Exodus 22:1

Exodus 22:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
• New International Version (NIV)“Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

Context of Exodus 22:1

Perhaps someone may take another person's cow or sheep for himself. He may kill it or he may sell it. As punishment, he must pay the owner five cows for each cow that he has taken. He must pay four sheep for each sheep that he has taken. 2Perhaps someone may catch a robber as he goes into another person's house. The owner of the house might knock down the robber so that he dies. If this happens at night, the owner of the house is not guilty of murder. 3But if the owner of the house kills the robber after sunrise, he is guilty of murder. Anyone who takes something that belongs to someone else must pay back the owner. If he cannot pay for everything that he has taken, he must become a slave. The owner will receive the money that someone has paid for the slave.

Exodus 22:1 word by word

כִּ֤י יִגְנֹֽב־אִישׁ֙ שׁ֣וֹר אוֹ־שֶׂ֔ה וּטְבָח֖וֹ א֣וֹ מְכָר֑וֹ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה בָקָ֗ר יְשַׁלֵּם֙ תַּ֣חַת הַשּׁ֔וֹר וְאַרְבַּע־צֹ֖אן תַּ֥חַת הַשֶּֽׂה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• If a manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• shall stealגָּנַבgânab · to stealH1589
• an oxשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
• or a sheepשֶׂהώeh ώêy · sheepH7716
• and killטָבַחţâbach · to slaughterH2873
• it, or sellמָכַרmâkar · to sellH4376
• it; he shall restoreשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
• fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
• oxenבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
• and fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
• sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629

Cross-references for Exodus 22:1

• Leviticus 6:1The Lord said to Moses,
• Numbers 5:7That person must agree that they have sinned. They must pay the right amount to the other person. They must also pay them one fifth extra.
• 2 Samuel 12:6He did that cruel thing and he was not sorry for the poor man. So he must pay the poor man enough money to buy four lambs.’
• Proverbs 6:31But if someone catches him, he must pay back seven times what he took. He may lose everything that he has in his house.
• Luke 19:8Later, Zacchaeus stood up in front of everyone. He said to the Lord Jesus, ‘Listen, Master! I will give half of all the things that I have to poor people. I may have taken too much money from some people. I will give back to them four times as much as I took from them wrongly.’
• Proverbs 14:4When a farmer has no oxen to plough his fields, he does not have to feed them. But he needs strong oxen to grow plenty of crops.

Commentaries on Exodus 22:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1If a man shall steal - This chapter consists chiefly of judicial laws, as the preceding chapter does of political; and in it the same good sense, and well-marked attention to the welfare of the community and the moral improvement of each individual, are equally evident. In our translation of this verse, by rendering different Hebrew words by the same term in English, we have greatly obscured the sense. I shall produce the verse with the original words…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The theft of an ox appears to have been regarded as a greater crime than the theft of a sheep, because it showed a stronger purpose in wickedness to take the larger and more powerful animal. It may have been on similar moral ground that the thief, when he had proved his persistency in crime by adding to his theft the slaughter, or sale, of the animal, was to restore four times its value in the case of a sheep (compare the marginal references), and five…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Judicial laws. --The people of God should ever be ready to show mildness and mercy, according to the spirit of these laws. We must answer to God, not only for what we do maliciously, but for what we do heedlessly. Therefore, when we have done harm to our neighbour, we should make restitution, though not compelled by law. Let these scriptures lead our souls to remember, that if the grace of God has indeed appeared to us, then it has taught us, and enabled…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-15In cases involving loss of property, the responsible person had to pay compensation equal to the value of what was lost. If the person had actually stolen the property, the compensation was multiplied (22:1, 4, 7). Where there was a question of responsibility, the parties were to appear before God for adjudication (22:8). The means by which the judgment was reached is not reported.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-311-4. If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep--The law respects the theft of cattle which constituted the chief part of their property. The penalty for the theft of a sheep which was slain or sold, was fourfold; for an ox fivefold, because of its greater utility in labor; but, should the stolen animal have been recovered alive, a double compensation was all that was required, because it was presumable he (the thief) was not a practised adept in dishonesty…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 22:1

• Animals
• Bullock
• Fine
• Restitution
• Theft and Thieves

In the dictionaries

• Book
• Cattle
• Cause
• Curse
• Feed
• God
• Put
• Restore
• Revile
• Theft

Commentaries on Exodus 22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings