An Analysis of the Debt-Slave Law in the Book of the Covenant

An important introductory section in the Book of the Covenant (Exo 20:22-23:33), the debt-slave law (Exo 21:2-11), presents a challenge to biblical scholars who have struggled to explain the relationship between the Hebrew male slave and female slave based on ancient Near Eastern parallels as well as intertextual approaches. The casuistic laws in the debt-slave law (“if-then” forms) evidently reflect numerous characteristics of ancient Near Eastern law codes, particularly the Code of Hammurabi from the second millennium BCE. As a result, scholars have historically not only insisted on the antiquity of the debt-slave law but have also focused on the compositional history of Exodus. Additionally, scholars have also noted the intertextual relationships of three laws among the debt-slave laws (Exo 21:2-11; Deu 15:12-18; Lev 25:39-46). These laws together have enabled scholars to examine other aspects of the Hebrew slave laws: the manumission for the Hebrew female slave (Deu 15:12) and the Jubilee year for all slaves (Lev 25:40). Although scholarly endeavors to define characteristics of the debt-slave law have shed light on understanding how law functions in ancient Israel, they only apply their interpretative methodologies to other slave laws rather than other intertextual narratives in the Hebrew Bible. In this paper, as I consider these intertextual allusions in debt-slave law, I argue that the debt-slave law in Exodus 21:2-11, apparent in David Carr’s “oral-written memorized forms,” denotes one particular narrative element concerning the Hebrew slave’s strong feelings towards his family. It is significant that the chiastic structure in Exodus 21:2-11 and “if-then” stipulations reflect “oral-written memorized forms,” as found in the Code of Hammurabi, in ancient Israel’s educated enculturation curriculum. However, the debt-slave law does not simply preserve “oral-written memorize forms,” but also describes its setting by using the Hebrew slave’s own voice: “I loved my owner, my wife, and my children! I shall not go out free!” (Exo 21:5). This paper proceeds in four stages; first, on the basis of critical notes, it translates the debt-slave law; second, it examines the literary form and setting of Exodus 21:2-11 within the larger literary framework of the Book of the Covenant (Exo 20:22-23:33); third, it identifies and examines a number of intertextual relationships between Exodus 21:2-11 and texts from the Hebrew slave laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy; finally, it not only draws conclusions concerning how these intertextual interpretations complement each other, but also reveals the role of narrative in the law.