Exodus 21:32 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

If 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.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

If the ox gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty pieces of silver to their master, and the ox must be killed by stoning.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

This verse establishes that if an ox kills a slave, the ox's owner must pay compensation to the slave's master and the dangerous ox must be put to death.

📚 Historical Context

This law comes from the ancient legal code God gave to Moses for governing Israel's society. In the ancient Near East, slaves were considered property with monetary value, and thirty shekels of silver was the standard compensation amount for a slave's life. These laws helped establish justice and responsibility in a time when livestock accidents could cause serious harm or death.

Explore Similar Verses

Deuteronomy 17:5

Then you must bring that man or woman who has done this evil thing to your city gates, and you must stone them with stones until they die.

Deuteronomy 22:24

Then you must bring both of them to the city gate and stone them to death—the young woman because she didn't cry out for help while in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. This is how you must remove evil from your community.

Deuteronomy 22:21

Then they shall bring the young woman to the entrance of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death, because she has committed a shameful act in Israel by being sexually immoral while in her father's house. In this way you will remove evil from among you.

Ask the AI Assistant

Have a question about this chapter or verse? Ask below for a clear explanation.

Share or Save

📚 Historical Context

Explore Similar Verses

Ask the AI Assistant

Translation & Methodology Sources