Exodus 21

Exodus · Chapter 21

Exodus 21:29

1Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.4If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.10If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.18And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:19If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.27And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.28If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.30If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.31Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.32If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.33And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;34The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.35And if one man’s ox hurt another’s, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.36Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.But if the ox has a habit of goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death.But if the ox was wont to gore in time past, and it hath been testified to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, but it hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and ifוְאִ֡םve-'IMH0518A
if

אִם (im) : if/whether_or/though 1) if 1a) conditional clauses 1a1) of possible situations 1a2) of impossible situations 1b) oath contexts 1b1) no, not 1c) if...if, whether...or, whether...or...or 1d) when, whenever 1e) since 1f) interrogative particle 1g) but rather

[will be] an oxשׁוֹר֩shOrH7794
cattle

שׁוֹר (shor) 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle 1a) for plowing, for food, as sacrifice Aramaic equivalent: tor (תּוֹר "bullock" H8450)

prone to goreנַגָּ֨חna-GACHH5056
goring

נַגָּח (nag.gach) addicted to goring, apt to gore

itה֜וּאhu'H1931
he/she/it

הוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article)

from yesterdayמִתְּמֹ֣לmi-te-MOLH8543
yesterday

תְּמוֹל (te.mol) 1) before, before that time, beforetime, heretofore, of late, of old, these days, time(s) past, yesterday, day before yesterday, recently, formerly 1a) yesterday 1a1) recently, formerly (usual usage) (fig) 1b) as formerly, so more recently 1c) from yesterday, already

three days agoשִׁלְשֹׁ֗םshil-SHOMH8032
three days ago

שִׁלְשֹׁם (shil.shom) 1) day before yesterday, three days ago 1a) an idiom for 'heretofore in times past'

and it has been protestedוְהוּעַ֤דve-hu-'ADH5749B
to testify

עוּד (ud) 1) to bear witness 1a) (Qal) to bear witness, say again and again 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to testify, bear witness 1b2) to cause to testify, take or call as witness, invoke 1b3) to protest, affirm solemnly, warn, exhort or enjoin solemnly, admonish, charge 1c) (Hophal) to protest, give warning

on owners itsבִּבְעָלָיו֙biv-'a-LAVH1167G
master

בַּעַל (ba.al) : master/leader 1) owner, husband, lord 1a) owner 1b) a husband 1c) citizens, inhabitants 1d) rulers, lords 1e) (noun of relationship used to characterise-ie, master of dreams)

and notוְלֹ֣אve-LO'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

he will guard itיִשְׁמְרֶ֔נּוּyish-me-RE-nuH8104I
to keep: obey

שָׁמַר (sha.mar) : obey/observe 1) to keep, guard, observe, give heed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to keep, have charge of 1a2) to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect, save life 1a2a) watch, watchman (participle) 1a3) to watch for, wait for 1a4) to watch, observe 1a5) to keep, retain, treasure up (in memory) 1a6) to keep (within bounds), restrain 1a7) to observe, celebrate, keep (sabbath or covenant or commands), perform (vow) 1a8) to keep, preserve, protect 1a9) to keep, reserve 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be on one's guard, take heed, take care, beware 1b2) to keep oneself, refrain, abstain 1b3) to be kept, be guarded …

and it will killוְהֵמִ֥יתve-he-MITH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

a manאִ֖ישׁ'ishH0376G
man

אִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective)

orא֣וֹ'oH0176A
or

אוֹ (o) 1) or, rather 1a) implying that the latter choice is preferred 1b) or if, introducing an example to be seen under a particular principle 1c) (in series) either...or, whether...or 1d) if perchance 1e) except, or else 2) whether, not the least, if, otherwise, also, and, then

a womanאִשָּׁ֑ה'i-SHAHH0802G
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

the oxהַשּׁוֹר֙ha-shOrH7794
cattle

שׁוֹר (shor) 1) ox, bull, a head of cattle 1a) for plowing, for food, as sacrifice Aramaic equivalent: tor (תּוֹר "bullock" H8450)

it will be stoned to deathיִסָּקֵ֔לyi-sa-KELH5619
to stone

סָקַל (sa.qal) 1) to stone (to death), put to death by stoning 1a) (Qal) to pelt with stones, stone to death 1b) (Niphal) to be stoned to death 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to stone, pelt with stones 1c2) to free from stones (of vineyard, highway) 1d) (Pual) to be stoned to death

and alsoוְגַם־ve-gam-H1571
also

גַּם (gam) 1) also, even, indeed, moreover, yea 1a) also, moreover (giving emphasis) 1b) neither, neither...nor (with negative) 1c) even (for stress) 1d) indeed, yea (introducing climax) 1e) also (of correspondence or retribution) 1f) but, yet, though (adversative) 1g) even, yea, yea though (with 'when' in hypothetical case) 2) (TWOT) again, alike

owners itsבְּעָלָ֖יוbe-'a-LAVH1167G
master

בַּעַל (ba.al) : master/leader 1) owner, husband, lord 1a) owner 1b) a husband 1c) citizens, inhabitants 1d) rulers, lords 1e) (noun of relationship used to characterise-ie, master of dreams)

he will be put to deathיוּמָֽת׃yu-MATH4191
to die

מוּת (mut) 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.