeverH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
kāl (H3605), "everyone / whoever" — the universal subject; the law admits no exception of station or sex.
שֹׁכֵ֥בšō·ḵêḇliesH7901
√ shâkab — to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
עִם־‘im-withH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition
בְּהֵמָ֖הbə·hê·māhan animalH929
√ bᵉhêmâh — properly, a dumb beastNounfeminine singular
bᵉhêmāh (H929), "beast" — Strong's, "properly, a dumb beast." Ellicott: the sin "was common among the Canaanitish nations (Lev 18:24), and not unknown in Egypt," so "it was therefore necessary that God's abhorrence of it should be distinctly declared."
מ֥וֹתmō·wṯmust surely be put to deathH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbQalInfinitive absolute
môwṯ (H4191), infinitive absolute, "dying" — the first member of the capital formula; Gill notes the Targum of Jonathan specifies the mode: "he shall be killed with the casting of stones."
יוּמָֽת׃סyū·māṯ. . .H4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbHofalImperfectthird person masculine singular
20

If anyone sacrifices to any god other than the LORD alone, he must be set apart for destruction.

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Hebrew — tap a word ↓

zō·ḇê·aḥ lā·’ĕ·lō·hîm bil·tî Yah·weh lə·ḇad·dōw yā·ḥo·rām

Word by word6 · parsed
זֹבֵ֥חַzō·ḇê·aḥ[If] anyone sacrificesH2076
√ zâbach — to slaughter an animal (usually in sacrifice)VerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
zōḇēaḥ (H2076), "one sacrificing" — participle marking the standing offender. Ellicott: "Elsewhere the death-penalty is affixed to any acknowledgment of false gods (Deut 13)."
לָאֱלֹהִ֖יםlā·’ĕ·lō·hîmto any godH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary sensePreposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine plural
בִּלְתִּ֥יbil·tîother thanH1115
√ biltîy — properly, a failure of, iPreposition
לַיהוָ֖הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
la-YHWH (H3068), "to the LORD" — the covenant name, set against "the gods" of the prior clause. The whole statute turns on the exclusivity sworn at Sinai (Exod 20:5).
לְבַדּֽוֹ׃lə·ḇad·dōwaloneH905
√ bad — properly, separationPreposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
lᵉ-ḇaddōw (H905), "alone / by himself" — from bad, "separation." The same root recurs in v. 27 ("his only covering"); the word for God's exclusivity and the word for the poor man's sole garment are one.
יָֽחֳרָ֑םyā·ḥo·rāmhe must be set apart for destructionH2763
√ châram — to secludeVerbHofalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yāḥŏrām (H2763), Hofal, "he shall be devoted." Cambridge gives a sober gloss on the ḥērem: "given over to Him as a form of offering," an "archaic institution" applied here against the apostate Israelite himself.
21

You must not exploit or oppress a foreign resident, for you yourselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō- ṯō·w·neh wə·lō ṯil·ḥā·ṣen·nū wə·ḡêr kî- hĕ·yî·ṯem ḡê·rîm bə·’e·reṣ miṣ·rā·yim

Word by word10 · parsed
לֹא־lō-You must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תוֹנֶ֖הṯō·w·nehexploitH3238
√ yânâh — to rage or be violentVerbHifilImperfectsecond person masculine singular
וְלֹ֣אwə·lōorH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absConjunctive wawAdverbNegative particle
תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּṯil·ḥā·ṣen·nūoppressH3905
√ lâchats — properly, to press, iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
וְגֵ֥רwə·ḡêra foreign residentH1616
√ gêr — properly, a guestConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
gêr (H1616), "sojourner" — a frequent word (83 verses), but the keyword of a whole strand of Mosaic ethics. The Pulpit Commentary: "It may be doubted whether such a law as this was ever made in any other country."
כִּֽי־kî-forH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
(H3588), "for" — the motive clause. The ground of mercy is memory: Israel's own bondage.
הֱיִיתֶ֖םhĕ·yî·ṯemyou [yourselves] wereH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectsecond person masculine plural
גֵרִ֥יםḡê·rîmforeignersH1616
√ gêr — properly, a guestNounmasculine plural
gêrîm (H1616), "sojourners" — the same word now turned on Israel itself: "ye were sojourners." Benson: "those that have themselves been in poverty and distress... ought to show a particular tenderness toward those that are now in such circumstances."
בְּאֶ֥רֶץbə·’e·reṣin the landH776
√ ʼerets — the earth (at large, or partitively a land)Preposition-bNounfeminine singular construct
מִצְרָֽיִם׃miṣ·rā·yimof EgyptH4714
√ Mitsrayim — Mitsrajim, iNounproperfeminine singular
miṣrāyim (H4714), "Egypt" — the named place of the remembered affliction. In Exod 23:9 the motive is sharpened: "ye know the heart of a stranger."
22

You must not mistreat any widow or orphan.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō ṯə·‘an·nūn kāl- ’al·mā·nāh wə·yā·ṯō·wm

Word by word5 · parsed
לֹ֥אYou must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תְעַנּֽוּן׃ṯə·‘an·nūnmistreatH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)VerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine pluralParagogic nun
tᵉ‘annûn (H6031), "you shall afflict" — Piel imperfect plural with paragogic nun (an archaic, emphatic ending). Barnes: the word includes "all cold and contemptuous treatment."
כָּל־kāl-anyH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
אַלְמָנָ֥ה’al·mā·nāhwidowH490
√ ʼalmânâh — a widowNounfeminine singular
’almânāh (H490), "widow." Gill notes the law names her not because it binds toward her alone but "because of [her] weakness, and because [the weak] are more frequently afflicted than others."
וְיָת֖וֹםwə·yā·ṯō·wmor orphanH3490
√ yâthôwm — a bereaved personConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
yâṯōwm (H3490), "orphan" — the fatherless child, last of the protected triad. The Pulpit Commentary traces the later breaches: "there were times when, in spite of [these laws], poor widows suffered much oppression."
23

If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- ‘an·nêh ṯə·‘an·neh ’ō·ṯōw kî ’im- ṣā·‘ōq ’ê·lay yiṣ·‘aq šā·mō·a‘ ’eš·ma‘ ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯōw

Word by word12 · parsed
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
עַנֵּ֥ה‘an·nêhyou do mistreat themH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)VerbPielInfinitive absolute
‘annêh (H6031), "afflict" — infinitive absolute; the first of three stacked emphatic constructions that give the verse its drumbeat. Ellicott: "If thou afflict them sore, and they cry earnestly unto me."
תְעַנֶּ֖הṯə·‘an·neh. . .H6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)VerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine singular
אֹת֑וֹ’ō·ṯōwH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine singular
כִּ֣יH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִם־’im-. . .H518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
צָעֹ֤קṣā·‘ōq[and] they cry outH6817
√ tsâʻaq — to shriekVerbQalInfinitive absolute
ṣā‘ōq (H6817), "cry out" — the cry of the afflicted. Keil notes the before ’im "expresses a strong assurance: 'yea, if he cries to Me, I will hearken to him.'"
אֵלַ֔י’ê·layto MeH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionfirst person common singular
יִצְעַק֙yiṣ·‘aqin distressH6817
√ tsâʻaq — to shriekVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
שָׁמֹ֥עַšā·mō·a‘I will surely hearH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalInfinitive absolute
shāmōa‘ (H8085), "hear" — not bare hearing but, per Strong's, "to hear intelligently (with implication of attention, obedience)." When God "hears" the cry of the oppressed, He acts. Gill renders the chain: "in afflicting afflict... in crying cry... in hearing I will hear."
אֶשְׁמַ֖ע’eš·ma‘. . .H8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcVerbQalImperfectfirst person common singular
צַעֲקָתֽוֹ׃ṣa·‘ă·qā·ṯōwtheir cryH6818
√ tsaʻăqâh — a shriekNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
24

My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword; then your wives will become widows and your children will be fatherless.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ap·pî wə·ḥā·rāh wə·hā·raḡ·tî ’eṯ·ḵem be·ḥā·reḇ nə·šê·ḵem wə·hā·yū ’al·mā·nō·wṯ ū·ḇə·nê·ḵem yə·ṯō·mîm

Word by word10 · parsed
אַפִּ֔י’ap·pîMy angerH639
√ ʼaph — properly, the nose or nostrilNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
’appî (H639), "My anger" — lit. "My nose / nostril," the seat of hot breath and so of wrath. The anthropomorphism is deliberate and physical.
וְחָרָ֣הwə·ḥā·rāhwill be kindledH2734
√ chârâh — to glow or grow warmConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
וְהָרַגְתִּ֥יwə·hā·raḡ·tîand I will killH2026
√ hârag — to smite with deadly intentConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectfirst person common singular
אֶתְכֶ֖ם’eṯ·ḵemyouH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markersecond person masculine plural
בֶּחָ֑רֶבbe·ḥā·reḇwith the swordH2719
√ chereb — droughtPreposition-b, ArticleNounfeminine singular
be-ḥāreḇ (H2719), "with the sword." Keil: "'Killing with the sword' points to wars, in which men and fathers of families perish, and their wives and children are made widows and orphans."
נְשֵׁיכֶם֙nə·šê·ḵemthen your wivesH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanNounfeminine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
וְהָי֤וּwə·hā·yūwill becomeH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person common plural
אַלְמָנ֔וֹת’al·mā·nō·wṯwidowsH490
√ ʼalmânâh — a widowNounfeminine plural
’almānōwṯ (H490), "widows"; with yᵉṯōmîm (H3490, v. 9), "fatherless" — the same pair as v. 22, now describing the oppressor's own household. Cambridge: "their wives and children will become widows and orphans themselves."
וּבְנֵיכֶ֖םū·ḇə·nê·ḵemand your childrenH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine plural
יְתֹמִֽים׃פyə·ṯō·mîm[will be] fatherlessH3490
√ yâthôwm — a bereaved personNounmasculine plural
yᵉṯōmîm (H3490), "fatherless" — the closing word, the measure-for-measure echo. The law's threat is its own definition turned back on the lawbreaker.
25

If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- tal·weh ’eṯ- ke·sep̄ ‘am·mî ‘im·māḵ ’eṯ- he·‘ā·nî lō- ṯih·yeh kə·nō·šeh lōw ṯə·śî·mūn lō- ‘ā·lāw ne·šeḵ

Word by word16 · parsed
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
תַּלְוֶ֣הtal·wehyou lendH3867
√ lâvâh — properly, to twine, iVerbHifilImperfectsecond person masculine singular
talweh (H3867), "you lend" — Hifil of lâvâh, whose root, Strong's says, is "to twine" — debtor and creditor bound together. The law governs that binding so it does not become bondage.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
כֶּ֣סֶף׀ke·sep̄moneyH3701
√ keçeph — silver (from its pale color)Nounmasculine singular
עַמִּ֗י‘am·mîto [one of] My peopleH5971
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Nounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
‘ammî (H5971), "My people" — the loan in view is to a fellow Israelite. Poole: "it was permitted to take usury of the Gentiles (Deut 23:20)," so the ban is an intra-covenant ethic of brotherhood.
עִמָּ֔ךְ‘im·māḵamong youH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPrepositionsecond person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הֶֽעָנִי֙he·‘ā·nî[who is] poorH6041
√ ʻânîy — depressed, in mind or circumstancesArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
לֹא־lō-you must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תִהְיֶ֥הṯih·yehactH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
כְּנֹשֶׁ֑הkə·nō·šehas a creditorH5383
√ nâshâh — to lend or (by reciprocity) borrow on security or interestPreposition-kVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
kᵉ-nōšeh (H5383), "like a creditor" — the comparison itself is the prohibition: not that he must not lend, but that he must not be like a hard creditor toward a poor brother.
ל֖וֹlōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
תְשִׂימ֥וּןṯə·śî·mūnyou are not to chargeH7760
√ sûwm — to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine pluralParagogic nun
לֹֽא־lō-. . .H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
עָלָ֖יו‘ā·lāwhimH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionthird person masculine singular
נֶֽשֶׁךְ׃ne·šeḵinterestH5392
√ neshek — interest on a debtNounmasculine singular
neshek (H5392), "interest" — the closing word, lit. "a bite." Ellicott: the Hebrew terms "have no sense of 'excess' attached to them. They mean simply 'interest.'"
26

If you take your neighbor’s cloak as collateral, return it to him by sunset,

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’im- rê·‘e·ḵā śal·maṯ ḥā·ḇōl taḥ·bōl tə·šî·ḇen·nū lōw ‘aḏ- bō haš·še·meš

Word by word10 · parsed
אִם־’im-IfH518
√ ʼim — used very widely as demonstrative, lo!Conjunction
רֵעֶ֑ךָrê·‘e·ḵāyou take your neighbor’sH7453
√ rêaʻ — an associate (more or less close)Nounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
rê‘eḵā (H7453), "your neighbor" — Poole notes the context limits this to the poor neighbor, "where he is supposed to have but one garment."
שַׂלְמַ֣תśal·maṯcloakH8008
√ salmâh — a dressNounfeminine singular construct
חָבֹ֥לḥā·ḇōlas collateralH2254
√ châbal — to wind tightly (as a rope), iVerbQalInfinitive absolute
ḥābōl (H2254), "take in pledge" — infinitive absolute; the binding-up of a security. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown: "from the nature of the case, this is the description of a poor man."
תַּחְבֹּ֖לtaḥ·bōl. . .H2254
√ châbal — to wind tightly (as a rope), iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
תְּשִׁיבֶ֥נּוּtə·šî·ḇen·nūreturn itH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbHifilImperfectsecond person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
tᵉšîḇennû (H7725), "you shall return it" — Hifil of shûb, "to turn back / restore." The pledge is given but not kept; the law builds the giving-back into the taking.
לֽוֹ׃lōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
עַד־‘aḏ-byH5704
√ ʻad — as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)Preposition
בֹּ֥אsunsetH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalInfinitive construct
(H935), "going in" — the sun's entrance into night; the recurring sunset clock of mercy in the Torah's pledge-laws (cf. Deut 24:13).
הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁhaš·še·meš. . .H8121
√ shemesh — the sunArticleNouncommon singular
27

because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

kî hî lə·ḇad·dāh ḵə·sū·ṯå̄h hî śim·lā·ṯōw lə·‘ō·rōw bam·meh yiš·kāḇ wə·hā·yāh kî- yiṣ·‘aq ’ê·lay wə·šā·ma‘·tî kî- ’ā·nî ḥan·nūn

Word by word17 · parsed
כִּ֣יbecauseH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הִ֤וא[his cloak]H1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person feminine singular
לְבַדָּ֔הּlə·ḇad·dāhis the onlyH905
√ bad — properly, separationPreposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person feminine singular
lᵉ-ḇaddāh (H905), "alone / only" — the same bad ("separation") root that named God's exclusivity in v. 20. Here it measures the poor man's nakedness: this cloak by itself is all he has.
כְסוּתָהḵə·sū·ṯå̄hcoveringH3682
√ kᵉçûwth — a cover (garment)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
הִ֥ואhe hasH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person feminine singular
שִׂמְלָת֖וֹśim·lā·ṯōw[for]H8071
√ simlâh — a dress, especially a mantleNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
לְעֹר֑וֹlə·‘ō·rōwhis bodyH5785
√ ʻôwr — skin (as naked)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
בַּמֶּ֣הbam·mehWhat elseH4100
√ mâh — properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?)Preposition-bInterrogative
יִשְׁכָּ֔בyiš·kāḇwill he sleep inH7901
√ shâkab — to lie down (for rest, sexual connection, decease or any other purpose)VerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yiškāḇ (H7901), "will he sleep / lie down" — the same verb of "lying" from vv. 16 and 19, now in its plainest, most poignant sense: where shall a cold man lie?
וְהָיָה֙wə·hā·yāh. . .H1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectthird person masculine singular
כִּֽי־kî-And ifH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
יִצְעַ֣קyiṣ·‘aqhe cries outH6817
√ tsâʻaq — to shriekVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
yiṣ‘aq (H6817), "he cries out" — the same cry-verb as v. 23. The structure is identical: oppress the helpless, and his cry rises to God, who hears. The poor debtor and the widow share one advocate.
אֵלַ֔י’ê·layto MeH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionfirst person common singular
וְשָׁמַעְתִּ֖יwə·šā·ma‘·tîI will hearH8085
√ shâmaʻ — to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive perfectfirst person common singular
כִּֽי־kî-forH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אָֽנִי׃ס’ā·nîIH589
√ ʼănîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
חַנּ֥וּןḥan·nūnam compassionateH2587
√ channûwn — graciousAdjectivemasculine singular
channûn (H2587), "gracious" — Gill: "everything cruel and uncompassionate is disagreeable, and even abominable to him." The attribute, not the threat, closes the humanitarian laws.
28

You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō ṯə·qal·lêl ’ĕ·lō·hîm ṯā·’ōr wə·nā·śî ḇə·‘am·mə·ḵā lō

Word by word7 · parsed
לֹ֣אYou must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תְקַלֵּ֑לṯə·qal·lêlblasphemeH7043
√ qâlal — to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etcVerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine singular
tᵉqallēl (H7043), "you shall revile" — to make light of. Keil reads reverence for God as the root of the preceding mercy-laws: "Contempt of God consists not only in blasphemies of Jehovah openly expressed... but in disregard of His threats with reference to the oppression of the poorer members of His people."
אֱלֹהִ֖ים’ĕ·lō·hîmGodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
’ĕlōhîm (H430), "God" — the disputed word. Barnes, taking it as the divine name, judges that this reading "certainly seems best to represent the Hebrew, and to suit the context."
תָאֹֽר׃ṯā·’ōror curseH779
√ ʼârar — to execrateVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
tā’ōr (H779), "or curse" — from ’ârar, "to execrate." The synonym pair (revile/curse) frames God and ruler as twin objects of due reverence (cf. Prov 24:21; 1 Pet 2:17).
וְנָשִׂ֥יאwə·nā·śîthe rulerH5387
√ nâsîyʼ — properly, an exalted one, iConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
wᵉ-nāśî’ (H5387), "and a ruler" — the lifted-up one. Keil: he stands "by the side of God, because in his exalted position he has to administer the law of God among His people."
בְעַמְּךָ֖ḇə·‘am·mə·ḵāof your peopleH5971
√ ʻam — a people (as a congregated unit)Preposition-bNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
לֹ֥א. . .H3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
29

You must not hold back offerings from your granaries or vats. You are to give Me the firstborn of your sons.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

lō ṯə·’a·ḥêr mə·lê·’ā·ṯə·ḵā wə·ḏim·‘ă·ḵā tit·ten- lî bə·ḵō·wr bā·ne·ḵā

Word by word8 · parsed
לֹ֣אYou must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תְאַחֵ֑רṯə·’a·ḥêrhold backH309
√ ʼâchar — to loiter (iVerbPielImperfectsecond person masculine singular
tᵉ’aḥêr (H309), "you shall delay" — the verb of holding back the firstfruits. The law's concern is promptness, which Ellicott reads as a heart-test: "Delay would show a grudging spirit."
מְלֵאָתְךָ֥mə·lê·’ā·ṯə·ḵā[offerings] from your granariesH4395
√ mᵉlêʼâh — something fulfilled, iNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
mᵉlê’āṯᵉḵā (H4395), "your fullness" — rare lexeme (three verses), recurring in Num 18:27 of the tithe "like the fulness from the wine-vat." A genuine verbal thread across the offering-laws.
וְדִמְעֲךָ֖wə·ḏim·‘ă·ḵāor vatsH1831
√ demaʻ — a tearConjunctive wawNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
wᵉ-ḏim‘ăḵā (H1831), "your flowing" — a hapax (once only), the "tear" of the press. Cambridge connects it to the Spanish lágrima ("tear"), the choice juice that exudes from grapes without pressure.
תִּתֶּן־tit·ten-You are to giveH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
לִּֽי׃Me
Prepositionfirst person common singular
בְּכ֥וֹרbə·ḵō·wrthe firstbornH1060
√ bᵉkôwr — firstbornNounmasculine singular construct
bᵉḵōwr (H1060), "firstborn." Benson turns the law toward the gospel: "much more reason have we to give ourselves... to God, who spared not his own Son." That christological move is the human ✦ layer, named as such.
בָּנֶ֖יךָbā·ne·ḵāof your sonsH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular
30

You shall do likewise with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day you are to give them to Me.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ta·‘ă·śeh kên- lə·šō·rə·ḵā lə·ṣō·ne·ḵā yih·yeh ‘im- ’im·mōw šiḇ·‘aṯ yā·mîm haš·šə·mî·nî bay·yō·wm tit·tə·nōw- lî

Word by word13 · parsed
תַּעֲשֶׂ֥הta·‘ă·śehYou shall doH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singular
ta‘ăśeh (H6213), "you shall do" — the broadest verb of action, here binding the animal-firstlings to the same principle as the firstborn sons.
כֵּֽן־kên-likewiseH3651
√ kên — properly, set uprightAdverb
לְשֹׁרְךָ֖lə·šō·rə·ḵāwith your cattleH7794
√ shôwr — a bullock (as a traveller)Preposition-lNounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
לְצֹאנֶ֑ךָlə·ṣō·ne·ḵāand your sheepH6629
√ tsôʼn — a collective name for a flock (of sheep or goats)Preposition-lNounfeminine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
יִהְיֶ֣הyih·yehLet them stayH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
עִם־‘im-withH5973
√ ʻim — adverb or preposition, with (iPreposition
אִמּ֔וֹ’im·mōwtheir mothersH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Nounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
’immōw (H517), "its mother" — from ’êm, Strong's, "a mother (as the bond of the family)." The seven-day reprieve honors that bond before the offering.
שִׁבְעַ֤תšiḇ·‘aṯfor sevenH7651
√ shebaʻ — seven (as the sacred full one)Numbermasculine singular construct
יָמִים֙yā·mîmdaysH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Nounmasculine plural
הַשְּׁמִינִ֖יhaš·šə·mî·nîbut on the eighthH8066
√ shᵉmîynîy — eightArticleNumberordinal masculine singular
haš-šᵉmînî (H8066), "the eighth" — the consecration-day. Poole notes the day is a minimum, not a deadline: per Lev 22:27 the firstling "might be offered afterwards... even till it was a year old."
בַּיּ֥וֹםbay·yō·wmdayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
תִּתְּנוֹ־tit·tə·nōw-you are to give themH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine singularthird person masculine singular
tittᵉnōw (H5414), "you shall give it" — the same verb of giving as the firstborn son in v. 29; the parallel is sealed by the shared verb nâthan.
לִֽי׃to Me
Prepositionfirst person common singular
31

You are to be My holy people. You must not eat the meat of a mauled animal found in the field; you are to throw it to the dogs.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

tih·yūn lî qō·ḏeš wə·’an·šê- lō ṯō·ḵê·lū ū·ḇā·śār ṭə·rê·p̄āh baś·śā·ḏeh taš·li·ḵūn ’ō·ṯōw lak·ke·leḇ

Word by word12 · parsed
תִּהְי֣וּןtih·yūnYou are to beH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine pluralParagogic nun
לִ֑יMy
Prepositionfirst person common singular
קֹ֖דֶשׁqō·ḏešholyH6944
√ qôdesh — a sacred place or thingNounmasculine singular
qōdeš (H6944), "holiness" — the keyword of the Sinai vocation (Exod 19:6). Gill distinguishes the senses: this is holiness "in a ceremonial sense," by which Peter later draws his "holy nation" (1 Pet 2:9).
וְאַנְשֵׁי־wə·’an·šê-peopleH376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personConjunctive wawNounmasculine plural construct
לֹ֣אYou must notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
תֹאכֵ֔לוּṯō·ḵê·lūeatH398
√ ʼâkal — to eat (literally or figuratively)VerbQalImperfectsecond person masculine plural
וּבָשָׂ֨רū·ḇā·śārthe meatH1320
√ bâsâr — flesh (from its freshness)Conjunctive wawNounmasculine singular
טְרֵפָה֙ṭə·rê·p̄āhof a mauled animalH2966
√ ṭᵉrêphâh — prey, iNounfeminine singular
ṭᵉrêp̄āh (H2966), "torn animal" — the same root as "torn in pieces" in v. 13 (of a pledged beast). Keil: "the flesh of an animal that had been torn to pieces by a wild beast in the field."
בַּשָּׂדֶ֤הbaś·śā·ḏehfound in the fieldH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
baś-śāḏeh (H7704), "in the field" — the place of the tearing; Cambridge flags this word as text-critically uncertain (possibly a copyist's repetition of bāśār, "flesh").
תַּשְׁלִכ֥וּןtaš·li·ḵūnyou are to throwH7993
√ shâlak — to throw out, down or away (literally or figuratively)VerbHifilImperfectsecond person masculine pluralParagogic nun
אֹתֽוֹ׃ס’ō·ṯōwitH853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object markerthird person masculine singular
לַכֶּ֖לֶבlak·ke·leḇto the dogsH3611
√ keleb — a dogPreposition-l, ArticleNounmasculine singular
la-keleḇ (H3611), "to the dog" — the scavenger. The unit ends not with a sacrifice but with refuse, marking the boundary of the holy: what God's people may not take in, the dog may.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. The bride-price and the broken household: where the unit begins — 22:16–17

The unit opens still inside the casuistic -laws of property (וְכִֽי, wə-ḵî, "and if"), and treats the seduction of an unbetrothed girl as, in Keil & Delitzsch's words, "an attack upon the family possession." The seducer must, in an emphatic doubled verb (מָהֹ֛ר יִמְהָרֶ֥נָּה, "endowing he shall endow her"), pay the môhar. Cambridge is careful: this is "not a 'dowry,' but the price paid for the wife to her parents," the same rare word found only in Genesis 34:12 and 1 Samuel 18:25. Gill reads the verb pâthâh as the whole seduction — "obtaining her consent by expressing strong affection for her, and making large promises" — while Poole notes the law spares the woman because "she was drawn to the sin by the man's persuasion." The remedy is restoration of status, not punishment: marriage, or, if the father refuses (v. 17, again a doubled verb, מָאֵ֧ן יְמָאֵ֛ן), the full bride-price all the same. Benson draws from the father's veto a charter of parental consent. The provenance of each gloss is the commentator's own; the rare lexeme môhar is the Verifier's recorded datum.

ii. The seam: from civil torts to the holiness of the nation — 22:18–20

At v. 18 the chapter changes register. Keil & Delitzsch mark the seam precisely: the laws now "differ both in form and subject-matter," omitting the that introduced the torts, and making "demands upon Israel on the ground of its election to be the holy nation." Three death-laws cluster — the sorceress (מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה, the "mutterer of charms," in Ellicott's gloss of kâshaph), the one who lies with a beast, and the one who sacrifices to other gods. Barnes grounds the first: "in every form of witchcraft there is an appeal to a power not acting in subordination to the divine law." Yet the grammar is not uniform: Keil observes that the sorceress draws not the usual mōth yûmāth ("surely die") but the gentler לֹא תְחַיֶּה ("thou shalt not suffer to live"), which he reads as leaving room for mercy — while Cambridge frankly judges the law to belong "to the older dispensation" and not to breathe "the spirit of Christ." That last is a 19th-century editorial verdict, weighed here, not endorsed. The apostate Israelite is to be devoted (יָֽחֳרָם, the ḥērem) — Keil: "by death devoted to the Lord, to whom he would not devote himself in life."

iii. The cry that God hears: sojourner, widow, orphan, debtor — 22:21–27

Here the unit reaches its moral summit. The Pulpit Commentary stands amazed at v. 21: "It may be doubted whether such a law as this was ever made in any other country" — a statute protecting the gêr, the resident foreigner with, as Cambridge notes, "no legal status in Israel." The ground of the mercy is memory: "ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt." Benson draws the principle — those once in distress "ought to show a particular tenderness toward those that are now in such circumstances." Then the widow and orphan (v. 22), and the great turn of vv. 23–24: a triple hammer of infinitive-absolute verbs — afflicting you afflict, crying he cries, hearing I will hear — in which, as Keil reads the before ’im, God gives "a strong assurance: 'yea, if he cries to Me, I will hearken to him.'" The retribution of v. 24 is exact: the oppressor of widows makes his own wife a widow; Geneva's margin names it "the just plague of God on the oppressors." The same cry-and-hearing structure recurs in the pledge-law of vv. 25–27, where the poor man's single cloak (Ellicott: "a blanket by night") must be returned by sunset — for, the law ends, חַנּ֥וּן אָֽנִי, "I am gracious" (channûn, the name Cambridge ties to Exodus 34:6). Every claim of fulfillment-in-history (so Ellicott, The Pulpit Commentary) is the commentators' own ✦ application.

iv. Reverence and firstfruits: the holy people and its boundary — 22:28–31

The close binds reverence and offering. Verse 28's אֱלֹהִים (’ĕlōhîm) splits the whole tradition: Benson and the Targum hear "the judges and magistrates"; Keil and Ellicott insist on "simply God," honoured in His rulers. Keil reads the verse as the very root of the foregoing laws — "Contempt of God consists not only in blasphemies of Jehovah openly expressed... but in disregard of His threats with reference to the oppression of the poorer members of His people." Then the firstfruits (vv. 29–30), named in two archaic, near-untranslatable words: מְלֵאָתְךָ ("thy fullness," the corn) and the hapax דִמְעֲךָ — which Keil renders "tear, flowing," "a poetical epithet for the produce of the press." Poole warns that "delay may here be put for neglect." The firstborn of sons and of beasts alike are God's, the animal spared seven days "with its mother" (Ellicott: for "the health and comfort of the mother") and given on the eighth — the consecration-day of circumcision. The unit ends at the boundary of holiness (v. 31): a people qōdeš, "set apart," marked by what it will not eat. Cambridge is honest that the holiness here "is thus not moral, but ritual." The torn carcass goes to the dog; the holy people does not take it in.

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

Read under Sola Scriptura, Exodus 22:16–31 is a single argument disguised as a list. Its surface is miscellaneous — Ellicott can only call these "laws which it is impossible to bring under any general head." But a thread runs from end to end: the same God who weighs a bride-price (v. 16) hears the cry of a coatless debtor (v. 27), and the structure is built to make that one God audible. The hinge is the doubled cry. Twice the unit puts the same machinery on the page — oppress the helpless, and his cry (tsâ‘aq) rises, and God hears (shâmâ‘) and acts (vv. 23, 27). It is the very grammar of Israel's own deliverance: in Exodus 2:23–25 Israel cried, and God heard. The laws against witchcraft, bestiality, and idolatry that seem so distant from the laws of mercy are not a different subject; Keil sees the seam rightly — from v. 18 the demand rests on Israel's election "to be the holy nation," and reverence for God (v. 28) is named by him as "the deepest root" of the very humanitarian laws around it. So the chapter's logic is: because you were heard, hear; because you were ransomed from the place of no-rights, give the foreigner rights; be holy (v. 31) not by power but by mercy, for the God you image is the One who said, at the end of His sternest threats, channûn ’ānî — "I am gracious." That self-disclosure, planted in a pawnbroking statute, is the unit's true center. This reading is the synthesis layer's own, offered to be tested against the text.

He hid His own Name — "I am gracious" — not in a psalm but in a law about a poor man's coat, so that mercy would be found exactly where power is tempted to forget it. (An interpretive line from the synthesis layer, not a verse of Scripture.)

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

The bride-price: môhar binds the seduction-law to Shechem and Saul verbal / quotation — confirmed

The rare noun môhar (H4119) and its cognate verb mâhar (H4117) occur in only a handful of places. The Verifier records the shared lexeme between Exodus 22:16–17 and Genesis 34:12 (Shechem's offer for Dinah) and 1 Samuel 18:25 (Saul's deadly "bride-price" of a hundred Philistine foreskins for Michal). Because môhar appears in only three verses, the link is genuinely verbal, not merely thematic — the law and the two narratives speak the same technical word for the price paid for a wife.

Exodus 22:16 · Exodus 22:17 · Genesis 34:12 · 1 Samuel 18:25

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:17 ↔ Gen 34:12): shared H4119 môhar (in only 3 vv — rare), plus H5414 nâthan; (Exod 22:17 ↔ 1 Sam 18:25): shared H4119 môhar. The rarity of môhar (3 occurrences) makes this a confirmed verbal link, not a generic motif.

Seduced vs. betrothed: the deliberate contrast with Deuteronomy 22 verbal / quotation — confirmed

Exodus 22:16 governs the seduction of a girl who is not betrothed (אֹרָשָׂה, ’ōrāśāh, H781). The Verifier ties it to Deuteronomy 22:23–24 and 22:28 by the shared cluster ’âras ("betroth"), bᵉthûlâh ("virgin"), and shâkab ("lie with"). Cambridge reads the relationship as a deliberate legal contrast: the seduction of a betrothed maiden "is regarded as virtually the same thing as adultery" (Deut 22:23–27), whereas Deut 22:28–29 treats rape, not seduction. The verbal overlap is real; the relationship the laws draw is one of graded cases sharing a vocabulary.

Exodus 22:16 · Deuteronomy 22:23 · Deuteronomy 22:28

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:16 ↔ Deut 22:28): shared H781 ʼâras (in 10 vv — distinctive), H1330 bᵉthûwlâh (50 vv), H7901 shâkab (190 vv). The distinctive ʼâras anchors a confirmed verbal kinship among the marriage-and-virginity laws.

The sorceress: a six-verse lexeme across the Law and the Prophets verbal / quotation — confirmed

The verb kâshaph (H3784), "to practice sorcery," appears in only six verses of the Hebrew Bible. The Verifier links Exodus 22:18 to Deuteronomy 18:10 (the locus classicus against divination), Malachi 3:5 (where the sorcerer is judged beside those who oppress the widow and orphan), 2 Chronicles 33:6 (Manasseh's apostasy), Daniel 2:2, and Exodus 7:11 (Pharaoh's magicians). Cambridge notes that v. 18 uses the unique feminine form of the noun. Because the lexeme is so rare, the network is verbal: one word stitches the Sinai law to the prophetic indictment and the historical narrative of Judah's worst king.

Exodus 22:18 · Deuteronomy 18:10 · Malachi 3:5 · 2 Chronicles 33:6 · Exodus 7:11

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:18 ↔ Deut 18:10): shared H3784 kâshaph (in only 6 vv — rare). The same rare lexeme recurs in Mal 3:5, 2 Chron 33:6, Dan 2:2, Exod 7:11 (Verifier candidate set), making a confirmed verbal thread.

The protected triad: sojourner, widow, and orphan as a covenant formula structural / thematic — confirmed

Exodus 22:21–24 names the three classic dependents — the gêr (sojourner, H1616), the ’almânâh (widow, H490), and the yâthôwm (orphan, H3490). The Verifier links the passage to Deuteronomy 24:17, Job 24:3, Ezekiel 22:7, and Jeremiah 22:3 by these recurring words. These lexemes are not rare individually (the orphan-word alone spans 42 verses), so the connection is best read as a fixed thematic formula of covenant compassion rather than a quotation. The synthesis under-claims here on purpose: this is a shared pattern, not a verbal citation.

Exodus 22:21 · Exodus 22:22 · Deuteronomy 24:17 · Ezekiel 22:7 · Jeremiah 22:3

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:22 ↔ Deut 24:17): shared H3490 yâthôwm (42 vv), H490 ʼalmânâh (54 vv); (Exod 22:21 ↔ Mal 3:5 / Ezek 22:7): shared H1616 gêr (83 vv). Lexemes are common, not rare — downgraded to a confirmed thematic formula, not a verbal quotation.

Malachi gathers the scattered crimes of Exodus 22 into one oracle of judgment verbal / quotation — confirmed

One prophetic verse converges on this unit from two directions at once. Malachi 3:5 names the LORD drawing near "to judgment," and the very crimes Exodus 22 lists separately — the sorcerer (v. 18) and the oppressors of the widow, the orphan, and the sojourner (vv. 21–22) — Malachi binds into a single sentence of indictment. The Verifier records both links: the rare lexeme kâshaph ("sorcerer," H3784, in only 6 vv) is genuinely verbal, while the widow/orphan/sojourner words (H490 ’almânâh, H3490 yâthôwm, H1616 gêr) are common, so that strand is thematic. The badge tiers the thread by its weakest verifiable element honestly: the sorcerer-word carries the verbal weight; the social triad is a shared covenant pattern, not a quotation. What the law scatters as discrete statutes, the prophet hears as one cry God will answer.

Exodus 22:18 · Exodus 22:21 · Exodus 22:22 · Malachi 3:5

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:18 ↔ Mal 3:5): shared H3784 kâshaph (in only 6 vv — rare), confirming a verbal link on the sorcerer-word; (Exod 22:22 ↔ Mal 3:5): shared H490 ʼalmânâh (54 vv), H3490 yâthôwm (42 vv) — common lexemes, a thematic (not verbal) overlap on the protected-triad. The rare kâshaph anchors the badge; the social-triad strand is flagged as thematic within the body.

The firstfruits: mᵉlê’âh, the three-verse word for the full yield verbal / quotation — confirmed

Exodus 22:29's archaic mᵉlê’âh ("fullness," H4395) is a rare lexeme found in only three verses. The Verifier ties it to Numbers 18:27 (the tithe "like the fulness from the wine-vat") and Deuteronomy 22:9 (the produce of a vineyard sown with mixed seed that must not be forfeited). Keil independently cross-references Deuteronomy 22:9 for the word's sense. Because the term is so rare, the link is verbal — the same uncommon word for the offered first-yield binds the firstfruits law to the tithe-law.

Exodus 22:29 · Numbers 18:27 · Deuteronomy 22:9

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:29 ↔ Num 18:27): shared H4395 mᵉlêʼâh (in only 3 vv — rare). The rarity of the lexeme confirms a verbal link among the first-yield / tithe laws.

"Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler": Paul's quotation in Acts 23:5 flagged — verify source

In Acts 23:5 Paul, rebuked for reviling the high priest, quotes Exodus 22:28 almost verbatim from the Greek: "Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." This is an explicit New-Testament citation — Benson, Barnes, and Cambridge all note it. But it is a cross-Testament link (Greek ↔ Hebrew): the Verifier finds no shared Strong's lexeme in its index, because the testaments are numbered separately and the connection runs through the Septuagint, not a common Hebrew word. Per the unit's rules, such a link cannot be tiered "verbal" on Strong's grounds, and the bare cross-Testament basis is flagged for the reader to verify against the LXX text rather than assert from a lexeme match.

Exodus 22:28 · Acts 23:5

basis: Verifier (Exod 22:28 ↔ Acts 23:5): no shared original-language lexeme in the index — a cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew) link that runs through the LXX, not a common Strong's number. It is an explicit, widely-recognized NT citation, but cannot be Strong's-verbal; flagged so the reader checks the Greek of Acts against the LXX of Exod 22:28 directly.

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The bridegroom who pays the full price for an unworthy bride widely-held

The seduction-law (vv. 16–17) requires the man to pay the môhar and take the woman as his wife, restoring the status she had lost. The New Testament casts the Church as a bride presented spotless (Eph 5:25–27), bought "with a price" (1 Cor 6:20) — Christ the Bridegroom paying the full price for a people who could not establish their own standing. The figure of a bride-price that restores forfeited honor is an ancient and widely-held type; the synthesis names it as a figural reading, not a claim the Verifier can confirm by lexeme.

Exodus 22:16 · Exodus 22:17 · Ephesians 5:25 · 1 Corinthians 6:20

The God who hears the cry, made flesh as the one who is "gracious" widely-held

Twice this unit grounds its mercy in God's hearing the cry of the helpless, closing with His own name: channûn ’ānî, "I am gracious" (v. 27). The Gospels show that grace embodied — Jesus moved by the widow of Nain (Luke 7:13), hearing the blind man's cry that others tried to silence (Mark 10:47–49), and naming Himself the fulfillment of "good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). That the channûn God of Exodus 22:27 walks among the afflicted in the Gospels is a widely-held reading; it is offered as figural, not as a Strong's-verified link.

Exodus 22:23 · Exodus 22:27 · Luke 4:18 · Luke 7:13

The firstborn given to God, and the eighth-day consecration widely-held

"The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me" (v. 29) opens onto the whole firstborn-theology of the Torah, where every firstborn son belongs to the LORD and must be redeemed (Exod 13:13; Num 18:15–16). Luke draws the line to its end: Jesus is brought up to Jerusalem as the firstborn male "holy to the Lord" (Luke 2:23), the one Son who is given and not redeemed. Benson makes the move explicitly — God "spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all" — reading the firstborn law as a shadow of the Father giving the true Firstborn (Col 1:15; Rom 8:32). The eighth-day pattern of v. 30, tied here to circumcision, is the Torah's threshold of consecration; many Christian readers hear in it the resurrection on the day after the Sabbath. This typology is ancient and widely-held; it is the synthesis layer's figural reading, marked as such, not a claim about the law's own intent.

Exodus 22:29 · Exodus 22:30 · Luke 2:23 · Romans 8:32 · Colossians 1:15

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Geneva Bible marginal notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

Honesty notes specific to this unit. (1) The ’ĕlōhîm of v. 28 is genuinely undecided. The voices split three ways — "the gods" (LXX, Vulgate, Philo, Josephus), "the judges/magistrates" (Benson, the Targum, Jamieson), and "God" (Keil, Ellicott, Barnes). The synthesis renders it "God" in the literal line because that reading best fits the parallel with cursing a ruler, but the division is preserved, not erased; the Hebrew word truly bears more than one sense. (2) The sorceress-law (v. 18) carries an editorial freight that is not the text's. Cambridge's verdict that the law "does not breathe the spirit of Christ" is a 19th-century moral-progressive judgment — the human ✦ layer — and is weighed here, not endorsed; the synthesis takes no position the grammar cannot settle. (3) Text-critical uncertainty at v. 31. Cambridge suspects the Hebrew בַּשָּׂדֶה ("in the field") may be a dittograph of בָּשָׂר ("flesh"), and the LXX reads simply "flesh torn of beasts." The literal line keeps "in the field" as the received text but flags the doubt. (4) The Acts 23:5 citation is real but not Strong's-verifiable. Paul's quotation of v. 28 is undisputed, yet because it is a cross-Testament link running through the Septuagint, the Verifier finds no shared lexeme; the thread is flagged accordingly rather than asserted as "verbal." (5) The widow-orphan-sojourner formula was deliberately under-claimed. Though it forms a recurring covenant pattern across the Law and Prophets, its lexemes are common, so it is tiered thematic, not verbal. (6) Several voices reach for the New Testament or for history — Benson and Ellicott on the firstborn and the avenging sword, the Pulpit Commentary on Nebuchadnezzar. Those are the commentators' own ✦ applications, named as such, and kept distinct from the ⚙ synthesis and from the BSB text itself. (7) The Malachi 3:5 convergence is a mixed link, honestly badged. Malachi gathers both the sorcerer of v. 18 and the oppressors of the widow, orphan, and sojourner of vv. 21–22 into one oracle; but only the sorcerer-word kâshaph is rare enough (6 vv) to be verbal, while the social-triad words are common and therefore thematic. The badge is anchored on the rare lexeme and flags the triad-strand as thematic, rather than letting the verbal tier silently cover the common words.

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)