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

⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Whenever someone steals a bull or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must make up for the loss with five head of cattle to replace the bull or four sheep to replace the sheep. 2“If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. 3But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder. “A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold ⌞as a slave⌟ to pay for what he stole.

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 spoke to Moses,
• Numbers 5:7you must confess your sin, pay in full for what you did wrong, add one-fifth to it, and give it to the person who was wronged.
• 2 Samuel 12:6And he must pay back four times the price of the lamb because he did this and had no pity.”
• Proverbs 6:31but when he is caught, he has to repay it seven times. He must give up all the possessions in his house.
• Luke 19:8⌞Later, at dinner,⌟ Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Lord, I’ll give half of my property to the poor. I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way.”
• Proverbs 14:4Where there are no cattle, the feeding trough is empty, but the strength of an ox produces plentiful harvests.

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