The Covenant Code: A New Way of Reading the Writing

Abstract In this article, we propose a new way of reading the Covenant Code in the book of Exodus. We argue for a different way of understanding the ancient writing of the code. Using synchronic, literary criticism of the second half of the Covenant Code (Exod 22:17–23:19 [Eng. 22:18–23:19]), we read the laws as five pericope-triads, rather than independently, on the basis of their repeated literary devices. The resulting parallel pericopes appear as a literary “weave.” The flow of meaning down the weave appears to visualize YHWH’s approach to building a holy nation. The identification of woven composition presents new possibilities for an integrated understanding of the literary context of specific laws. The meaning of any given law is a function of its place in the weave. Therefore, much of this article is directed at developing a more complex understanding of “context” than is usual. We hypothesize that literary weaving was an ancient scribal paradigm in this context, and that applying it to such texts may suggest rhetorical purpose for repetitions and apparent disjunctures.