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Saturday, June 7th, 2025
Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Exodus 21:27

And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Assault and Battery;   Master;   Servant;   The Topic Concordance - Recompense/restitution;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Servants;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Servant;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Master;   Slave;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Sexuality, Human;   Slave, Slavery;   Work;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Slave;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Slave;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Crimes and Punishments;   Exodus, Book of;   Freedom;   Slave/servant;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sabbatical Year;   Sin;   Ten Commandments;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Servant;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Punishments;   Slave;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Other Laws;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ṭabi;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
King James Version
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Lexham English Bible
And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.
New Century Version
If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.
New English Translation
If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
Amplified Bible
"And if he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the tooth.
New American Standard Bible
"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let the slave go free on account of the tooth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also if he smite out his seruants tooth, or his maides tooth, he shall let him goe out free for his tooth.
Legacy Standard Bible
And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
Contemporary English Version
The same law applies if you knock out a slave's tooth—the slave goes free.
Complete Jewish Bible
If he knocks out his male or female slave's tooth, he must let him go free in compensation for his tooth.
Darby Translation
And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.
Easy-to-Read Version
If a master hits his slave in the mouth, and the slave loses a tooth, then the slave will be allowed to go free. The slave's tooth is payment for the slave's freedom. This is the same for a man or a woman slave.
English Standard Version
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.
George Lamsa Translation
And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or the tooth of his maidservant, he must let him go free for his tooths sake.
Good News Translation
If he knocks out a tooth, he is to free the slave as payment for the tooth.
Christian Standard Bible®
If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his tooth.
Literal Translation
And if he causes the tooth of his male slave, or the tooth of his slave-girl, to fall out, he shall send him away free for his tooth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In like maner yf he smyte out a tothe of his seruaunt or mayde, he shall let them go fre and lowse for the tothes sake.
American Standard Version
And if he smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Bible in Basic English
Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Also if he smyte out his seruaunt or his maydes tothe, he shall let them go out free for the tothes sake.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if he smite out his bondman's tooth, or his bondwoman's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
King James Version (1611)
And if he smite out his man seruants tooth, or his mayde seruants tooth, hee shal let him goe free for his tooths sake.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if he should smite out the tooth of his man-servant, or the tooth of his maid-servant, he shall send them away free for their tooth’s sake.
English Revised Version
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.
Young's Literal Translation
and if a tooth of his man-servant or a tooth of his handmaid he knock out, as a freeman he doth send him away for his tooth.
Update Bible Version
And if he smites out his male slave's tooth, or his female slave's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if he shall smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
World English Bible
If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
New King James Version
And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
New Living Translation
And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
New Life Bible
If he knocks out a tooth of his man or woman servant, he will let the person go free because of the tooth.
New Revised Standard
If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
or, if, the tooth of his servant or the tooth of his handmaid, he knock out, he shall send him forth, free, for his tooth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.
Revised Standard Version
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free for the tooth's sake.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

Contextual Overview

22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband demands and as the court allows. 23But if a serious injury results, then you must require a life for a life- 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, wound for wound, and stripe for stripe. 26If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. 27And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.28If an ox gores a man or woman to death, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat must not be eaten. But the owner of the ox shall not be held responsible. 29But if the ox has a reputation for goring, and its owner has been warned yet does not restrain it, and it kills a man or woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. 30If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him. 31If the ox gores a son or a daughter, it shall be done to him according to the same rule.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

smite: Exodus 21:19

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:20 - smite Exodus 21:24 - General Job 31:13 - the cause

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.
Genesis 21:23
Now, therefore, swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or descendants. Show to me and to the country in which you reside the same kindness that I have shown to you."
Genesis 21:28
Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock,
Genesis 21:31
So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
Genesis 31:44
Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me."
1 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
Proverbs 17:8
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
Proverbs 18:16
A man's gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.
Proverbs 18:24
A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Proverbs 21:14
A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth,.... Give them such a slap on the face, or a blow on the mouth, as to strike out one of their teeth; this also the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi restrain to a Canaanitish servant or maid;

he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake; both him and her, the servant and the maid; this, though of lesser consequence than the loss of an eye, was punished in the same manner with the loss of the servant man or maid, to make masters careful how they abused their servants in any degree. And though only these parts are expressed, yet Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, that all other principal members of the body, which they reckon to be twenty four, are included, as the fingers, toes, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Freedom was the proper equivalent for permanent injury.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 21:27. If he smite out his - tooth — It was a noble law that obliged the unmerciful slaveholder to set the slave at liberty whose eye or tooth he had knocked out. If this did not teach them humanity, it taught them caution, as one rash blow might have deprived them of all right to the future services of the slave; and thus self-interest obliged them to be cautious and circumspect.


 
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