Exodus 21:27

Study note

Setting — The passage functions as a judicial ruling delivered to the Israelite assembly concerning masters who injure their bonded laborers. It follows a statute on blinding an eye and precedes a ruling on a goring ox, placing it within a sequence of civil penalties for bodily harm.

The words — The verb יַפִּ֑יל (ya.pil) literally means "he will knock down" or "cause to fall," here specifying the forced removal of a tooth. The phrase לַֽ/חָפְשִׁ֥י (la./cha.fe.shi) denotes "to freedom" or "for release," establishing the direct payment for the injury.

The thread — This proportional compensation model runs parallel to Exodus 21:26, which mandates freedom for blinding an eye, and contrasts with Exodus 21:28, which prescribes capital punishment for a fatal animal attack. The legal sequence moves from personal injury to property damage, maintaining a consistent structure of measured restitution.

Why it lands — The text requires that physical harm to a servant be resolved through the immediate loss of the master's economic claim rather than through monetary payment. It demands recognition that bodily integrity establishes a fixed limit on the exercise of ownership.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.