Exodus 21:28-29

Laws about Animals

21:28 ¹ “If an ox ²  gores a man or a woman so that either dies, ³  then the ox must surely ⁴  be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted. 21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ⁵  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ⁶  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.

Leviticus 20:15-16

20:15 If a man has sexual intercourse ⁷  with any animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 20:16 If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual intercourse with it, ⁸  you must kill the woman, and the animal must be put to death; their blood guilt is on themselves.

[21:28]  ¹ sn The point that this section of the laws makes is that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling the circumstances.

[21:28]  ² tn Traditionally “ox,” but “bull” would also be suitable. The term may refer to one of any variety of large cattle.

[21:28]  ³ tn Heb “and he dies”; KJV “that they die”; NAB, NASB “to death.”

[21:28]  ⁴ tn The text uses סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל (saqol yissaqel), a Qal infinitive absolute with a Niphal imperfect. The infinitive intensifies the imperfect, which here has an obligatory nuance or is a future of instruction.

[21:29]  ⁵ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[20:15]  ⁷ tn See the note on Lev 18:20 above.

[20:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).