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Exodus 21 General Notes
Special concepts in this chapter
Covenant with Moses
Although the covenant Yahweh made with Moses began in the previous chapter, it formally begins with the statement, "Now these are the decrees that you must set before them." The law of Moses was a major part of this covenant. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/covenant and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses)
Slavery
This passage does not condone slavery as an acceptable practice. However, it does impose some restrictions on the practice.
Justice in society
The rules and law of this chapter are not intended to be followed by every society. Israel was God's chosen nation and was required to live in a special way. These laws concerned creating a just society and a holy nation. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/elect, rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holy)