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Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Exodus 21:16

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 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.
Contemporary English Version
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.
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.
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 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shalbe surely put to death. 13 And if a man lye not in wait, but God deliuer him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a place whither hee shall flee: 14 But if a man come presumptuously vpon his neighbour to slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from mine Altar, that he may die. 15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall bee surely put to death. 16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death. 17 And hee that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely bee put to death. 18 And if men striue together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed: 19 If hee rise againe, and walke abroad vpon his staffe, then shall hee that smote him, be quit: onely he shall pay for the losse of his time, and shall cause him to be throughly healed. 20 And if a man smite his seruant, or his mayd, with a rod, and hee die vnder his hand, hee shall bee surely punished: 21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, hee shall not be punished, for he is his money.

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
And Esau said vnto his father, Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Blesse mee, euen mee also, O my father. And Esau lift vp his voyce, and wept.
Genesis 29:11
And Iacob kissed Rachel, and lifted vp his voyce, and wept.
Genesis 44:34
For how shall I goe vp to my father, and the lad be not with mee, lest peraduenture I see the euill that shall come on my father?
Judges 2:4
And it came to passe when the Angel of the Lord spake these words vnto all the children of Israel, that the people lift vp their voice, and wept.
Ruth 1:9
The Lord graunt you, that you may finde rest each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lift vp their voyce and wept.
1 Samuel 24:16
And it came to passe when Dauid had made an ende of speaking these words vnto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my sonne Dauid? And Saul lift vp his voice, and wept.
1 Samuel 30:4
Then Dauid and the people that were with him, lift vp their voice, and wept, vntill they had no more power to weepe.
1 Kings 3:26
Then spake the woman whose the liuing childe was, vnto the king, (for her bowels yerned vpon her sonne) and she said, O my lord, giue her the liuing childe, and in no wise slay it: But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but diuide it.
Esther 8:6
For how can I endure to see the euill that shall come vnto my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kinred?
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe? yea they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

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.


 
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