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King James Version

Exodus 22:4

If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Animals;   Bullock;   Fine;   Restitution;   Theft and Thieves;   The Topic Concordance - Recompense/restitution;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ox, the;   Punishments;   Theft;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Restitution;   Theft;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Punishment;   Steal;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Law;   Punishment;   Wealth;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Theft;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Beast;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Crimes and Punishments;   Hammurabi;   Law, Ten Commandments, Torah;   Robbery;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Canon of the Old Testament;   Covenant, Book of the;   Ethics;   Hexateuch;   Law;   Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Sin;   Slave, Slavery;   Ten Commandments;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Law of Moses;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Thief;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Covenant, the Book of the;   Double;   Fourfold;   Slave;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Accident;   Baba Ḳamma;   Tort;   Triennial Cycle;  

Parallel Translations

Geneva Bible (1587)
If the theft bee founde with him, aliue, (whether it be oxe, asse, or sheepe) he shal restore the double.
George Lamsa Translation
If the animal is found in his possession alive, whether it is an ox or an ass, or a ewe, he shall restore double.
Hebrew Names Version
If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
English Standard Version
If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
American Standard Version
If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall pay double.
Bible in Basic English
If he still has what he had taken, whatever it is, ox or ass or sheep, he is to give twice its value.
Complete Jewish Bible
(iii) "If a person causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over or lets his animal loose to graze in someone else's field, he is to make restitution from the best produce of his own field and vineyard.
Darby Translation
If the stolen thing be actually found alive in his hand, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep, he shall restore double.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If a man cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall let his beast loose, and it feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution.
King James Version (1611)
If the theft be certainely found in his hand aliue, whether it bee oxe or asse, or sheepe, he shall restore double.
Amplified Bible
"If the animal that he stole is found alive in his possession, whether it is ox or donkey or sheep, he shall pay double [for it].
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And if the thing stolen be left and be in his hand alive, whether ox or sheep, he shall restore them two-fold.
English Revised Version
If the theft be found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall pay double.
Berean Standard Bible
If what was stolen is actually found alive in his possession-whether ox or donkey or sheep-he must pay back double.
Lexham English Bible
If indeed the stolen item is found in his possession alive, from ox to donkey to small livestock, he will make double restitution.
Literal Translation
If the stolen thing finding is found in his hand alive, from ox to ass to flock animal, he shall pay double.
New English Translation
If the stolen item should in fact be found alive in his possession, whether it be an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he must pay back double.
New King James Version
If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it is an ox or donkey or sheep, he shall restore double.
New Living Translation
If someone steals an ox or a donkey or a sheep and it is found in the thief's possession, then the thief must pay double the value of the stolen animal.
New Life Bible
If the stolen bull or donkey or sheep is found alive with him, he must pay twice what it is worth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If the thing stolen is found in his hand - whether ox or ass or sheep, alive, with two, shall he make restitution.
Douay-Rheims Bible
If that which he stole be found with him, alive, either ox, or ass, or sheep: he shall restore double.
Revised Standard Version
but if the sun has risen upon him, there shall be bloodguilt for him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
if that thing that he staal, is foundun quyk at hym, ether oxe, ether asse, ether scheep, he schal restore the double.
Young's Literal Translation
if the theft is certainly found in his hand alive, whether ox, or ass, or sheep -- double he repayeth.
World English Bible
If the stolen property is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
Update Bible Version
If the theft is found in his hand alive, whether it is ox, or donkey, or sheep, he shall pay double.
Webster's Bible Translation
If the theft shall be certainly found in his hand alive, whether an ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If the theft be founde in his hande, aliue, whether it be oxe, asse, or sheepe, he shall restore double.
Christian Standard Bible®
If what was stolen—whether ox, donkey, or sheep—is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But yf ye theft be founde by him alyue (from the oxe vnto the Asse or shepe) then shall he restore dubble.
THE MESSAGE
"If someone steals an ox or a lamb and slaughters or sells it, the thief must pay five cattle in place of the ox and four sheep in place of the lamb. If the thief is caught while breaking in and is hit hard and dies, there is no bloodguilt. But if it happens after daybreak, there is bloodguilt. "A thief must make full restitution for what is stolen. The thief who is unable to pay is to be sold for his thieving. If caught red-handed with the stolen goods, and the ox or donkey or lamb is still alive, the thief pays double.
New American Standard Bible
"If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
New Revised Standard
When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is found alive in the thief's possession, the thief shall pay double. If a thief is found breaking in, and is beaten to death, no bloodguilt is incurred; but if it happens after sunrise, bloodguilt is incurred.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If what he stole is actually found alive in his possession, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.
Legacy Standard Bible
If what he stole is actually found alive in his hand, whether an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

Contextual Overview

1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. 2 If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him. 3 If the sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. 4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. 5 If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. 6 If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

found: Exodus 21:16

he shall restore double: Exodus 22:1, Exodus 22:7, Exodus 22:9, Proverbs 6:31, Isaiah 40:2, Jeremiah 16:18, Revelation 18:6

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:16 - make Leviticus 6:5 - restore 1 Samuel 12:3 - I will 1 Samuel 12:5 - in my hand

Cross-References

Exodus 5:3
And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
Exodus 15:22
So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exodus 19:11
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
Exodus 19:15
And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
Leviticus 7:17
But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.
Numbers 10:33
And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.
Numbers 19:12
He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean.
Numbers 19:19
And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
Numbers 31:19
And do ye abide without the camp seven days: whosoever hath killed any person, and whosoever hath touched any slain, purify both yourselves and your captives on the third day, and on the seventh day.
Joshua 1:11
Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive,.... Or, "in finding be found" i, be plainly and evidently found upon him, before witnesses, as the Targum of Jonathan; so that there is no doubt of the theft; and it is a clear case that he had neither as yet killed nor sold the creature he had stolen, and to could be had again directly, and without any damage well as it would appear by this that he was not an old expert thief, and used to such practices, since he would soon have made away with this theft in some way or another:

whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep, or any other creature; and even, as Jarchi thinks, anything else, as raiment, goods, c.

he shall restore double two oxen for an ox, two asses for an ass, and two sheep for a sheep: and, as the same commentator observes, two living ones, and not dead ones, or the price of two living ones: so Solon made theft, by his law, punishable with death, but with a double restitution k; and the reason why here only a double restitution and not fourfold is insisted on, as in Exodus 22:1 is, because there the theft is persisted in, here not; but either the thief being convicted in his own conscience of his evil, makes confession, or, however, the creatures are found with alive, and so more useful being restored, and, being had again sooner, the loss is not quite so great.

i המצא תמצא "inveniendo inventum fuerit", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator. k A. Gell, l. 11. c. 18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If a thief, in breaking into a dwelling in the night, was slain, the person who slew him did not incur the guilt of blood; but if the same occurred in daylight, the slayer was guilty in accordance with Exodus 21:12. The distinction may have been based on the fact that in the light of day there was a fair chance of identifying and apprehending the thief.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 22:4. He shall restore double. — In no case of theft was the life of the offender taken away; the utmost that the law says on this point is, that, if when found breaking into a house, he should be smitten so as to die, no blood should be shed for him; Exodus 22:2. If he had stolen and sold the property, then he was to restore four or fivefold, Exodus 22:1; but if the animal was found alive in his possession, he was to restore double.


 
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