God’s Word Translation
Exodus 22:4
4But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.
Exodus 22:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
- New International Version (NIV)If the stolen animal is found alive in their possession—whether ox or donkey or sheep—they must pay back double.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
- New King James Version (NKJV)If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
Context of Exodus 22:4
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. But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. 5“Whenever someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard, and they stray and graze in another person’s field, he must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. But if he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing, he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard. 6“Whenever a fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field, the person who started the fire must make up for the loss.
Read all of Exodus 22Exodus 22:4 word by word
אִֽם־הִמָּצֵא֩ תִמָּצֵ֨א בְיָד֜וֹ הַגְּנֵבָ֗ה מִשּׁ֧וֹר עַד־חֲמ֛וֹר עַד־שֶׂ֖ה חַיִּ֑ים שְׁנַ֖יִם יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- If the theftגְּנֵבָהgenêbâh · theftH1591
- be certainlyמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- in his handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- aliveחַיchay · aliveH2416
- whether it be oxשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
- or assחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
- or sheepשֶׂהώeh ώêy · sheepH7716
- he shall restoreשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
- doubleשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
Cross-references for Exodus 22:4
- Exodus 21:16“Whoever kidnaps another person must be put to death, whether he has sold the kidnapped person or still has him.
- Exodus 21:1⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Here are the legal decisions to be used by the Israelites:
- Proverbs 6:31but when he is caught, he has to repay it seven times. He must give up all the possessions in his house.
- Isaiah 40:2“Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and announce to it that its time of hard labor is over and its wrongs have been paid for. It has received from the Lord double for all its sins.”
- Jeremiah 16:18First, I will have them pay twice as much for their wickedness and their sin, because they have polluted my land. They have filled my property with the lifeless statues of their detestable and disgusting idols.”
- Revelation 18:6Do to her what she has done. Give her twice as much as she gave. Serve her a drink in her own cup twice as large as the drink she served others.
Commentaries on Exodus 22:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He shall restore double - In no case of theft was the life of the offender taken away; the utmost that the law says on this point is, that, if when found breaking into a house, he should be smitten so as to die, no blood should be shed for him; Exodus 22:2. If he had stolen and sold the property, then he was to restore four or fivefold, Exodus 22:1; but if the animal was found alive in his possession, he was to restore double.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2-4Verses 2-4 If a thief, in breaking into a dwelling in the night, was slain, the person who slew him did not incur the guilt of blood; but if the same occurred in daylight, the slayer was guilty in accordance with Exodus 21:12. The distinction may have been based on the fact that in the light of day there was a fair chance of identifying and apprehending the thief.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 22:4
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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