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Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 21:27

If a master hits his slave in the mouth, and the slave loses a tooth, then the slave will be allowed to go free. The slave's tooth is payment for the slave's freedom. This is the same for a man or a woman slave.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Assault and Battery;   Master;   Servant;   The Topic Concordance - Recompense/restitution;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Servants;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Servant;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Master;   Slave;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Sexuality, Human;   Slave, Slavery;   Work;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Slave;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Slave;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Crimes and Punishments;   Exodus, Book of;   Freedom;   Slave/servant;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sabbatical Year;   Sin;   Ten Commandments;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Servant;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Punishments;   Slave;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Other Laws;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ṭabi;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
King James Version
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Lexham English Bible
And if he causes the tooth of his male slave or the tooth of his female slave to fall out, he will release him as free in place of his tooth.
New Century Version
If a master knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, the man is to free the slave to pay for the tooth.
New English Translation
If he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or his female servant, he will let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
Amplified Bible
"And if he knocks out the tooth of his male servant or female servant, he must let the servant go free because of [the loss of] the tooth.
New American Standard Bible
"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let the slave go free on account of the tooth.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also if he smite out his seruants tooth, or his maides tooth, he shall let him goe out free for his tooth.
Legacy Standard Bible
And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
Contemporary English Version
The same law applies if you knock out a slave's tooth—the slave goes free.
Complete Jewish Bible
If he knocks out his male or female slave's tooth, he must let him go free in compensation for his tooth.
Darby Translation
And if he knock out his bondman's tooth or his handmaid's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth.
English Standard Version
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.
George Lamsa Translation
And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or the tooth of his maidservant, he must let him go free for his tooths sake.
Good News Translation
If he knocks out a tooth, he is to free the slave as payment for the tooth.
Christian Standard Bible®
If he knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free in compensation for his tooth.
Literal Translation
And if he causes the tooth of his male slave, or the tooth of his slave-girl, to fall out, he shall send him away free for his tooth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In like maner yf he smyte out a tothe of his seruaunt or mayde, he shall let them go fre and lowse for the tothes sake.
American Standard Version
And if he smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Bible in Basic English
Or if the loss of a tooth is caused by his blow, he will let him go free on account of his tooth.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Also if he smyte out his seruaunt or his maydes tothe, he shall let them go out free for the tothes sake.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if he smite out his bondman's tooth, or his bondwoman's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
King James Version (1611)
And if he smite out his man seruants tooth, or his mayde seruants tooth, hee shal let him goe free for his tooths sake.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if he should smite out the tooth of his man-servant, or the tooth of his maid-servant, he shall send them away free for their tooth’s sake.
English Revised Version
And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Berean Standard Bible
And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Also if he smytith out a tooth fro his seruaunt, ethir handmaide, in lijk maner he schal delyuere hem fre.
Young's Literal Translation
and if a tooth of his man-servant or a tooth of his handmaid he knock out, as a freeman he doth send him away for his tooth.
Update Bible Version
And if he smites out his male slave's tooth, or his female slave's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
Webster's Bible Translation
And if he shall smite out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
World English Bible
If he strikes out his man-servant's tooth, or his maid-servant's tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
New King James Version
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.
New Living Translation
And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
New Life Bible
If he knocks out a tooth of his man or woman servant, he will let the person go free because of the tooth.
New Revised Standard
If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
or, if, the tooth of his servant or the tooth of his handmaid, he knock out, he shall send him forth, free, for his tooth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Also if he strike out a tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he shall in like manner make them free.
Revised Standard Version
If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free for the tooth's sake.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

Contextual Overview

22 "Two men might be fighting and hurt a pregnant woman. This might make the woman give birth to her baby before its time. If the woman was not hurt badly, the man who hurt her must pay a fine. The woman's husband will decide how much the man must pay. The judges will help the man decide how much the fine will be. 23 But if the woman was hurt badly, then the man who hurt her must be punished. The punishment must fit the crime. You must trade one life for another life. 24 You must trade an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a bruise for a bruise, a cut for a cut. 26 "If a man hits a slave in the eye, and the slave is blinded in that eye, then the slave will be allowed to go free. His eye is the payment for his freedom. This is the same for a man or a woman slave. 27 If a master hits his slave in the mouth, and the slave loses a tooth, then the slave will be allowed to go free. The slave's tooth is payment for the slave's freedom. This is the same for a man or a woman slave. 28 "If a man's bull kills a man or woman, then you should use stones and kill that bull. You should not eat the bull. The owner of the bull is not guilty. 29 But if the bull had hurt people in the past, and if the owner was warned, then the owner is guilty. That is because he did not keep the bull tied or locked in its place. So if the bull is allowed to be free and kills someone, the owner is guilty. You should kill the bull with stones and also kill the owner. 30 But the family of the dead man may accept money. If they accept money, the man who owned the bull should not be killed. But he must pay as much money as the judge decides. 31 "This same law must be followed if the bull kills someone's son or daughter.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

smite: Exodus 21:19

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:20 - smite Exodus 21:24 - General Job 31:13 - the cause

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
Then Abimelech and Phicol spoke with Abraham. Phicol was the commander of Abimelech's army. They said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.
Genesis 21:23
So make a promise to me here before God. Promise that you will be fair with me and with my children. Promise that you will be kind to me and this country where you have lived. Promise that you will be as kind to me as I have been to you."
Genesis 21:28
Abraham also put seven female lambs in front of Abimelech.
Genesis 21:31
So after that, the well was called Beersheba. Abraham gave the well this name because it was the place where they made a promise to each other.
Genesis 31:44
So I am ready to make an agreement with you. We will set up a pile of stones to show that we have an agreement."
1 Samuel 18:3
Jonathan loved David as much as himself, so they made a special agreement.
Proverbs 17:8
Some people think a bribe is like a lucky charm—it seems to work wherever they go.
Proverbs 18:16
Gifts can open many doors and help you meet important people.
Proverbs 18:24
Some friends are fun to be with, but a true friend can be better than a brother.
Proverbs 21:14
If anyone is angry with you, give them a gift in private. A gift given in secret will calm even the strongest anger.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth,.... Give them such a slap on the face, or a blow on the mouth, as to strike out one of their teeth; this also the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi restrain to a Canaanitish servant or maid;

he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake; both him and her, the servant and the maid; this, though of lesser consequence than the loss of an eye, was punished in the same manner with the loss of the servant man or maid, to make masters careful how they abused their servants in any degree. And though only these parts are expressed, yet Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, that all other principal members of the body, which they reckon to be twenty four, are included, as the fingers, toes, &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Freedom was the proper equivalent for permanent injury.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 21:27. If he smite out his - tooth — It was a noble law that obliged the unmerciful slaveholder to set the slave at liberty whose eye or tooth he had knocked out. If this did not teach them humanity, it taught them caution, as one rash blow might have deprived them of all right to the future services of the slave; and thus self-interest obliged them to be cautious and circumspect.


 
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