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the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Exodus 21:16

"Whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or is caught still holding him, must 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.
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.
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 "Whoever strikes someone so that he dies must surely be put to death. 13 But if he does not do it with premeditation, but it happens by accident, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly, you will take him even from my altar that he may die. 15 "Whoever strikes his father or his mother must surely be put to death. 16 "Whoever kidnaps someone and sells him, or is caught still holding him, must surely be put to death. 17 "Whoever treats his father or his mother disgracefully must surely be put to death. 18 "If men fight, and one strikes his neighbor with a stone or with his fist and he does not die, but must remain in bed, 19 and then if he gets up and walks about outside on his staff, then the one who struck him is innocent, except he must pay for the injured person's loss of time and see to it that he is fully healed. 20 "If a man strikes his male servant or his female servant with a staff so that he or she dies as a result of the blow, he will surely be punished. 21 However, if the injured servant survives one or two days, the owner will not be punished, for he has suffered the loss.

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
Esau said to his father, "Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!" Then Esau wept loudly.
Genesis 29:11
Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly.
Genesis 44:34
For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn't bear to see my father's pain."
Judges 2:4
When the Lord 's messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.
Ruth 1:9
May the Lord enable each of you to find security in the home of a new husband!" Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept loudly.
1 Samuel 24:16
When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" Then Saul wept loudly.
1 Samuel 30:4
Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more.
1 Kings 3:26
The real mother spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. She said, "My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!"
Esther 8:6
For how can I watch the calamity that will befall my people, and how can I watch the destruction of my relatives?"
Isaiah 49:15
Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could 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.


 
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