Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
the Third Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 22:2

If he owns nothing, then he will be sold as a slave. But if the man still has the animal and you find it, that man must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole. It doesn't matter if the animal was a bull, a donkey, or a sheep. "If a thief is killed while trying to break into a house at night, then no one will be guilty for killing him. But if this happens during the day, the one who killed him will be guilty of murder.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Bullock;   Restitution;   Theft and Thieves;   The Topic Concordance - Recompense/restitution;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Homicide;   Punishments;   Theft;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bed;   Restitution;   Theft;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Punishment;   Steal;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Law;   Punishment;   Wealth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Theft;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Murder;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bloodguilt;   Crimes and Punishments;   Hammurabi;   Law, Ten Commandments, Torah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sheep;   Sin;   Slave, Slavery;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Thief ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Manslayer,;   Murder;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Thief;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bloodguiltiness;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Crime;   Homicide;   Punishments;   Slave;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Burglary;   Crime;   Hammurabi;   Homicide;   Slaves and Slavery;   Sun;   Theft and Stolen Goods;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
King James Version
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
Lexham English Bible
"‘If a thief is found in the act of breaking in and he is struck and he dies, there is not bloodguilt for him.
New Century Version
"The robber who is caught must pay back what he stole. If he owns nothing, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. If the stolen animal is found alive with the robber, he must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole, whether it was a bull, donkey, or sheep. "If a thief is killed while breaking into a house at night, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if this happens during the day, he is guilty of murder.
New English Translation
"If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guilt for him.
Amplified Bible
"If a thief is caught breaking in [after dark] and is struck [by the owner] so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.
New American Standard Bible
"If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If a thiefe bee founde breaking vp, and be smitten that he dye, no blood shall be shed for him.
Legacy Standard Bible
"If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.
Contemporary English Version
But if you cannot afford to replace the animals, you must be sold as a slave to pay for what you have stolen. If you steal an ox, donkey, or sheep, and are caught with it still alive, you must pay the owner double. If you happen to kill a burglar who breaks into your home after dark, you are not guilty. But if you kill someone who breaks in during the day, you are guilty of murder.
Complete Jewish Bible
unless it happens after sunrise, in which case it is murder. A thief must make restitution; so if he has nothing, he himself is to be sold to make good the loss from the theft.
Darby Translation
If the thief be encountered breaking in, and be smitten so that he die, there shall be no blood-guiltiness for him.
English Standard Version
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,
George Lamsa Translation
If a thief is found breaking into a house and is wounded so that he dies, there is no penalty for bloodshed.
Good News Translation
He must pay for what he stole. If he owns nothing, he shall be sold as a slave to pay for what he has stolen. If the stolen animal, whether a cow, a donkey, or a sheep, is found alive in his possession, he shall pay two for one. "If a thief is caught breaking into a house at night and is killed, the one who killed him is not guilty of murder. But if it happens during the day, he is guilty of murder.
Christian Standard Bible®
If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed.
Literal Translation
If the thief is found breaking in, and is stricken and dies, no blood shall be shed for him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf a thefe be taken breakinge in, & vpon that be smytten that he dye, then shall not he that smote him, be giltie of his bloude.
American Standard Version
If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.
Bible in Basic English
If a thief is taken in the act of forcing his way into a house, and his death is caused by a blow, the owner of the house is not responsible for his blood.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a theefe be found breaking vp, and be smitten that he dye: there shall no blood be shed for hym.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be bloodguiltiness for him--he shall make restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
King James Version (1611)
If a thiefe bee found breaking vp, and be smitten that he die, there shal no blood be shed for him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the thief be found in the breach made by himself and be smitten and die, there shall not be blood shed for him.
English Revised Version
If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten that he die, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.
Berean Standard Bible
If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if a nyyt theef brekynge an hows, ether vndurmynynge, is foundun, and is deed bi a wounde takun, the smytere schal not be gilti of blood;
Young's Literal Translation
`If in the breaking through, the thief is found, and he hath been smitten, and hath died, there is no blood for him;
Update Bible Version
If the thief is found breaking in, and is smitten so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.
Webster's Bible Translation
If a thief shall be found breaking through, and be smitten that he die, [there shall] no blood [be shed] for him.
World English Bible
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.
New King James Version
If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.
New Living Translation
"If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of murder.
New Life Bible
If the robber is caught while breaking in, and is hit so that he dies, the owner of the house is not guilty for his blood.
New Revised Standard
If a thief is found breaking in, and is beaten to death, no bloodguilt is incurred;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If, in the place of breaking in, the thief be found and he is smitten so that he dieth, there is due for him no shedding of blood:
Douay-Rheims Bible
If a thief be found breaking open a house or undermining it, and be wounded so as to die: he that slew him shall not be guilty of blood.
Revised Standard Version
If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or an ass or a sheep, he shall pay double.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

Contextual Overview

1 "How should you punish a man who steals a bull or a sheep? If the man kills the animal or sells it, then he cannot give it back. So he must pay five bulls for the one he stole. Or he must pay four sheep for the one he stole. He must pay for stealing. 2If he owns nothing, then he will be sold as a slave. But if the man still has the animal and you find it, that man must give the owner two animals for every animal he stole. It doesn't matter if the animal was a bull, a donkey, or a sheep. "If a thief is killed while trying to break into a house at night, then no one will be guilty for killing him. But if this happens during the day, the one who killed him will be guilty of murder. 5 "A man might let his animal loose to graze in his field or vineyard. If the animal wanders into another person's field or vineyard, then the owner must pay. The payment must come from the best of his crop. 6 "A man might start a fire to burn thornbushes on his field. But if the fire grows and burns his neighbor's crops or the grain growing on the neighbor's field, the man who started the fire must pay for what he burned.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

breaking: Job 24:14, Job 30:5, Hosea 7:1, Joel 2:9, Matthew 6:19, Matthew 6:20, Matthew 24:43, 1 Thessalonians 5:2

no blood: Numbers 35:27

Reciprocal: Genesis 9:6 - by Deuteronomy 17:8 - between blood Job 24:16 - In the dark Ezekiel 18:10 - a robber

Cross-References

Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, I said that your wife Sarah will have a son. You will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him that will continue forever with all his descendants.
Genesis 21:12
But God said to Abraham, "Don't worry about the boy and the slave woman. Do what Sarah wants. Your descendants will be those who come through Isaac.
Genesis 22:9
When they came to the place where God told them to go, Abraham built an altar. He carefully laid the wood on the altar. Then he tied up his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
Genesis 22:10
Then Abraham reached for his knife to kill his son.
Genesis 22:12
The angel said, "Don't kill your son or hurt him in any way. Now I can see that you do respect and obey God. I see that you are ready to kill your son, your only son, for me."
Genesis 22:16
The angel said, "You were ready to kill your only son for me. Since you did this for me, I make you this promise: I, the Lord , promise that
Judges 11:31
I will give you the first thing that comes out of my house when I come back from the victory. I will give it to the Lord as a burnt offering."
Judges 11:39
At the end of two months, Jephthah's daughter returned to her father, and Jephthah did what he had promised. His daughter never had sexual relations with anyone. So this became a custom in Israel.
2 Kings 3:27
Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would become the next king after him. On the wall around the city, the king of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering. This upset the Israelites very much. So the Israelites left the king of Moab and went back to their own land.
2 Chronicles 3:1
Solomon began building the Lord 's Temple at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David, Solomon's father. This was the place David had prepared for the Temple. It had been the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If a thief be found breaking up,.... An house, in order to steal money, jewels, household goods, c. or breaking through any fence, hedge, or wall of any enclosure, where oxen, or sheep, or any other creatures are, in order to take them away: the Targum of Jonathan is,

"if in the hole of a wall (or window of it) a thief be found''

that is, in the night, as appears from the following verse, "if the sun", c. to which this is opposed, as Aben Ezra observes some render it, with a digging instrument x; and it is a Jewish canon y, that

"if anyone enter with a digging instrument: he is condemned on account of his end;''

his design, which is apparent by the instrument found upon him; for, as Maimonides z observes,

"it is well known, that if anyone enters with a digging instrument, that he intends, if the master of the house opposes him to deliver his goods out of his power, that he will kill him, and therefore it is lawful to kill him; but it does not signify whether he enters with a digging instrument, either by the way of the court, or roof;''

and be smitten that he die be knocked down with a club, by the master of the house, or any of his servants, or be run through with a sword, or be struck with any other weapon, to hinder him from entrance and carrying off any of the goods of the house, and the blow be mortal: there shall no blood be shed for him: as for a man that is murdered; for to kill a man when breaking into a house, and, by all appearance, with an intention to commit murder, if resisted, in defence of a man's self, his life and property, was not to be reckoned murder, and so not punishable with death: or, "no blood" shall be "unto him" a; shall be imputed to him, the man that kills the thief shall not be chargeable with his blood, or suffer for shedding it; because his own life was risked, and it being at such a time, could call none to his assistance, nor easily discern the person, nor could know well where and whom he struck.

x במחתרת "cum perfossorio", Pagninus; "cum instrumento perfosserio", Tigurine version. y Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 8. sect. 6. z Comment. in ib. a אין לו דמים "non ei sanguines", Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 22:2. If a thief be found — If a thief was found breaking into a house in the night season, he might be killed; but not if the sun had risen, for then he might be known and taken, and the restitution made which is mentioned in the succeeding verse. So by the law of England it is a burglary to break and enter a house by night; and "anciently the day was accounted to begin only from sunrising, and to end immediately upon sunset: but it is now generally agreed that if there be daylight enough begun or left, either by the light of the sun or twilight, whereby the countenance of a person may reasonably be discerned, it is no burglary; but that this does not extend to moonlight, for then many midnight burglaries would go unpunished. And besides, the malignity of the offence does not so properly arise, as Mr. Justice Blackstone observes, from its being done in the dark, as at the dead of night when all the creation except beasts of prey are at rest; when sleep has disarmed the owner, and rendered his castle defenceless." - East's Pleas of the Crown, vol. ii., p. 509.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile