The covenant not only places upon Israel the responsibility of accepting the absolute sovereignty of Yahweh as defined in the first commandment; it also requires Israel to treat the weak in its midst as Yahweh has treated it. This is the significance of the apodictic laws in the Covenant Code: You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Exodus 22:21; cf. 23:9 RSV)
