Bible Strands
Leviticus 24:10
Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records a specific incident occurring in the wilderness camp immediately following the regulations for the bread of the Presence. The account bridges the priestly provisions of Leviticus 24:9 and the subsequent legal procedure detailed in Leviticus 24:11.
The words — The phrase בֶּן־אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית וּבֶן־אִישׁ מִצְרִי (ben-isha yisre'elit uven-ish mitsri) literally identifies the protagonist as the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man. The verb וַיֵּצֵא (vayyetze') simply states that he "went out" into the camp where the physical altercation began.
The thread — The presence of a mixed-heritage figure in the camp reflects the earlier departure of a mixed multitude from Egypt in Exodus 12:38. This motif of internal camp friction reappears in Numbers 11:4 when the rabble among the Israelites demand different food.
Why it lands — The text establishes a factual record of lineage and camp movement that precedes the legal handling of conflict and blasphemy. It requires the reader to acknowledge that ethnic affiliation and physical location are treated as concrete variables determining communal accountability.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp;
Cross-references
- Exodus 12:38 And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
- Numbers 11:4 Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat?