LAW AND NARRATIVE IN EXODUS 19-24

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Jun 2004 by Sprinkle, Joe M

Similarly, the book of the covenant (Exod 20:22-23:33), even if more impersonal in formulation than the Decalogue, is bracketed within an "I-Thou" context. The front bracket is its prologue and introductory cultic laws (Exod 20:22-26) that are full of "I-Thou" language. It is introduced as Yahweh's speech to Israel through Moses: Yahweh said to Moses, "Address the children of Israel as follows: 'You yourselves have seen how from the sky I have spoken with you [pi.]'" (v. 22). The second person plural is used here in verse 22 and in the law prohibiting images in verse 23, while the second person singular is used in altar law at verses 24, 25, and 26.6 Yahweh refers to himself in first person ("I," "me," "my") throughout (vv. 22, 23, 24, and 26).

The back bracket of the book of the covenant consists of social and cultic laws (Exod 22:17-23:19)7 followed by the epilogue to the book of the covenant (Exod 23:20-33), both of which are also full of "I-Thou" language. "I-Thou" language is less common in Exod 21:1-22:17, perhaps influenced by its civil law genre that in other ancient Near Eastern law collections tend to have impersonal, casuistic formulations.8 Nonetheless, this section begins with "I-Thou" language (21:1: "These are the norms that you [= Moses] are to set before them") and has just enough "I-Thou" language later (Exod 21:2, 13-14, 23) to keep the reader aware of the context introduced by the prologue that this is God's personal message to Israel.

"I-Thou" language also occurs elsewhere among the laws. It is common in God's instruction to Moses [= thou] on how to build the tabernacle (Exodus 25-31). Leviticus 1-7 consists primarily of impersonally formulated laws concerning sacrifice, but like the central core of the book of the covenant, the narrator personalizes these laws by the use of personal pronouns here and there. The second person formulation in the introduction at Lev 1:29 shows that the whole corpus is God's message to Israel mediated by Moses. There is a highly personal section at Lev 4:4-16 where the second person predominates,10 and there are a few isolated cases where the first person is used in reference to God (Lev 6:17; 7:34) or the second person singular is used in reference to Israelites (Lev 6:21). All this serves to remind the reader that this is Yahweh's personal message for Israel.11

In addition to "I-Thou" language, there is also implied "Us-Them" language in the law and its surrounding narratives. The "Us-Them" language emphasizes how "we," the Israelite readers, should be separate from "them," the nations,12 as a result of their relationship with God as "Thou." This "Us-Them" dichotomy can be discerned in Exodus 19-24. In Exod 19:5-6, God promised Israel that if they "obey my voice and keep my covenant," that is, if they maintain the covenant by following the laws, Israel would be set apart from other peoples as God's special possession, as a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." In the Decalogue's prologue Israel is reminded of how God separated the Israelites from Egypt physically, and the cultic laws emphasize that they must be separate spiritually as well by avoiding idolatry of any sort, and by keeping the Sabbath (Exod 20:2-6, 8). The pagan practices of outsiders, such as sorcery and idolatry, were punishable with death (Exod 22:18, 20). Canaanites in particular must be driven out of the land of promise and their cult objects completely obliterated (Exod 23:23-24, 28-32). The Canaanite "they" were not even to live with the Israelite "us" (Exod 23:33). And yet other foreigners, namely sojourners (Heb. ger), were to be treated decently by the Israelite "us." They were not to be oppressed or taken advantage of, but the "us"-Israelite readers were supposed to empathize with their plight in view of Israel's own historical experience as sojourners (Exod 22:21; 23:9). Such laws ultimately allow "them" to integrated into "us,"13 and thereby come to know God as "Thou."