"Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them. (Exodus 21:1)
God's ordinances are matters of conduct concerning which He has ruled, in order to give Israel a precedent to follow in rendering judgement. For this reason the Hebrew word is translated as "judgment" in the King James Version of the Bible. Let us look at the word itself to learn more before proceeding:
The Hebrew word "mishpath" comes from a primitive root, "shaphath," meaning to judge, to govern, to vindicate, or to punish. Thus, mishpothim (plural) are Yahweh's renderings of cases which inherently have a black-and-white decision. When an ordinance is given, it is final—it is the judgement of Yahweh.
We see in the ordinances of Yahweh the revelation of true justice and righteousness, because they display the final word on certain actions, etc.
The Lord's ordinances are insights into the perfection of His wisdom, understanding and truth. Often ordinances have no definition in the Law, but are simply referred to as being already known. This suggests that many of them were passed down by mouth by the priests and Levites.
Scripture Quotes: World English Bible Translation.
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