Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, May 8th, 2025
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

Exodus 21:16

Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Kidnapping;   Punishment;   Theft and Thieves;   Thompson Chain Reference - Kidnapping;   The Topic Concordance - Execution;   Theft;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children;   Servants;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Servant;   Theft;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Punishment;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Murder;   Theft;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Father;   Law;   Punishments;   Slave;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Crimes and Punishments;   Exodus, Book of;   Hammurabi;   Kidnapping;   Pentateuch;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sabbatical Year;   Sin;   Slave, Slavery;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Men-Stealers;   Stoning (2);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Servant;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Robbery,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crime;   Kidnapping (Manstealing);   Law in the Old Testament;   Punishments;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abduction;   Capital Punishment;   Commandments, the 613;   Ethics;   Fear of Man;   Martyrs, the Ten;   Midrashim, Smaller;   Moses;   Police Laws;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
King James Version
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Lexham English Bible
"‘And whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he will surely be put to death.
New Century Version
"Anyone who kidnaps someone and either sells him as a slave or still has him when he is caught must be put to death.
New English Translation
"Whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or is caught still holding him, must surely be put to death.
Amplified Bible
"Whoever kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or is found with him in his possession, must be put to death.
New American Standard Bible
"Now one who kidnaps someone, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall certainly be put to death.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if it be founde with him, shal die the death.
Legacy Standard Bible
"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
Complete Jewish Bible
"Whoever kidnaps someone must be put to death, regardless of whether he has already sold him or the person is found still in his possession.
Darby Translation
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall certainly be put to death.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Whoever steals someone to sell them as a slave or to keep them for their own slave must be killed.
English Standard Version
"Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
George Lamsa Translation
He who steals a person and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he shall surely be put to death.
Good News Translation
"Whoever kidnaps someone, either to sell him or to keep him as a slave, is to be put to death.
Christian Standard Bible®
“Whoever kidnaps a person must be put to death, whether he sells him or the person is found in his possession.
Literal Translation
And he that steals a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, dying he shall die.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, so that he be founde by him, the same shall dye the death.
American Standard Version
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Bible in Basic English
Any man who gets another into his power in order to get a price for him is to be put to death, if you take him in the act.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, if he be proued vppon hym, shalbe slayne for it.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
King James Version (1611)
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
(21:17) Whosoever shall steal one of the children of Israel, and prevail over him and sell him, and he be found with him, let him certainly die.
English Revised Version
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Berean Standard Bible
Whoever kidnaps another man must be put to death, whether he sells him or the man is found in his possession.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that cursith his fadir, ether modir, die bi deeth.
Young's Literal Translation
`And he who stealeth a man, and hath sold him, and he hath been found in his hand, is certainly put to death.
Update Bible Version
And he that steals a man, and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he shall be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
World English Bible
"Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
New King James Version
"He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.
New Living Translation
"Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as slaves.
New Life Bible
"Whoever steals a man and sells him, or keeps him for himself, will be put to death.
New Revised Standard
Whoever kidnaps a person, whether that person has been sold or is still held in possession, shall be put to death.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, he that stealeth a man of the sons of Israel, and selleth him, or he be found in his hand, shall, surely be put to death.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that shall steal a man, and sell him, being convicted of the guilt, shall be put to death.
Revised Standard Version
"Whoever steals a man, whether he sells him or is found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
THE MESSAGE
"If someone kidnaps a person, the penalty is death, regardless of whether the person has been sold or is still held in possession.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.

Contextual Overview

12 The Lord said: Death is the punishment for murder. 13 But if you did not intend to kill someone, and I, the Lord , let it happen anyway, you may run for safety to a place that I have set aside. 14 If you plan in advance to murder someone, there's no escape, not even by holding on to my altar. You will be dragged off and killed. 15 Death is the punishment for attacking your father or mother. 16 Death is the punishment for kidnapping. If you sell the person you kidnapped, or if you are caught with that person, the penalty is death. 17 Death is the punishment for cursing your father or mother. 18 Suppose two of you are arguing, and you hit the other with either a rock or your fist, without causing a fatal injury. If the victim has to stay in bed, 19 and later has to use a stick when walking outside, you must pay for the loss of time and do what you can to help until the injury is completely healed. That's your only responsibility. 20 Death is the punishment for beating to death any of your slaves. 21 However, if the slave lives a few days after the beating, you are not to be punished. After all, you have already lost the services of that slave who was your property.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

stealeth: Genesis 40:15, Deuteronomy 24:7, 1 Timothy 1:10, Revelation 18:12

selleth him: Genesis 37:28

found in: Exodus 22:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 17:13 - bought Genesis 37:27 - sell him Exodus 20:15 - General Nehemiah 5:8 - sell your Ephesians 4:28 - him that Revelation 18:13 - slaves

Cross-References

Genesis 27:38
"Father," Esau asked, "don't you have more than one blessing? You can surely give me a blessing too!" Then Esau started crying again.
Genesis 29:11
He then kissed Rachel and started crying because he was so happy.
Genesis 44:34
How can I face my father if Benjamin isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father in such sorrow.
Judges 2:4
The Israelites started crying loudly,
Ruth 1:9
May he give each of you another husband and a home of your own." Naomi kissed them. They cried
1 Samuel 24:16
"David, my son—is that you?" Saul asked. Then he started crying
1 Samuel 30:4
They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more.
1 Kings 3:26
"Please don't kill my son," the baby's mother screamed. "Your Majesty, I love him very much, but give him to her. Just don't kill him." The other woman shouted, "Go ahead and cut him in half. Then neither of us will have the baby."
Esther 8:6
and I can't bear to see my people and my own relatives destroyed."
Isaiah 49:15
The Lord answered, "Could a mother forget a child who nurses at her breast? Could she fail to love an infant who came from her own body? Even if a mother could forget, I will never forget you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him,.... One of the children of Israel, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, and so the Septuagint version: but though this law was given to the Israelites primarily, yet was made for men stealers in general, as the apostle observes, who plainly has reference to it, 1 Timothy 1:9:

or if he be found in his hand; before the selling of him, as Jarchi notes, since he stole him in order to sell him, he was guilty of death, as follows:

he shall surely be put to death; with strangling, as the same Jewish writer remarks, as on the preceding verse; and Jarchi sets it down as a rule, that all death in the law, simply expressed, is strangling.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The following offences were to be punished with death:

Striking a parent, compare Deuteronomy 27:16.

Cursing a parent, compare the marginal references.

Kidnapping, whether with a view to retain the person stolen, or to sell him, compare the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 21:16. He that stealeth a man — By this law every man-stealer, and every receiver of the stolen person, should lose his life; no matter whether the latter stole the man himself, or gave money to a slave captain or negro-dealer to steal him for him.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile