Exodus 21

Exodus · Chapter 21

Exodus 21:5

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
5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,’But if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

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 ifוְאִם־ve-'im-H0518A
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

carefully to sayאָמֹ֤ר'a-MORH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

he will sayיֹאמַר֙yo-MARH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

the slaveהָעֶ֔בֶדha-'E-vedH5650
servant/slave

עֲבַד (a.vad) servant, slave Aramaic of e.ved (עֶ֫בֶד "servant/slave" H5650)

I loveאָהַ֙בְתִּי֙'a-HAV-tiH0157G
to love: lover

אָהֵב (a.hav) : lover 1) to love 1a) (Qal) 1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual 1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom 1a3) human love for or to God 1a4) act of being a friend 1a4a) lover (participle) 1a4b) friend (participle) 1a5) God's love toward man 1a5a) to individual men 1a5b) to people Israel 1a5c) to righteousness 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) lovely (participle) 1b2) loveable (participle) 1c) (Piel) 1c1) friends 1c2) lovers (fig. of adulterers) 2) to like Also means: a.hav (אָהֵב ": friend" H0157H)

master myאֲדֹנִ֔י'a-do-NIH0113
lord

אָדוֹן (a.don) 1) firm, strong, lord, master 1a) lord, master 1a1) reference to men 1a1a) superintendent of household, of affairs 1a1b) master 1a1c) king 1a2) reference to God 1a2a) the Lord God 1a2b) Lord of the whole earth 1b) lords, kings 1b1) reference to men 1b1a) proprietor of hill of Samaria 1b1b) master 1b1c) husband 1b1d) prophet 1b1e) governor 1b1f) prince 1b1g) king 1b2) reference to God 1b2a) Lord of lords (probably = "thy husband, Yahweh") 1c) my lord, my master 1c1) reference to men 1c1a) master 1c1b) husband 1c1c) prophet 1c1d) prince 1c1e) king 1c1f) father 1c1g) Moses 1c1h) priest …

wife myאִשְׁתִּ֖י'ish-TIH0802H
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)

children myבָּנָ֑יba-NAIH1121A
son: child

בֵּן (ben) : child/son

notלֹ֥אlo'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)

I will go outאֵצֵ֖א'e-TZE'H3318G
to come out: come

יָצָא (ya.tsa) : come/go_out/escape 1) to go out, come out, exit, go forth 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to go or come out or forth, depart 1a2) to go forth (to a place) 1a3) to go forward, proceed to (to or toward something) 1a4) to come or go forth (with purpose or for result) 1a5) to come out of 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to go or come out, bring out, lead out 1b2) to bring out of 1b3) to lead out 1b4) to deliver 1c) (Hophal) to be brought out or forth

a free [person]חָפְשִֽׁי׃cha-fe-SHIH2670
free

חׇפְשִׁי (choph.shi) 1) free 1a) free (from slavery) 1b) free (from taxes or obligations)

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