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There are many Biblical Scholars that are Christian and also Jewish who sometimes reference a list of 613 Laws as being important to know and understand.  Unfortunately, there are problems with the creation and interpretation of the 613 laws as discussed in this topic.

The 613 Laws are believed to be based on historical writing by Simalai in the 3rd Century CE.  There is also a newer list made and grouped later by Maimonides in the 12 Century CE. 

It is clear that the requirements of God, that can be called laws for serving and worshipping God:  The laws began to be known after the Garden Of Eden, where the scriptural history will show that some of the laws, and not all, were:

1. Known by Cain brought the wrong offering to God, where the scriptures do not tell how Able knew the correct offering.
2. Known by Noah knew what were clean and unclean animals as it required pairs of two and pairs of seven to be brought unto the Ark of Noah. 
3. Written down by Moses in the first five books of the Bible, which contained requirements for the living and worship of God., The laws in these books are known today as the Mosaic Laws, because they were written by Moses.
4. Known by a faithful Jewish person would also be reading and hearing the reading of the Torah and also the Tanakh, where the requirements of God, "laws" would be commonly known. 

It is important as a Christian that we are no longer fully under all of the laws of the Old Testament period that were written down by Moses, but there are are laws that are still relevant and to be followed.

Reverence for the 613 Laws?

The Bible is to have reverence by everyone who has lived and will live because it God's Word.  That does not mean the physical book has reverence, but the content.  A document that has scriptural references or scriptural verses, is not the same as the Bible itself.  This website is not to be revered just because it contains scriptural passages.

Therefore, we should not have reverence for the documental aspect of the 613 Laws, as they are a collection with interpretations of scriptural passages.  The 613 Laws list is not the Bible, but a collections of scriptural verses, which does have good relevant information for our time.  The difference is Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law which makes portions of the Old Law no longer relevant.   

At the time when Jesus Christ walked in Israel, there were members of the Pharisees who quoted some aspects of the Law to try to discredit Jesus Christ.  The scriptures never record a person from the Pharisees, stating "It is written in Law #34 that ...", where this author is not trying to be humorous but it is funny.  As an example, in Mark 12:19, the Pharisees state "Moses wrote for us".  

The Pharisees were described in the scriptures as experts in the law.  They could be equated to a modern-day attorney who specializes in a specific area.  The Pharisees would not have referred to the laws of God by a number reference.

There are faithful Jewish people, since the writing down of the collection of 613 Laws, who will reference the 613 Law List.  Some Christians, because of the perceived reverence by faithful Jewish people along with respect for Jewish people, will think there is something special about the 613 Laws list.  The 613 Laws list is nothing more than a list.

Why was the 613 Laws List Created?

Towards the end of the 1st Century CE, the Council of Jamnia was held to formalize the Old Testament Cannon.  There was many problems for the Jewish people at that time in history:

1. The destruction of the Jerusalem and the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. 
2. Jewish people were relocating after the destruction of Jerusalem.
3. There was many Jewish people recognizing Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
4. A Jewish person had no place to perform required animal sacrifices for remission of sins without a Temple.  The Temple had at times been destroyed in the past, as noted in the scriptures, so this was viewed as something that would possibly be eventually rectified.

An interesting article from Jeremy Norman's website gives more information about the period of time around the Council of Jamnia.  If the link is missing, click here.

There was most likely a list of laws being summarized from the Torah for possible use at the Council of Jamnia and afterwards to look for options other than animal sacrifices.  It may be possible that Simalai, in the 3rd Century CE, used existing writings from the 1st Century CE, and afterwards, to simply rewrite or create the proposed 613 Laws based on the Torah scriptural verses containing laws.

Problems with the 613 Laws List

When searching and reading the 613 Laws List, there are different versions with notes and groupings.  When there is a list with an explanation, the interpretation is sometimes weak or incorrect with comments that make the context to deal only with people of Jewish faith.

A list of some problems:

1. The interpretations of the 613 Laws from different lists will sometimes have different descriptions of the Laws.
2. When the laws are grouped in categories, the grouping is not necessarily consistent with context of the scriptural passage it was taken from in the scriptures.
3. Sometimes there is a law written with changes made to indicate it is about a person of Jewish faith, when the scriptural passage did not indicate that intention.
4. When the 613 Laws list were created, the identification of chapters and verses in the Old Testament was not universal or in use.  At some point there was chapter and verse references added to the 613 Laws list that are most likely the intended reference verses, which are sometimes very incorrect.

Is There Value in the List? Yes

There is value in reading the 613 Laws list for the Christian as everything in the scriptures is important for guidance, encouragement and hope which all point to our need for a Savior.

613 Laws Notes by this Author

The following parts of this topic are the 613 Laws in categories.   The source is from several published lists, such as the one found on http://www.hisglory.us.  In case the link is removed, see 613 laws of the Old Testament document link.  Another link has a slightly different numbering of the list, where there tends not to consistency in the numbering with the first list.  In case the link is removed, here is the laws portion in PDF.

Some notes on reading the list:

1. There are some very minor differences between the Jewish Tanakh and the Christian's Old Testament, which will render some scriptural references given on some 613 lists incorrect.
2. The laws that are in the Ten Commandments have a green background. 
3. The laws that are not required of the Christian, or the punishment is no longer enforceable, are highlighted in gray.
4. When a law written by Simalai has
   (a) problems in terms of modern-day understanding,
   (b) is changed from the scriptural context for some purpose to apply only to Jewish people,
   (c) when something is left off from the scriptural passage,
   (d) when it is redundant because there is duplicate splitting of one scriptural verse,
   (e) it is very incorrect
   then the "law item written by Simalai" is changed by this author and it will be highlighted in light yellow.
5. When there is a law written that doesn't match the scriptural verse then the law will be highlighted in red. 
6. There are laws created by Simalai that have nothing to do with the scriptural reference.
7. There is overlapping and redundancy of laws written by Simalai.
8. There is misinterpretations of the laws written by Simalai.
9. There are a few incorrect scriptural references by Simalai
10. There are misinterpretation of the scriptures.  An example is #64 in the list 613 laws of the Old Testament. 

    #64. That a eunuch shall not marry a daughter of Israel (Deut. 23:2) when Deut 23:2 reads: "No one of illegitimate birth may enter the assembly of the LORD, nor may any of his descendants, even to the tenth generation."

This author has corrected the problem entries in Simalai 613 Laws list.  The original list has two links above, and it is important not to continue to publish problem entries that refer to scriptural reference that do not match what God intended.  There are additional notes given by this author in the right most column, and where necessary the the law definition given by Simalai might be shorten to fit in the table listing.

Our Relationship with God

All ten laws in this category are relevant for the Christian.

The Law

The Laws 11 through 15 are still relevant for the Christian.

Signs and Symbols

None of these laws in this category are required for the Christian.

Prayer and Blessing

The only relevant law is #25 which is not to create images for worship, which is related to the 2nd Commandment in the 10 Commandments.  Many Christians mistakenly violate the 2nd Commandment when making objects and paintings of Jesus Christ that are be revered as Holy.  See the topic Pictures of Jesus for more information.

Love and Brotherhood

This section has many misinterpretations on the scriptural passage.  As stated above, this author has corrected "the Law" because a casual reading of the explanation by a reader might lead to a wrong belief.  The three laws 26, 33 and 34 are not relevant because they are too narrow in scope.

The Poor and Unfortunate

Only 40, 51 & 52 are relevant for the Christian.

The Treatment of Gentiles

Laws 56 and 57 are not relevant for the Christian.

Marriage, Divorce and Family

Only laws 59, 62 and 63 are relevant.  Laws 69 and 73 are not relevant but marked in red because the scriptural verse interpretation is incorrect.

Forbidden Sexual Relations

Laws 87, 100, 101 and 106 are not relevant for the Christian when a man's wife has died and the man is remarrying.  Law 106 is marked in red because Leviticus 22:24 is not about the law stated.  There is more information following the list of 82 through 106, concerning people in the Old Testament who violated some of these laws before they were written down by Moses in the Torah.

Moses wrote the Torah and there were laws written that were not fully known by the people living before the lifetime of Moses.  The two marked problem entries in the 163 Laws in the section of "Forbidden Sexual Relations" are not problems when they occurred before the writing of the Torah by Moses.

• Abram married his father's daughter Sara, who was of a different mother than Abram.  Abram becomes Abraham later, and Sarai becomes Sarah.  The name changed added part of the name of God a breath in the name of God, which marked Abraham and Sarah.  We are marked as Christians when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.  Cain added part of the name of God in his offspring which is one proof of Cain accepting forgiveness for murder and Cain's love for God.  Conversely, Lucifer has his marking which is called the Mark of the Beast.
• Jacob, before having his named changed to Israel, marries two sisters.  The first was Leah and the second was Rachel.  In total there were four wives of Jacob that gives us the Twelve tribes of Israel.

According to some Biblical Scholars, such as Chuck Missler, the title of Sister could be given to a wife as position of greater honor.  In the times of the Old Testament, it was possible for some cultures to have a man killed so that another man could obtain the killed man's wife.  When the man identifies a woman as his sister, when she was a wife, then this would have the potential of stopping the murder of the man as the murder would not defame the woman's emotions of killing her brother.

It was common in many cultures in the times before Moses, for cultures to have a man be married to several wives, which may include wives that are sisters or wives that are relatives to one another.  The importance of having

• Loyalty through marital binding,
• Having many children to help with chores along with military-type protection, and
• To secure alliances between families in different lands

was vitally important for survival.  Having multiple children was also seen as a form of providing for caring of parents in the fragile final years of life.  Some historians state that a woman without a husband in life would eventually be subjected to slavery or prostitution to take care of herself, which is why there was laws in the Torah for the protection of widows, the poor and anyone without means to provide for themselves.

In most of the modern-world of today, there is no need for having multiple wives, polygamy, where by the time Moses wrote the Torah, the nation of Israel was large enough to provide brides and care for women.  The New Testament also does not condone polygamy as evidenced in many scriptures such as 1 Timothy 3:12 and Ephesians 5:33.

Times and Seasons

None of the laws in this category are relevant for the Christian.

The verses of Exodus 12:1-2 are about the celebration of exodus from Egypt's slavery, which is also the gift God gives us through Jesus Christ

The mandatory requirements in the "Times and Seasons" were to handle:

1. The sins of each person,
2. The sins of the Nation of Israel,
3. To celebrate the victories of God for Israel, especially the exodus from Egypt,
4. To point to the need of a Messiah,
5. To point to the victory that the Messiah would have over sin.

The "Times and Seasons" requirements do not pertain to the Christian as:

1. Jesus Christ made the payment for the sins of the world.  Nothing else can be done by any of us to pay for our sins.
2. We have been freed from the power of sin to be able to dominate our lives.  Sin is a choice for the Christian, but the non-Christian has no power of God to overcome the desire.

See the topic on "Are we under the Mosaic Laws?  No" for more information.  Colossians 2:14-16 confirms the requirements for the Christian to maintain Mosaic Holidays, Sabbaths and other Feast days were no longer required.

Dietary Laws

None of these laws in this category are required for the Christian, but it is been suggested in some medical research not to consume blood unless it is cooked.

Business Practices

Most of these laws are still valid.  Law 171 is the only one not valid, but #180 should be understood not to take the "security deposit" in a modern-day context from a window who cannot pay back something that is owed.  The overall context of the others laws in this group along with #18 is laws in many countries give the option for a borrower to declare bankruptcy or court protection to reorganize debt.   God in the times of the Old Testament was taking care of both the borrower and lender in terms of doing righteously to have God's blessings.

Employees, Servants and Slaves

In the scriptural context, because it was dealing with the nation of Israel, the process of being a slave is not necessarily in the same horrible conditions that existed in other places in the world, such as Rome.  Many people used the process of being an indentured as a viable and acceptable means of paying off debt, knowing they would be treated fairly and with humility because of God's laws on doing correctly. 

When doing more reading on the scriptural passages listed in this category, the reader becomes aware that God set laws that would:

1. Free an indentured servant when the 7th year was reached.
2. Free an indentured servant when the 49th year was reached.
3. Gentile Slaves had many of the same rights as an Israelite indentured servant.
4. Slaves and Servants could elect to become part of the family they worked for in a permanent role. 

Vows, Oaths and Swearing

All of the laws in this category are still valid.

Sabbatical and Jubilee Years

None of the laws in this category are relevant for the Christian.

Court and Judicial Procedure

Many of the areas in this category apply when dealing with fairness and righteous actions in court and judicial procedures.  There are several of the laws that the writer of the 613 Laws has created some law:

• That does not match what the verse is stating, or
• amplified the verse's intention, or
• Addresses a problem with a law that tries to use a scriptural verse as justification.

Injuries and Damages

There is really only Law 264 that applies to the Christian.  Deuteronomy 22:8 is about a roof of a house having a rail to stop someone from falling off.  The writer of the 613 laws extended the meaning in Law 264 to apply liability to not creating something that can cause hurt.

The laws 265 and 266 have the reference of Deuteronomy 25:12, which does not match the scripture context.  In fact the context is very different that requires listing for the reader.

Property and Property Rights

There are a few laws that are actually out of context of the scriptural passage but apply to the Christian.

Criminal Laws

There are only three Laws that can apply to the Christian in this group.  Note that Laws 282 and 283, as written by the writer of the 613 laws, is not correct.  The two scriptural references of the Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18 are about not committing adultery, which no one and especially a Christian is to do.

Punishment and Restitution

Most of these Laws in this category are not required of the Christian, albeit some that are not required would be good if they could be used today such as requiring the punishment always to be equal to the crime with financial restitution when possible.  It is unexplainable for someone who commits murder to not forfeit their life since they took the life of another, where in many cases after as little as a few years be released from prison.

Prophecy

Idolatry, Idolaters & Idolatrous Practices

Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

Clothing

The Firstborn

High Priest, Priests and Levites

Tithes, Taxes and T'rumah

The Tample, the Sanctuary and Sacred Objects

Sacrifices and Offerings

Ritual Purity and Impurity

Lepers and Leprosy

The King

Nazarites

Wars

What to read next?

Marriage and the needs of the man and woman.  Going through a tough time in your relationship, read Divorce & Relational breakups.