Exodus 21:28 kjv

If 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.

Exodus 21:28 nkjv

"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted.

Exodus 21:28 niv

"If a bull gores a man or woman to death, the bull is to be stoned to death, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the bull will not be held responsible.

Exodus 21:28 esv

"When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable.

Exodus 21:28 nlt

"If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable.

Exodus 21 verses

Exodus 21 28 Meaning

Exodus 21:28 outlines a specific case law concerning an animal that causes a human fatality. It states that if an ox fatally gored a person, male or female, the ox itself must be stoned to death, and its meat forbidden for consumption. Crucially, in this initial scenario, the owner of the ox is declared innocent, implying the event was unforeseen and not due to the owner's prior negligence. This law emphasizes the sacredness of human life and establishes accountability even for animal actions, while distinguishing between direct harm and indirect responsibility without foreknowledge.

Exodus 21 28 Context

Exodus chapter 21 introduces the "Book of the Covenant" (Exo 20:22–23:33), which elaborates on the Ten Commandments given in chapter 20. It comprises case laws (casuistic laws, characterized by "if... then..." formulations) that address various social, civil, and criminal situations, particularly regarding injury to persons, damage to property, and restitution. Verse 28 specifically falls within the section dealing with injuries involving property (an ox) and persons. It lays down the initial legal precedent for an unexpected, fatal accident involving livestock, serving as a foundational case upon which subsequent laws (like Exo 21:29 regarding prior knowledge of the ox's dangerous behavior) build. The historical and cultural context highlights a largely agrarian society where animals like oxen were valuable assets for work and livelihood. These laws aimed to establish a just and orderly society, protecting human life above property, distinguishing between accidental harm and negligence, and imposing severe consequences for bloodshed to maintain community purity and discourage further violence.

Exodus 21 28 Word analysis

• If (כִּי - ki): This Hebrew particle often introduces a conditional clause, signifying "when," "if," or "because." Here, it sets the stage for a specific legal case or hypothetical situation, typical of casuistic law.
• an ox (שׁוֹר - shor): Refers to a domesticated bovine, commonly used for plowing, threshing, and transportation in ancient Israel. It was a significant economic asset, making its destruction or culpability a substantial loss.
• gore (יִגַּח - yiggach): The verb describes a violent, forceful act of pushing or striking with horns. It denotes an aggressive and dangerous action on the part of the animal.
• a man (אִישׁ - ish): A generic term for a male human being.
• or a woman (אוֹ־אִשָּׁה - o-ishshah): The inclusion of "woman" explicitly indicates that the law offers equal protection to both genders regarding fatal harm from an animal. This highlights the value of all human life within the Israelite legal framework.
• to death (וָמֵת - vameth): Lit. "and he dies." This outcome clause is critical; the law applies specifically when the goring incident results in a fatality. The severity of the consequence (death of the animal) matches the severity of the outcome (death of a person).
• then the ox (הַשּׁוֹר - hasshor): Repetition of the noun emphasizes that the animal itself is the subject of the immediate penalty.
• shall be surely stoned (סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל - saqol yissaqel): This is an intensive infinitive absolute construction, "to stone it shall be stoned," which emphatically denotes the certainty and severity of the judgment. Stoning, a public form of execution often for grave offenses, signifies defilement and utter removal from the community. For an animal, it prevents its consumption or other uses, emphasizing its impurity due to its involvement in human bloodshed. It's a symbolic execution rather than a punitive one for the animal.
• and its flesh (וּבְשָׂרוֹ - uvesaro): Refers to the meat of the ox.
• shall not be eaten (לֹא יֵאָכֵל - lo ye'akhel): This prohibition signifies the defilement or impurity associated with the animal due to its connection to a human death. Consuming the flesh of such an animal would symbolically transfer impurity and could be seen as partaking in bloodguilt, aligning with broader biblical injunctions against consuming blood or defiled things (cf. Gen 9:4).
• but the owner (וּבַעַל - uva'al): "Ba'al" means owner or master, signifying legal proprietorship.
• of the ox (הַשּׁוֹר - hasshor): Clarifies whose owner.
• shall be clear (נָקִי הוּא - naqi hu): The adjective naqi means "clean," "innocent," or "free from blame/punishment." This pivotal phrase declares the owner innocent in this specific scenario, distinguishing an accident (where the animal is punished) from negligence (where the owner would also be held accountable, as per Ex 21:29). This initial exoneration assumes no prior knowledge of the ox's propensity to gore.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "If an ox gore a man or a woman to death": This phrase establishes the specific fatal incident as the trigger for the law. It sets the scope, defining the perpetrator (ox) and victim (human, male or female) and the severe outcome (death), ensuring all genders are equally protected under this law.
• "then the ox shall be surely stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten": This defines the direct consequences for the animal and its associated property (meat). The dual prohibition signifies not only a fatal punishment for the animal but also its ritual defilement and economic loss to the owner. This reinforces the abhorrence of human bloodshed and ensures the sanctity of life.
• "but the owner of the ox shall be clear": This crucial clause delineates the initial limit of the owner's responsibility. It distinguishes between accidental occurrences without prior owner knowledge (owner is clear) and those involving owner negligence or foreknowledge, which are addressed in subsequent verses and incur heavier penalties for the owner. It illustrates the principle of fault-based liability within biblical law.

Exodus 21 28 Bonus section

• Animal Accountability vs. Human Accountability: The law makes the animal itself accountable to the point of execution, symbolizing that the shedding of human blood, even by an animal, has grave consequences. While an animal lacks moral agency, its action leads to a consequence that underlines the sacredness of human life. This is not about the animal having moral guilt, but about the societal and spiritual impact of the loss of human life.
• Public Witness and Ritual Purity: Stoning was often a public execution method. Stoning the ox publicly serves as a clear statement to the community about the gravity of taking a human life and about what happens to defiled things. The refusal to eat its flesh also maintains ritual purity within the Israelite camp.
• A Precedent for Negligence: This verse lays the groundwork for all subsequent laws about negligence concerning property (e.g., leaving a pit uncovered, Ex 21:33-34). It introduces the principle that an owner is generally not culpable for unforeseeable harm by their property, but sets the stage for severe consequences if negligence is present.
• Contrast with ANE Laws: While many ancient Near Eastern (ANE) law codes (like the Code of Hammurabi) dealt with animal-related damages, the explicit emphasis on stoning the animal and forbidding its consumption due to human death, along with the precise delineation of owner's innocence or guilt based on prior knowledge, set Israelite law apart, highlighting the unique value placed on human life under God's covenant.
• Deterrent Effect: Beyond retribution, such laws served as a powerful deterrent. Knowing that a valuable asset like an ox could be summarily destroyed encouraged owners to manage their animals carefully, fostering responsible ownership and ensuring public safety.

Exodus 21 28 Commentary

Exodus 21:28 serves as a foundational declaration regarding accidental but fatal harm caused by property. Its immediate focus is on establishing strict consequences for the animal involved in a human death. The command to stone the ox reflects a deep reverence for human life and an immediate separation of anything that has shed innocent human blood from the community. Stoning an animal also symbolically purged the defilement that resulted from human bloodshed and served as a visible deterrent. The prohibition against eating the ox's flesh underscores this defilement; to consume the flesh would be to partake in its impurity or the act of bloodshed. This prohibition aligns with broader biblical principles that associate blood with life, thus prohibiting its consumption.

Crucially, the verse introduces the concept of limited liability for the owner in cases of unforeseen accidents. "The owner shall be clear" indicates that if the ox had no prior history of goring and the owner could not have reasonably predicted its dangerous action, they bear no personal guilt or criminal liability for the death. This distinction between accidental harm and negligence is key to understanding Mosaic law and highlights its justice and fairness. This initial verdict sets the stage for the following verse (Ex 21:29), which escalates the owner's liability to even capital punishment if the ox had a history of goring and the owner failed to take precautions, thus demonstrating negligence. Together, these verses show a nuanced legal system that upholds the supreme value of human life, assigns severe penalties for actions that take life, but also carefully differentiates degrees of culpability based on foreknowledge and due diligence. It exemplifies how divine law sought to balance justice, human responsibility, and societal order.