With 23:15 we enter into a discussion of the implications of the eighth commandment, relating to theft. Five laws (23:15–25) are given in the second-person singular, perhaps highlighting the importance of individual responsibility within the covenant community. Even the rules on divorce (24:1–4) and kidnapping (24:7) represent a metaphorical and real theft of life. Other ancient Near Eastern countries required the extradition of runaway slaves, but Israel did not, for it would imply a covenant relationship with that foreign country and the slave was not to be oppressed but helped (23:15–16). Male and female prostitution are forbidden. The Hebrew terminology for such prostitution comes from the root meaning “holy” or “set apart.” In this one word, “holy,” the sacred and the secular come in…