1. Leviticus 18:5 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What are the Israelites to obey?

Leviticus 18:5 (ESV)

5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

The Hebrews must obey the Lord’s statutes (ḥǔqqāh) and rules (mišpāṭ). The first term is often used in the Torah for case laws based upon a prior prescriptive law. The second term refers to descriptive laws that appear as decrees and rules of God (Exodus 18:16).