Exodus 21:2

Footnotes

1. 2 See H. L. Elleson, “The Hebrew Slave: A Study in Early Israelite Society,” 45 (1973): 30–35; N. P. Lemche, “The Manumission of Slaves—The Fallow Year—The Sabbatical Year—The Jobel Year,” 26 (1976): 38–59, and “The ‘Hebrew Slave,’ Comments on the Slave Law—Ex. 21:2–11,” 25 (1975): 129–44.
2. 3 The verbs in both the conditional clause and the following ruling are imperfect tense: “If you buy … then he will serve.” The second imperfect tense (the ruling) could be taken either as a specific future or an obligatory imperfect. Gesenius explains how the verb works in the conditional clauses here (see §159.bb).
3. 4 The interpretation of “Hebrew” in this verse is uncertain: (l) a gentilic ending, (2) a fellow Israelite, (3) or a class of mercenaries of the population (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” 2:). It seems likely that the term describes someone born a Hebrew, as opposed to a foreigner (S. R. Driver, Exodus, ). The literature on this includes: M. P. Gray, “The Habiru-Hebrew Problem,” 29 (1958): 135–202.
4. 5 The word חָפְשִׁי (khofshi) means “free.” It is possible that there is some connection between this word and a technical term used in other cultures for a social class of emancipated slaves who were freemen again (see I. Mendelsohn, “New Light on the Hupsu,” 139 [1955]: 9–11).
5. 6 The adverb חִנָּם (hinnam) means “gratis, free”; it is related to the verb “to be gracious, show favor” and the noun “grace.”