While the "Divine Command" theory is central, scholarship—most notably from John Barton —suggests that Israelite ethics were also deeply informed by .
Hebrew Ethics: Radical in the Ancient Near East, Yet So Familiar to Us Ethics in Ancient Israel
: Frequent calls in the Torah and Prophets demand justice for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. Ethics in Ancient Israel
One of the most radical shifts in ancient ethics was the elevation of . While other Near Eastern cultures focused on the rights of the elite, the Israelite tradition placed a staggering emphasis on the vulnerable: Ethics in Ancient Israel