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King James Version
Exodus 21:20
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
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- CondensedParallel Translations
"If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged.
"If a man beats his male or female slave with a stick, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner must be punished.
"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.
"If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a staff and the servant dies at his hand, he must be punished.
"And if someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
And if a man smite his seruant, or his maide with a rod, and he die vnder his hande, he shalbe surely punished.
"And if a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall surely be punished.
Death is the punishment for beating to death any of your slaves.
(ii) "If a person beats his male or female slave with a stick so severely that he dies, he is to be punished;
And if a man strike his bondman or his handmaid with a staff, and he die under his hand, he shall certainly be avenged.
"Sometimes people beat their slaves. If the slave dies after being beaten, the killer must be punished.
"When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
And if a man strikes his servant, or his maid with a staff, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
"If a slave owner takes a stick and beats his slave, whether male or female, and the slave dies on the spot, the owner is to be punished.
“When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod, and the slave dies under his abuse, the owner must be punished.
And if a man strikes his male slave or his slave-girl with a rod, and he dies under his hand, avenging he shall be avenged.
He that smyteth his seruaunt or mayde with a staff, that he dye vnder his handes, the same shall suffre vengeaunce therfore.
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished.
If a man gives his man-servant or his woman-servant blows with a rod, causing death, he is certainly to undergo punishment.
And if a man smyte his seruaunt or his mayde with a rod, & they dye vnder his hande, he shalbe greeuously punished.
And if a man smite his bondman, or his bondwoman, with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
And if a man smite his seruant, or his mayd, with a rod, and hee die vnder his hand, hee shall bee surely punished:
And if a man smite his man-servant or his maid-servant, with a rod, and the party die under his hands, he shall be surely punished.
And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall surely be punished.
If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
He that smytith his seruaunt, ether handmayde, with a yerde, and thei ben deed in hise hondis, schal be gilti of cryme.
`And when a man smiteth his man-servant or his handmaid, with a rod, and he hath died under his hand -- he is certainly avenged;
And if a man smites his male slave, or his female slave, with a rod, and he dies under his hand; he shall surely be punished.
And if a man shall smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he shall die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
"If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
"And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
"If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished.
"When a man hits his male or female servant with a stick so that he or she dies, he will be punished.
When a slaveowner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished.
And when a man shall smite his servant or his handmaid with a rod, and he die under his hand, he shall, surely be avenged;
He that striketh his bondman, or bondwoman, with a rod, and they die under his hands, shall be guilty of the crime.
"When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished.
"If a slave owner hits a slave, male or female, with a stick and the slave dies on the spot, the slave must be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he's not to be avenged—the slave is the owner's property.
"If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
smite: Exodus 21:26, Exodus 21:27, Deuteronomy 19:21, Proverbs 29:19, Isaiah 58:3, Isaiah 58:4
he shall: Genesis 9:6, Numbers 35:30-33
punished: Heb. avenged, Genesis 4:15, Genesis 4:24, Numbers 35:19, Romans 13:4
Reciprocal: Exodus 20:13 - General Exodus 21:18 - a stone Leviticus 19:20 - she shall be scourged Deuteronomy 17:8 - between blood Job 31:13 - the cause
Cross-References
He was a mighty hunter before the Lord : wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord .
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
And Abraham said, I will swear.
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.
Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison;
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And if a man smite his servant or his maid with a rod,.... A Canaanitish servant or maid, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi; and that only with a rod for the correction of them, and not with a sword or any such destroying weapon, which would seem as though he intended to kill, yet nevertheless:
and he die under his hand; immediately, while he is smiting or beating him or her, on the same day, as the above Targum interprets it:
he shall be surely punished; or condemned to the punishment of being slain with the sword, as the said Targum and Jarchi explain it: this law was made to deter masters from using severity and cruelty towards their servants.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The Jewish authorities appear to be right in referring this law, like those in Exodus 21:26-27, Exodus 21:32, to foreign slaves (see Leviticus 25:44-46). The protection here afforded to the life of a slave may seem to us but a slight one; but it is the very earliest trace of such protection in legislation, and it stands in strong and favorable contrast with the old laws of Greece, Rome, and other nations. If the slave survived the castigation a day or two, the master did not become amenable to the law, because the loss of the slave was accounted, under the circumstances, as a punishment.