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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Exodus 21:33

"And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Bullock;   Damages and Compensation;   Property;   Restitution;   Trespass;   The Topic Concordance - Livestock;   Recompense/restitution;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Wells and Springs;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Money;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Pit;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Well;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Capital Punishment;   Cattle;   Pit;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Cistern;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Pit;   Priests and Levites;   Sabbatical Year;   Sin;   Ten Commandments;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ox, Oxen;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Punishments;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cistern;   Covenant, the Book of the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Accident;   Commandments, the 613;   Well;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn't cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
King James Version
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;
Lexham English Bible
"‘If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
New Century Version
"If a man takes the cover off a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and another man's ox or donkey comes and falls into it,
New English Translation
"If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Amplified Bible
"If a man leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
New American Standard Bible
"Now if someone opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when a man shall open a well, or when he shall dig a pit and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein,
Legacy Standard Bible
"And if a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Contemporary English Version
Suppose someone's ox or donkey is killed by falling into an open pit that you dug or left uncovered on your property.
Complete Jewish Bible
"If someone removes the cover from a cistern or digs one and fails to cover it, and an ox or donkey falls in,
Darby Translation
—And if a man open a pit, or if a man dig a pit, and do not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall into it,
Easy-to-Read Version
"A man might take a cover off a well or dig a hole and not cover it. If another man's animal comes and falls into that hole, the man who owns the hole is guilty.
English Standard Version
"When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
George Lamsa Translation
And if a man shall open a wheat pit or a man shall dig a well, and not cover them, and an ox or an ass fall into it;
Good News Translation
"If someone takes the cover off a pit or if he digs one and does not cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
Christian Standard Bible®
“When a man uncovers a pit or digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Literal Translation
And when a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit, and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass falls into it,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf a man open a well, or dygge a pytt, and couer it not, and there fall an oxe or Asse therin,
American Standard Version
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein,
Bible in Basic English
If a man makes a hole in the earth without covering it up, and an ox or an ass dropping into it comes to its death;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If a man open a well, or digge a pitte, and couer it not, and an oxe or an asse fall therein:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein,
King James Version (1611)
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall digge a pit, and not couer it, and an oxe or an asse fall therein:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if any one open a pit or dig a cavity in stone, and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall in there,
English Revised Version
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein,
Berean Standard Bible
If a man opens or digs a pit and fails to cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If ony man openeth a cisterne, and diggith, and hilith it not, and an oxe ether asse fallith in to it,
Young's Literal Translation
`And when a man doth open a pit, or when a man doth dig a pit, and doth not cover it, and an ox or ass hath fallen thither, --
Update Bible Version
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or a donkey fall therein,
Webster's Bible Translation
And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass shall fall into it;
World English Bible
"If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn't cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
New Living Translation
"Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it.
New Life Bible
"When a man leaves a deep hole open, or digs a deep hole and does not cover it, and a bull or donkey falls into it,
New Revised Standard
If someone leaves a pit open, or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And when a man openeth a pit, or when a man diggeth a pit, and doth not cover it, - and there falleth thereinto an ox or an ass,
Douay-Rheims Bible
If a man open a pit, and dig one, and cover it not, and an ox or an ass fall into it,
Revised Standard Version
"When a man leaves a pit open, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or an ass falls into it,
THE MESSAGE
"If someone uncovers a cistern or digs a pit and leaves it open and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit must pay whatever the animal is worth to its owner but can keep the dead animal.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

Contextual Overview

22 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. 26 "If a man strikes the eye of his male or female servant, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the sake of his eye. 27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his male or female servant, he shall let him go free for the sake of his tooth. 28 "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be acquitted. 29 But if the ox tended to thrust with its horn in times past, and it has been made known to his owner, and he has not kept it confined, so that it has killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death. 30 If there is imposed on him a sum of money, then he shall pay to redeem his life, whatever is imposed on him. 31 Whether it has gored a son or gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 9:15, Psalms 119:85, Proverbs 28:10, Ecclesiastes 10:8, Jeremiah 18:20, Jeremiah 18:22

Reciprocal: Exodus 22:6 - he that kindled the fire Leviticus 24:21 - a beast

Cross-References

Genesis 4:26
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. [fn] Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:8
And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 26:23
Then he went up from there to Beersheba.
Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.
Genesis 26:33
So he called it Shebah. [fn] Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba [fn] to this day.
Deuteronomy 16:21
"You shall not plant for yourself any tree, as a wooden image, near the altar which you build for yourself to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, "Destroy!'
Judges 3:7
So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. [fn]
Psalms 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Isaiah 40:28
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If a man shall open a pit,.... That has been dug in time past, and filled up again, or take the covering from it, and leave it uncovered: "or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it": a new one, in the street, as the Targum of Jonathan; or in a public place, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra; otherwise a man might dig one for water, in his own fields, in enclosed places, where there was no danger of cattle coming thither, and falling therein:

and an ox or an ass fall therein; or any other beast, as Jarchi observes; for these are mentioned only as instances, and are put for all others. Maimonides s says,

"if a man digs a pit in a public place, and an ox or ass fall into it and die, though the pit is full of shorn wool, and the like, the owner of the pit is bound to pay the whole damage; and this pit (he says) must be ten hands deep; if it is less than that, and an ox, or any other beast or fowl fall into it and die, he is free,''

s Hilchot Niske Maimon. c. 12. sect, 1, 10. so Bartenora in Misn. Bava Kama, c. 1. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The usual mode of protecting a well in the East was probably then, as now, by building round it a low circular wall.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 21:33. And if a man shall open a pit, or - dig a pit — That is, if a man shall open a well or cistern that had been before closed up, or dig a new one; for these two cases are plainly intimated: and if he did this in some public place where there was danger that men or cattle might fall into it; for a man might do as he pleased in his own grounds, as those were his private right. In the above case, if he had neglected to cover the pit, and his neighbour's ox or ass was killed by falling into it, he was to pay its value in money. Exodus 21:33 and Exodus 21:34 seem to be out of their places. They probably should conclude the chapters, as, where they are, they interrupt the statutes concerning the goring ox, which begin at Exodus 21:28.

THESE different regulations are as remarkable for their justice and prudence as for their humanity. Their great tendency is to show the valuableness of human life, and the necessity of having peace and good understanding in every neighbourhood; and they possess that quality which should be the object of all good and wholesome laws - the prevention of crimes. Most criminal codes of jurisprudence seem more intent on the punishment of crimes than on preventing the commission of them. The law of God always teaches and warns, that his creatures may not fall into condemnation; for judgment is his strange work, i.e., one reluctantly and seldom executed, as this text is frequently understood.


 
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