Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Exodus 22:24 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 24. 24And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
At this point in “Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and Holiness,” 22:24 states “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” as a specific cause, response, command, detail, or result.
Read It With
- Exodus 22:16–31
Read Exodus 22:24 with 22:16–31. At this point in “Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and Holiness,” 22:24 states “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” as a specific cause, response, command, detail, or result. The whole unit shows: A dense series addresses seduction and bride-price, severe capital laws, sacrifice, resident outsiders, widows and orphans, interest, pledges, authorities, first produce, firstborn, animals, and holy eating.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Exodus 22:1–15 establishes the preceding movement: Restitution cases address stolen livestock, burglary, grazing, fire, entrusted property, disputed custody, rented or borrowed animals, and degrees of responsibility. This unit applies that movement: A dense series addresses seduction and bride-price, severe capital laws, sacrifice, resident outsiders, widows and orphans, interest, pledges, authorities, first produce, firstborn, animals, and holy eating. At 22:24, the wording “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” makes this verse's contribution precise. At this point in “Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and Holiness,” 22:24 states “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” as a specific cause, response, command, detail, or result.
Read Exodus 22:21–24 together
Why these verses belong together: Resident outsider, widow, orphan, and divine hearing forms one grammatical or narrative sequence and should not be divided into independent slogans.
Verse 21. 21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Verse 22. 22 Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child.
Verse 23. 23 If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry;
Verse 24. 24 And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
What Remains True
Because Exodus 22:24 contributes “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” to “Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and Holiness,” its proportionate enduring truth is: Concrete cases train a community to connect actions with responsibility, restitution, evidence, power, and the lives affected by judgment.
How It Can Shape Life
- At Exodus 22:24, the line “And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your…” serves this contextual meaning: A dense series addresses seduction and bride-price, severe capital laws, sacrifice, resident outsiders, widows and orphans, interest, pledges, authorities, first produce, firstborn, animals, and holy eating. The bounded action is: A proportionate application of “Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and Holiness” is this: Translate the case into its protected interest and power imbalance, then use transparent evidence, proportionate remedies, and safeguards stronger than the ancient social order provided.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Exodus 22:16–31 — Sex, Sorcery, Worship, Outsiders, Loans, and HolinessSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Exodus 22:16–31, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Exodus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 22:16–31
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Exodus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 22:16–31
Open source ↗