Commentaries:
A commandment is a specific instruction or law from God that we are to obey forever. Commandments have no precedents because they establish original, divine law.
A statute designates a law that one engraves, meaning a lawgiver establishes it unchangeably unless he alone changes it. A religious statute sets rules for worship. Secular statutes have the force of a royal decree. A statute is formulated like a law: "You shall (not) do so-and-so" (Exodus 22:18-23:33). A synonym for statute is "oracle."
A judgment is a decision based on an established law. A judge takes associated factors into account to decide appropriately for the specific situation. It takes the form of a case-law: "If you do so-and-so, you will pay so much" (Exodus 21:1—22:15). A synonym for judgment is "precedent."
Martin G. Collins
The Ten Commandments
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
John 4:23-24
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