Exodus 21
Study sheet, King James Version, with the original-language words this chapter turns on.
The text
1Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
3If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
5And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
7And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
8If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
9And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
11And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.
12He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
13And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
14But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.
16And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.
18And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.
20And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.
27And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
28If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.
30If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.
32If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33And 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;
34The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.
36Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
Words in this chapter
Definitions are Strong's own wording from his Exhaustive Concordance (1890). Counts are how often each word appears in this chapter, from the tagged text.
- מוּתmûwthH419119× in this chapter
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
- אֵתʼêthH85317× in this chapter
properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)
- אוֹʼôwH17615× in this chapter
desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
- אִםʼimH51815× in this chapter
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
- שׁוֹרshôwrH779414× in this chapter
a bullock (as a traveller)
- כִּיkîyH358813× in this chapter
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
- לֹאlôʼH380813× in this chapter
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
- אִישׁʼîyshH37612× in this chapter
a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
- תַּחַתtachathH847812× in this chapter
the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.
- יָצָאyâtsâʼH33189× in this chapter
to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.
- אִשָּׁהʼishshâhH8029× in this chapter
a woman
- בַּעַלbaʻalH11678× in this chapter
a master; hence, a husband, or (figuratively) owner (often used with another noun in modifications of this latter sense)
- אָדוֹןʼâdôwnH1137× in this chapter
sovereign, i.e. controller (human or divine)
- עֶבֶדʻebedH56507× in this chapter
a servant
- נָכָהnâkâhH52216× in this chapter
to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)
- נָתַןnâthanH54146× in this chapter
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
- עַיִןʻayinH58696× in this chapter
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
- אֲשֶׁרʼăsherH8346× in this chapter
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
- הוּאhûwʼH19315× in this chapter
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are
- הָיָהhâyâhH19615× in this chapter
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
- יָדyâdH30275× in this chapter
a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
- כֶּסֶףkeçephH37015× in this chapter
silver (from its pale color); by implication, money
- אָמָהʼâmâhH5195× in this chapter
a maidservant or female slave
- עַלʻalH59215× in this chapter
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
- שֵׁןshênH81275× in this chapter
a tooth (as sharp); specifically ivory; figuratively, a cliff
- בֵּןbênH11214× in this chapter
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
- בַּתbathH13234× in this chapter
a daughter (used in the same wide sense as other terms of relationship, literally and figuratively)
- חׇפְשִׁיchophshîyH26704× in this chapter
exempt (from bondage, tax or care)
- מָכַרmâkarH43764× in this chapter
to sell, literally (as merchandise, a daughter in marriage, into slavery), or figuratively (to surrender)
- נָגַחnâgachH50554× in this chapter
to butt with the horns; figuratively, to war against
- סָקַלçâqalH56194× in this chapter
properly, to be weighty; but used only in the sense of lapidation or its contrary (as if a delapidation)
- גַּףgaphH16103× in this chapter
the back; by extension the body or self
- אֵלʼêlH4133× in this chapter
near, with or among; often in general, to
- מִשְׁפָּטmishpâṭH49413× in this chapter
properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style
- נָפַלnâphalH53073× in this chapter
to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)
- נֶפֶשׁnepheshH53153× in this chapter
properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
- נָקַםnâqamH53583× in this chapter
to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish
- עָשָׂהʻâsâhH62133× in this chapter
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
- רֵעַrêaʻH74533× in this chapter
an associate (more or less close)
- שִׁיתshîythH78963× in this chapter
to place (in a very wide application)