Did you notice how quickly we move from The Big Ten (Commandments) to all these very detailed rules??? I’m not a lawyer but the specificity of them sound like the seeds of tort law being planted. For example, if your ox gores someone, you’ll be fined–but if you knew the ox was prone to goring and you didn’t pen it up and it gored someone, the punishment is much worse (death I think). It’s fascinating to imagine how the people fashioned these laws based on every-day experiences and situations.
I thought it was interesting to see the actual context that the “eye for an eye” injunction comes from (21:24), as well as that simply stated but oddly placed “Thou shalt not permit a female sorcerer (witch) to live” (22:18), tucked away with seducing virgins and lying with animals.
Year Of The Bible 
Did you notice how quickly we move from The Big Ten (Commandments) to all these very detailed rules??? I’m not a lawyer but the specificity of them sound like the seeds of tort law being planted. For example, if your ox gores someone, you’ll be fined–but if you knew the ox was prone to goring and you didn’t pen it up and it gored someone, the punishment is much worse (death I think). It’s fascinating to imagine how the people fashioned these laws based on every-day experiences and situations.
I thought it was interesting to see the actual context that the “eye for an eye” injunction comes from (21:24), as well as that simply stated but oddly placed “Thou shalt not permit a female sorcerer (witch) to live” (22:18), tucked away with seducing virgins and lying with animals.