Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 23
Overview
This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event or law, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.Shemot 23 and 34
Shemot 23 and 34 overlap in several respects. The legal section of Parashat Mishpatim, though generally focused on social laws, concludes in Shemot 23 with a list of ritual laws. This list is very similar to the laws listed just a few chapters later in Shemot 34. Similarly, both Shemot 23 and 34 describe God's covenant with the nation in which He promises to aid in conquering Canaan with great marvels and warns against making foreign covenants. What is the need for the repetition, especially given the close proximity of the chapters?
Tools
- Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two sets of laws here and to compare the unit regarding entry into Israel here.
Articles
- See The Commandments of the Covenant, by R. Tamir Granot, for comparison and contrast of the parallel legal passages and identification of their distinct themes. He notes that Parashat Mishpatim emphasizes the social goals of the laws, while Parashat Ki Tisa focuses on the ritual aspect, necessary for the renewal of the covenant after the sin of the golden calf.
- See The First Tablets and the Second Tablets: The Differences Between Mishpatim and Ki Tisa, by R. Yoel Bin-Nun, for analysis of both sets of parallel passages and how the differences between them relate to the sin of the golden calf, which takes place in the interim. He notes, for example, that the warnings against acculteration in Shemot 34 are more detailed than in Shemot 23.