Exodus 21:34

21:34 the owner of the pit must repay ¹  the loss. He must give money ²  to its owner, and the dead animal ³  will become his.

Exodus 22:12

22:12 But if it was stolen ⁴  from him, ⁵  he will pay its owner.

Exodus 21:3

21:3 If he came ⁶  in by himself ⁷  he will go out by himself; if he had ⁸  a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him.

Exodus 22:15

22:15 If its owner was with it, he will not have to pay; if it was hired, what was paid for the hire covers it. ⁹ 

Exodus 21:29

21:29 But if the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner was warned, ¹⁰  and he did not take the necessary precautions, ¹¹  and then it killed a man or a woman, the ox must be stoned and the man must be put to death.

Exodus 22:8

22:8 If the thief is not caught, ¹²  then the owner of the house will be brought before the judges ¹³  to see ¹⁴  whether he has laid ¹⁵  his hand on his neighbor’s goods.

Exodus 22:11

22:11 then there will be an oath to the Lord ¹⁶  between the two of them, that he has not laid his hand on his neighbor’s goods, and its owner will accept this, and he will not have to pay.

Exodus 22:14

22:14 “If a man borrows an animal ¹⁷  from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it ¹⁸  will surely pay.

Exodus 21:22

21:22 “If men fight and hit a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, ¹⁹  but there is no serious injury, he will surely be punished in accordance with what the woman’s husband demands of him, and he will pay what the court decides. ²⁰ 

Exodus 21:28

Laws about Animals

21:28 ²¹ “If an ox ²²  gores a man or a woman so that either dies, ²³  then the ox must surely ²⁴  be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted.

Exodus 21:36

21:36 Or if it is known that the ox had the habit of goring, and its owner did not take the necessary precautions, he must surely pay ²⁵  ox for ox, and the dead animal will become his. ²⁶ 

Exodus 24:14

24:14 He told the elders, “Wait for us in this place until we return to you. Here are ²⁷  Aaron and Hur with you. Whoever has any matters of dispute ²⁸  can approach ²⁹  them.”

[21:34]  ¹ tn The verb is a Piel imperfect from שָׁלַם (shalam); it has the idea of making payment in full, making recompense, repaying. These imperfects could be given a future tense translation as imperfects of instruction, but in the property cases an obligatory imperfect fits better – this is what he is bound or obliged to do – what he must do.

[21:34]  ² tn Heb “silver.”

[21:34]  ³ tn Here the term “animal” has been supplied.

[22:12]  ⁴ tn Both with this verb “stolen” and in the next clauses with “torn in pieces,” the text uses the infinitive absolute construction with less than normal emphasis; as Gesenius says, in conditional clauses, an infinitive absolute stresses the importance of the condition on which some consequence depends (GKC 342-43 §113.o).

[22:12]  ⁵ sn The point is that the man should have taken better care of the animal.

[21:3]  ⁷ tn The tense is imperfect, but in the conditional clause it clearly refers to action that is anterior to the action in the next clause. Heb “if he comes in single, he goes out single,” that is, “if he came in single, he will go out single.”

[21:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “with his back” meaning “alone.”

[21:3]  ⁹ tn The phrase says, “if he was the possessor of a wife”; the noun בַּעַל (ba’al) can mean “possessor” or “husband.” If there was a wife, she shared his fortunes or his servitude; if he entered with her, she would accompany him when he left.

[22:15]  ¹⁰ tn Literally “it came with/for its hire,” this expression implies that the owner who hired it out and was present was prepared to take the risk, so there would be no compensation.

[21:29]  ¹³ tn The Hophal perfect has the idea of “attested, testified against.”

[21:29]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he was not keeping it” or perhaps guarding or watching it (referring to the ox).

[22:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “found.”

[22:8]  ¹⁷ tn Here again the word used is “the gods,” meaning the judges who made the assessments and decisions. In addition to other works, see J. R. Vannoy, “The Use of the Word ha’elohim in Exodus 21:6 and 22:7,8,” The Law and the Prophets, 225-41.

[22:8]  ¹⁸ tn The phrase “to see” has been supplied.

[22:8]  ¹⁹ tn The line says “if he has not stretched out his hand.” This could be the oath formula, but the construction here would be unusual, or it could be taken as “whether” (see W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:438). U. Cassuto (Exodus, 286) does not think the wording can possibly fit an oath; nevertheless, an oath would be involved before God (as he takes it instead of “judges”) – if the man swore, his word would be accepted, but if he would not swear, he would be guilty.

[22:11]  ¹⁹ tn The construct relationship שְׁבֻעַת יְהוָה (shÿvu’at yÿhvah, “the oath of Yahweh”) would require a genitive of indirect object, “an oath [to] Yahweh.” U. Cassuto suggests that it means “an oath by Yahweh” (Exodus, 287). The person to whom the animal was entrusted would take a solemn oath to Yahweh that he did not appropriate the animal for himself, and then his word would be accepted.

[22:14]  ²² tn Heb “if a man asks [an animal] from his neighbor” (see also Exod 12:36). The ruling here implies an animal is borrowed, and if harm comes to it when the owner is not with it, the borrower is liable. The word “animal” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:14]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who borrowed the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:22]  ²⁵ tn This line has occasioned a good deal of discussion. It may indicate that the child was killed, as in a miscarriage; or it may mean that there was a premature birth. The latter view is taken here because of the way the whole section is written: (1) “her children come out” reflects a birth and not the loss of children, (2) there is no serious damage, and (3) payment is to be set for any remuneration. The word אָסוֹן (’ason) is translated “serious damage.” The word was taken in Mekilta to mean “death.” U. Cassuto says the point of the phrase is that neither the woman or the children that are born die (Exodus, 275). But see among the literature on this: M. G. Kline, “Lex Talionis and the Human Fetus,” JETS 20 (1977): 193-201; W. House, “Miscarriage or Premature Birth: Additional Thoughts on Exodus 21:22-25,” WTJ 41 (1978): 108-23; S. E. Loewenstamm, “Exodus XXI 22-25,” VT 27 (1977): 352-60.

[21:22]  ²⁶ tn The word בִּפְלִלִים (biflilim) means “with arbitrators.” The point then seems to be that the amount of remuneration for damages that was fixed by the husband had to be approved by the courts. S. R. Driver mentions an alternative to this unusual reading presented by Budde, reading בנפלים as “untimely birth” (Exodus, 219). See also E. A. Speiser, “The Stem PLL in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6.

[21:28]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Traditionally “ox,” but “bull” would also be suitable. The term may refer to one of any variety of large cattle.

[21:28]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he dies”; KJV “that they die”; NAB, NASB “to death.”

[21:28]  ³¹ 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.

[21:36]  ³¹ tn The construction now uses the same Piel imperfect (v. 34) but adds the infinitive absolute to it for emphasis.

[21:36]  ³² sn The point of this section (21:28-36) seems to be that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling one’s property and possessions. This section pertained to neglect with animals, but the message would have applied to similar situations. The people of God were to take heed to ensure the well-being of others, and if there was a problem, it had to be made right.

[24:14]  ³⁴ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh) calls attention to the presence of Aaron and Hur to answer the difficult cases that might come up.

[24:14]  ³⁵ tn Or “issues to resolve.” The term is simply דְּבָרִים (dÿvarim, “words, things, matters”).

[24:14]  ³⁶ tn The imperfect tense here has the nuance of potential imperfect. In the absence of Moses and Joshua, Aaron and Hur will be available.