Neville Goddard on Exodus 21:16 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Exodus 21 in context

Scripture Focus

16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

Exodus 21:16

Biblical Context

The verse declares that kidnapping a man and selling him, or being found in possession of one, is punishable by death. It emphasizes strict accountability for taking another’s freedom.

Neville's Inner Vision

Exodus 21:16 speaks in the language of law, but the inner message is a law of consciousness. When it says 'he that stealeth a man, and selleth him,' imagine that you are not dealing with persons but with states of consciousness. To 'steal' a man is to seize another's wholeness, to imprison the energy of life in a belief you can own or control him. When the verse says 'shall surely be put to death,' it signals the necessity to cease that mania in your mind. The crime is not a physical act alone; it is the persistent habit of claiming power over life in imagination. The remedy is to awaken to the I AM presence, the living, self-acting consciousness that liberates rather than binds. See every soul as imaged in the Divine and free from your private custody; recognize that the only true ownership is of your own consciousness. By aligning with the truth of Imago Dei, you dissolve the bondage you previously imagined.

Practice This Now

Close your eyes and assume you are the I AM liberating every locked and captive state within your mind. Revise the belief that you own or control another; affirm silently, 'There is no one I own; all are free in my consciousness,' and feel that freedom until it becomes your living reality.