Word Studies¶

Study Question¶

What evidence exists for the moral law operating from creation to Sinai?

Key Finding: Genesis 26:5 Vocabulary¶

Genesis 26:5 uses four technical terms for God's requirements -- the same terms later used for the Sinai legislation. All four appear in this single pre-Sinai verse: mishmereth (H4931), mitsvah (H4687), chuqqah (H2708), and towrah (H8451). The verb shamar (H8104) governs the sentence. This is the earliest co-occurrence of these law-related terms in Scripture.

Group 1: Sabbath Terms¶

H7673 - shabath (שָׁבַת)¶

Transliteration: shâbath (shaw-bath)
Part of Speech: Verb
Total Occurrences: 110
Definition: A primitive root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific)
KJV Translation Range: cease (19), ceased (4), ceaseth (4), rest (3), keep sabbath (1), celebrate (1), put away (1), still (1)
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 2:2 -- "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested [shabath] on the seventh day"
Gen 2:3 -- "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested [shabath] from all his work"
Gen 8:22 -- "While the earth remaineth...shall not cease [shabath]"
Significance: The verb shabath appears at creation (Gen 2:2-3) to describe God's rest. This is the root from which the noun shabbath (H7676) derives. God's own action of "shabath-ing" on the seventh day precedes the Sinai legislation by the entire span of Genesis.

H7676 - shabbath (שַׁבָּת)¶

Transliteration: shabbâth (shab-bawth)
Part of Speech: Masculine/feminine noun
Total Occurrences: 109
Definition: Intensive from H7673; intermission, i.e. (specifically) the Sabbath
KJV Translation Range: the sabbath (42), my sabbaths (14), on the sabbath (11), a sabbath (7), sabbath (6)
First Occurrence: Exo 16:23
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Exo 16:23 -- "To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath [shabbath] unto the LORD"
Exo 16:25 -- "to day is a sabbath [shabbath] unto the LORD"
Exo 16:26 -- "but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath [shabbath], in it there shall be none"
Exo 16:29 -- "the LORD hath given you the sabbath [shabbath]"
Significance: The noun form first appears in Exodus 16 -- the manna-Sabbath test, which occurs BEFORE Israel reaches Sinai (Exo 19). God tests Israel's obedience to the Sabbath before formally delivering the Decalogue. The verb form (H7673) reaches back to creation (Gen 2:2-3). The noun form's first appearance in a pre-Sinai context demonstrates the Sabbath institution predates the Sinai legislation.

Group 2: Law/Command Terms (Genesis 26:5 Cluster)¶

H4931 - mishmereth (מִשְׁמֶרֶת)¶

Transliteration: mishmereth (mish-mer-reth)
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Total Occurrences: 78
Definition: Watch, i.e. the act (custody), or the sentry, the post; figuratively observance, i.e. duty or a usage
KJV Translation Range: the charge (25), to be kept (5), my charge (4), ward (4), watch (3), ordinance (3)
First Occurrence: Gen 26:5
Pre-Sinai Occurrence:
Gen 26:5 -- "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge [mishmereth]"
Post-Sinai Usage: Extensively used for Levitical duties (Num 1:53; 3:7-8, 25, 28, 31, 32, 36, 38; 4:27-32; 18:3-5), priestly charges (Lev 8:35; 22:9), and covenant keeping (1Ki 2:3; Zec 3:7)
Significance: Gen 26:5 is the earliest biblical occurrence. The term denotes something entrusted to a person's care -- a "charge" to guard. Its use for Abraham indicates God had entrusted specific obligations to him that he faithfully kept.

H4687 - mitsvah (מִצְוָה)¶

Transliteration: mitsvâh (mits-vaw)
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Total Occurrences: 190
Definition: From H6680; a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)
KJV Translation Range: commandments (94), the commandment (14), commandment (10), precepts (2+), ordinances (1), law (1)
First Occurrence: Gen 26:5
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 26:5 -- "and kept...my commandments [mitsvah]"
Exo 15:26 -- "wilt give ear to his commandments [mitsvah]" (at Marah, before Sinai)
Exo 16:28 -- "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments [mitsvah]" (manna test, before Sinai)
Post-Sinai Usage: The standard term for God's commandments throughout the Pentateuch and the rest of the OT (Exo 20:6; 24:12; Deu 4:2, 40; 5:28-29; 6:1-2, 17, 25; etc.)
Significance: The same word used for "the commandments" at Sinai and throughout the OT first appears in Gen 26:5, where God testifies Abraham kept His "commandments" (mitsvah). Additionally, God uses this term at Marah (Exo 15:26) and in the manna test (Exo 16:28) -- both before reaching Sinai.

H2708 - chuqqah (חֻקָּה)¶

Transliteration: chuqqâh (khook-kaw)
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Total Occurrences: 116
Definition: Feminine of H2706, and meaning substantially the same: appointed, custom, manner, ordinance, statute
KJV Translation Range: my statutes (24), a statute (13), in my statutes (9), ordinances (6), his statutes (6)
First Occurrence: Gen 26:5
Pre-Sinai Occurrence:
Gen 26:5 -- "and kept...my statutes [chuqqah]"
Post-Sinai Usage: Frequently paired with mitsvah and mishpat in Sinai and later legislation (Lev 18:4-5, 26; 19:19, 37; 20:8, 22; 26:3, 15, 43; Deu 6:2; 8:11; 10:13; 11:1; etc.)
Significance: The feminine form chuqqah first appears in Gen 26:5. The masculine form choq (H2706) appears in Exo 15:25 at Marah. Both forms are used extensively for the Sinai legislation. Their pre-Sinai appearance in reference to Abraham's obedience indicates divinely established statutes existed before Sinai.

H2706 - choq (חֹק)¶

Transliteration: chôq (khoke)
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Total Occurrences: 134
Definition: From H2710; an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)
KJV Translation Range: statutes (39), decree (6), ordinances (2+), law (2), due/portion (3), custom (1)
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 47:22 -- Pharaoh's "statute" for priests' portions (secular usage)
Gen 47:26 -- Joseph made it "a law [choq]" over Egypt
Exo 15:25 -- "there he made for them a statute [choq] and an ordinance [mishpat]" (at Marah, BEFORE Sinai)
Exo 15:26 -- "wilt keep all his statutes [choq]"
Exo 18:16, 20 -- Moses judges by "the statutes [choq] of God, and his laws [towrah]" (before Sinai per the narrative context)
Significance: God made a "statute and ordinance" (choq u-mishpat) at Marah (Exo 15:25) -- a formal legal act BEFORE Sinai. Moses also judged Israel by God's "statutes" and "laws" (Exo 18:16, 20) in the narrative context preceding Sinai.

H8451 - towrah (תּוֹרָה)¶

Transliteration: tôwrâh (to-raw)
Part of Speech: Feminine noun
Total Occurrences: 244
Definition: From H3384; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch
KJV Translation Range: the law (60), of the law (28), law (24), thy law (20), in the law (19), my law (10)
First Occurrence: Gen 26:5
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 26:5 -- "and kept...my laws [towrah]"
Exo 12:49 -- "One law [towrah] shall be to him that is homeborn" (Passover, before Sinai)
Exo 13:9 -- "that the LORD's law [towrah] may be in thy mouth"
Exo 16:4 -- "whether they will walk in my law [towrah], or no" (manna test, before Sinai)
Exo 16:28 -- "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws [towrah]?" (manna test, before Sinai)
Exo 18:16, 20 -- Moses makes known "the statutes of God, and his laws [towrah]" (before Sinai)
Significance: The term towrah first appears in Gen 26:5, where God says Abraham kept "my laws." It appears again in the manna test (Exo 16:4, 28) where God explicitly tests Israel's obedience to "my law" and "my laws" BEFORE Sinai. This demonstrates that towrah (law/instruction) existed as a body of divine instruction before the Sinai codification.

H8104 - shamar (שָׁמַר)¶

Transliteration: shâmar (shaw-mar)
Part of Speech: Verb
Total Occurrences: 508
Definition: A primitive root; properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to
KJV Translation Range: keep (53), take heed (19), keeper (19), observe (10), preserve (7), beware (8), watch (5)
First Occurrence: Gen 2:15
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 2:15 -- "put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep [shamar] it"
Gen 3:24 -- "a flaming sword...to keep [shamar] the way of the tree of life"
Gen 4:9 -- "Am I my brother's keeper [shamar]?"
Gen 18:19 -- "they shall keep [shamar] the way of the LORD"
Gen 26:5 -- "Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept [shamar] my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws"
Gen 28:15, 20 -- God will "keep [shamar] thee in all places"
Gen 30:31; 31:29; 37:11 -- various uses of keeping/guarding
Significance: shamar is the governing verb of Gen 26:5 -- Abraham "kept" (shamar) God's charge, commandments, statutes, and laws. This same verb is used in the Sabbath commandment (Deu 5:12: "Keep [shamar] the sabbath day") and throughout the Pentateuch for covenant obedience. Its first appearance in Gen 2:15 (keeping/guarding the garden) establishes the concept of divinely assigned guardianship from creation.

Group 3: Clean/Unclean Terms¶

H2889 - tahowr (טָהוֹר)¶

Transliteration: ṭâhôwr (taw-hore)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Total Occurrences: 94
Definition: From H2891; pure (in a physical, chemical, ceremonial or moral sense)
KJV Translation Range: pure (38), clean (36), the clean (7), fair (2)
First Occurrence: Gen 7:2
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 7:2 -- "Of every clean [tahowr] beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens"
Gen 7:8 -- "Of clean [tahowr] beasts, and of beasts that are not clean"
Gen 8:20 -- "took of every clean [tahowr] beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings"
Post-Sinai Codification: Leviticus 11 (full dietary laws), Lev 10:10; 11:47; 20:25; Deu 14:11, 20
Significance: Gen 7:2 is the earliest biblical use of tahowr. God instructs Noah to distinguish between "clean" and "not clean" animals. Noah then sacrifices "clean" animals (Gen 8:20). This pre-Sinai distinction between clean and unclean animals -- using the same term later codified at Sinai (Lev 11) -- demonstrates the category existed before the Levitical legislation.

H2930 - tame (טָמֵא)¶

Transliteration: ṭâmêʼ (taw-may)
Part of Speech: Verb
Total Occurrences: 194
Definition: A primitive root; to be foul, especially in a ceremonial or moral sense (contaminated)
KJV Translation Range: unclean (52), defiled (14), defile (7), pronounce unclean (7), polluted (4)
First Occurrence: Gen 34:5
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 34:5 -- "he had defiled [tame] Dinah his daughter"
Gen 34:13 -- "because he had defiled [tame] Dinah their sister"
Gen 34:27 -- "because they had defiled [tame] their sister"
Post-Sinai Usage: Extensively in Leviticus for ceremonial defilement (Lev 5:3; 11:24-44; 12:2; 13-15; 18:20-28; etc.)
Significance: The verb tame first appears in Gen 34, where Shechem's rape of Dinah is described as "defilement." The same verb used throughout Leviticus for ceremonial and moral defilement appears here in a pre-Sinai context of sexual violation. Jacob's sons respond with violent retribution, indicating they recognized the act as a serious moral transgression.

Group 4: Sin Terminology¶

H2398 - chata (חָטָא)¶

Transliteration: châṭâʼ (khaw-taw)
Part of Speech: Verb
Total Occurrences: 292
Definition: A primitive root; properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn
KJV Translation Range: sin/to sin (52), I have sinned/have sinned (25+13=38), sinned (13), sinneth (7), made/purify/cleanse (14+2+1=17)
First Occurrence: Gen 20:6
Pre-Sinai Occurrences:
Gen 20:6 -- "I also withheld thee from sinning [chata] against me" (God to Abimelech regarding Sarah)
Gen 20:9 -- "What have I offended [chata] thee?" (Abimelech to Abraham)
Gen 31:39 -- "I bare the loss [chata] of it" (Jacob to Laban -- non-moral usage: "missing")
Gen 39:9 -- "how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin [chata] against God?" (Joseph refusing adultery)
Gen 40:1 -- "the butler...had offended [chata] their lord" (in Egypt)
Gen 42:22 -- "Do not sin [chata] against the child" (Reuben about Joseph)
Gen 43:9; 44:32 -- "then let me bear the blame [chata]" (Judah)
Significance: The verb chata appears repeatedly in pre-Sinai narratives. Two occurrences are especially significant:
Gen 20:6 -- God Himself uses chata to describe potential sin against Him by Abimelech (a Gentile), demonstrating divine moral standards applied to non-Israelites before Sinai.
Gen 39:9 -- Joseph identifies adultery as "sin [chata] against God," demonstrating pre-Sinai awareness of specific moral prohibitions. Joseph's moral vocabulary presupposes a known standard.

Cross-Reference: Gen 26:5 Term Parallels with Sinai Legislation¶

The following table shows how the four terms in Gen 26:5 appear together in key Sinai and post-Sinai passages:

Term	Gen 26:5	Deu 11:1	1Ki 2:3	2Ki 17:13
mishmereth (H4931)	"my charge"	"his charge"	"his charge"	--
mitsvah (H4687)	"my commandments"	"his commandments"	"his commandments"	"my commandments"
chuqqah (H2708)	"my statutes"	"his statutes"	"his statutes"	"my statutes"
towrah (H8451)	"my laws"	--	--	--
choq (H2706)	--	--	"his statutes"	--
mishpat (H4941)	--	"his judgments"	"his judgments"	--

The vocabulary cluster in Gen 26:5 uses the same technical legal terms that characterize the Sinai covenant throughout the OT. The pre-Sinai date of Gen 26:5 (patriarchal era) raises the question of what body of divine instruction Abraham was keeping.

Pre-Sinai Timeline of Legal/Moral Vocabulary¶

Passage	Term(s) Used	Context
Gen 2:2-3	shabath (H7673)	God rests on the seventh day
Gen 2:15	shamar (H8104)	Adam commanded to "keep" the garden
Gen 2:16-17	tsavah (H6680, root of mitsvah)	First divine command/prohibition
Gen 3:24	shamar (H8104)	Cherubim keep the way of the tree of life
Gen 4:7	chatta'th (H2403, from chata H2398)	"sin lieth at the door"
Gen 4:9	shamar (H8104)	"Am I my brother's keeper?"
Gen 7:2	tahowr (H2889)	Clean/unclean animal distinction
Gen 8:20	tahowr (H2889)	Noah sacrifices clean animals
Gen 18:19	shamar (H8104)	"keep the way of the LORD"
Gen 18:25	mishpat (H4941)	"Shall not the Judge...do right?"
Gen 20:6	chata (H2398)	"withheld thee from sinning against me"
Gen 26:5	shamar, mishmereth, mitsvah, chuqqah, towrah	Full cluster: kept charge, commandments, statutes, laws
Gen 34:5,13,27	tame (H2930)	Dinah "defiled"
Gen 39:9	chata (H2398)	"sin against God"
Exo 15:25-26	choq (H2706), mishpat (H4941), mitsvah (H4687), choq (H2706)	Statute and ordinance at Marah
Exo 16:4,28	towrah (H8451), mitsvah (H4687)	Manna test: "my law," "my commandments"
Exo 16:23-29	shabbath (H7676)	Sabbath institution before Sinai