Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Century Version

Exodus 23:4

"If you see your enemy's ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Forgiveness;   Neighbor;   Stray;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Duty;   Enemies;   Love;   Oxen;   Social Duties;   Social Life;   The Topic Concordance - Enemies;   Help;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ass, the Domestic;   Enemies;   Love to Man;   Ox, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Love;   Revenge;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Golden Rule;   Justice;   Law;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Canaan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Judge (Office);   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Agriculture;   Canon of the Old Testament;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Ten Commandments;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hating, Hatred;   Kindness (2);   Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of);   Originality;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Justice;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Astray;   Covenant, the Book of the;   Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Enemy;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Enemy, Treatment of an;   Ethics;   Forgiveness;   Hammurabi;   Love;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
King James Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Lexham English Bible
"‘If you come upon the ox of your enemy or his donkey going astray, you will certainly bring it back to him.
New English Translation
"If you encounter your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, you must by all means return it to him.
Amplified Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering off, you must bring it back to him.
New American Standard Bible
"If you encounter your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you must return it to him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
If thou meete thine enemies oxe, or his asse going astray, thou shalt bring him to him againe.
Legacy Standard Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.
Contemporary English Version
If you find an ox or a donkey that has wandered off, take it back where it belongs, even if the owner is your enemy.
Complete Jewish Bible
"If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey straying, you must return it to him.
Darby Translation
—If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt certainly bring it back to him.
Easy-to-Read Version
"If you see a lost bull or donkey, then you must return it to its owner—even if the owner is your enemy.
English Standard Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
George Lamsa Translation
If you meet your enemys ox or his ass going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
Good News Translation
"If you happen to see your enemy's cow or donkey running loose, take it back to him.
Christian Standard Bible®
“If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Literal Translation
When you happen on the ox of your enemy, or his wandering ass, returning you shall return it to him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf thou mete thine enemies oxe or Asse, goinge astraye, thou shalt brynge the same vnto him agayne.
American Standard Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Bible in Basic English
If you come across the ox or the ass of one who is no friend to you wandering from its way, you are to take it back to him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If thou meete thyne enemies oxe or asse goyng astray, thou shalt bryng them to him agayne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
King James Version (1611)
If thou meete thine enemies oxe or his asse going astray, thou shalt surely bring it backe to him againe.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt turn them back and restore them to him.
English Revised Version
If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Berean Standard Bible
If you encounter your enemy's stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If thou meetist `the oxe of thin enemye, ethir the asse errynge, lede thou ayen to hym.
Young's Literal Translation
`When thou meetest thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou dost certainly turn it back to him;
Update Bible Version
If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
Webster's Bible Translation
If thou shalt meet thy enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
World English Bible
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
New King James Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
New Living Translation
"If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey that has strayed away, take it back to its owner.
New Life Bible
"If you meet a bull or donkey that belongs to a man who hates you, be sure to return the animal to him.
New Revised Standard
When you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When thou meetest the ox of thine enemy, or his ass, going astray, thou shalt, surely bring it back, to him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If thou meet thy enemy’s ox or ass going astray, bring it back to him.
Revised Standard Version
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you shall bring it back to him.
THE MESSAGE
"If you find your enemy's ox or donkey loose, take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, don't walk off and leave it. Help it up.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him.

Contextual Overview

1 "You must not tell lies. If you are a witness in court, don't help a wicked person by telling lies. 2 "You must not do wrong just because everyone else is doing it. If you are a witness in court, you must not ruin a fair trial. You must not tell lies just because everyone else is. 3 If a poor person is in court, you must not take his side just because he is poor. 4 "If you see your enemy's ox or donkey wandering away, you must return it to him. 5 If you see that your enemy's donkey has fallen because its load is too heavy, do not leave it there. You must help your enemy get the donkey back on its feet. 6 "You must not be unfair to a poor person when he is in court. 7 You must not lie when you accuse someone in court. Never allow an innocent or honest person to be put to death as punishment, because I will not treat guilty people as if they were innocent. 8 "You must not accept money from a person who wants you to lie in court, because such money will not let you see what is right. Such money makes good people tell lies. 9 "You must not mistreat a foreigner. You know how it feels to be a foreigner, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Deuteronomy 22:1-4, Job 31:29, Job 31:30, Proverbs 24:17, Proverbs 24:18, Proverbs 25:21, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, Luke 6:28, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Thessalonians 5:15

Reciprocal: Leviticus 6:3 - have found Leviticus 19:18 - not avenge Deuteronomy 22:4 - thou shalt surely Matthew 12:11 - and if Luke 10:34 - went Luke 14:5 - Which Romans 12:20 - if thine

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
You will sweat and work hard for your food. Later you will return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and when you die, you will return to the dust."
Genesis 17:8
You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants."
Genesis 23:12
Then Abraham bowed down before the Hittites.
Genesis 23:13
He said to Ephron before all the people, "Please let me pay you the full price for the field. Accept my money, and I will bury my dead there."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham agreed and paid Ephron in front of the Hittite witnesses. He weighed out the full price, ten pounds of silver, and they counted the weight as the traders normally did.
Genesis 47:9
Jacob said to him, "My life has been spent wandering from place to place. It has been short and filled with trouble—only one hundred thirty years. My ancestors lived much longer than I."
Genesis 49:30
That cave is in the field of Machpelah east of Mamre in the land of Canaan. Abraham bought the field and cave from Ephron the Hittite for a burying place.
Genesis 50:13
They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried it in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought this cave and field from Ephron the Hittite to use as a burial place.
Leviticus 25:23
"‘The land really belongs to me, so you can't sell it for all time. You are only foreigners and travelers living for a while on my land.
1 Chronicles 29:15
We are like foreigners and strangers, as our ancestors were. Our time on earth is like a shadow. There is no hope.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray,.... Or any other beast, as the Samaritan version adds; for these are only mentioned for instances, as being more common, and creatures subject to go astray; now when such as these are met going astray, so as to be in danger of being lost to the owner, though he is an enemy; or as the Targum of Jonathan,

"whom thou hatest because of a sin, which thou alone knowest in him;''

yet this was not so far to prejudice the finder of his beasts against him, as to be careless about them, to suffer them to go on without acquainting him with them, or returning them to him, as follows:

thou shalt surely bring it back to him again; whether it be an ox, or an ass, or any other beast, the law is very strong and binding upon the finder to return it to his neighbour, though an enemy, and bring it either to his field or to his farm.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

So far was the spirit of the law from encouraging personal revenge that it would not allow a man to neglect an opportunity of saving his enemy from loss.

Exodus 23:5

The sense appears to be: “If thou see the ass of thine enemy lying down under his burden, thou shalt forbear to pass by him; thou shalt help him in loosening the girths of the ass.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:4. If thou meet thine enemy's ox - going astray — From the humane and heavenly maxim in this and the following verse, our blessed Lord has formed the following precept: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44. A precept so plain, wise, benevolent, and useful, can receive no other comment than that which its influence on the heart of a kind and merciful man produces in his life.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile