Exodus 21:33

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.

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 King James Version
"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,

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,

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"When there's a fight and in the fight a pregnant woman is hit so that she miscarries but is not otherwise hurt, the one responsible has to pay whatever the husband demands in compensation. But if there is further damage, then you must give life for life—eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. ²⁶"If a slave owner hits the eye of a slave or handmaid and ruins it, the owner must let the slave go free because of the eye. If the owner knocks out the tooth of the male or female slave, the slave must be released and go free because of the tooth. ²⁸"If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned. The meat cannot be eaten but the owner of the ox is in the clear. But if the ox has a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, then if the ox kills a man or a woman, the ox is to be stoned and the owner given the death penalty. If a ransom is agreed upon instead of death, he must pay it in full as a redemption for his life. If a son or daughter is gored, the same judgment holds. If it is a slave or a handmaid the ox gores, thirty shekels of silver is to be paid to the owner and the ox stoned. ³³"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. ³⁵"If someone's ox injures a neighbor's ox and the ox dies, they must sell the live ox and split the price; they must also split the dead animal. But if the ox had a history of goring and the owner knew it and did nothing to guard against it, the owner must pay an ox for an ox but can keep the dead animal."

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 12:8
He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God .

Genesis 26:25
Isaac built an altar there and prayed, calling on God by name. He pitched his tent and his servants started digging another well.

Deuteronomy 16:21
Don't plant fertility Asherah trees alongside the Altar of God , your God, that you build. Don't set up phallic sex pillars— God , your God, hates them.

Judges 3:7
The People of Israel did evil in God 's sight. They forgot their God and worshiped the Baal gods and Asherah goddesses. God 's hot anger blazed against Israel. He sold them off to Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim. The People of Israel were in servitude to Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.

Isaiah 57:15
A Message from the high and towering God, who lives in Eternity, whose name is Holy: "I live in the high and holy places, but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed, And what I do is put new spirit in them, get them up and on their feet again. For I'm not going to haul people into court endlessly, I'm not going to be angry forever. Otherwise, people would lose heart. These souls I created would tire out and give up. I was angry, good and angry, because of Israel's sins. I struck him hard and turned away in anger, while he kept at his stubborn, willful ways. When I looked again and saw what he was doing, I decided to heal him, lead him, and comfort him, creating a new language of praise for the mourners. Peace to the far-off, peace to the near-at-hand," says God — "and yes, I will heal them. But the wicked are storm-battered seas that can't quiet down. The waves stir up garbage and mud. There's no peace," God says, "for the wicked."

Jeremiah 10:10
But God is the real thing— the living God, the eternal King. When he's angry, Earth shakes. Yes, and the godless nations quake.

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.