Exodus 21:28-36
God's redeemed people must order communal life with justice that protects life, reckons honestly with responsibility, and requires proportionate restitution when negligence harms another.
28 “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
29 But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
30 If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.
31 Whether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.
32 If the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 “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,
34 the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
35 “If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.
36 Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.
God's redeemed people must order communal life with justice that protects life, reckons honestly with responsibility, and requires proportionate restitution when negligence harms another.
To establish covenant case law for communal responsibility when animals cause injury, death, or property loss, showing that Israel's worship of the LORD must produce ordered justice, restrained liability, and serious accountability for negligence.
This passage follows Exodus 21:18-27, where the Lord regulates bodily injury, recovery, restitution, proportional justice, and servant protection. Exodus 21:28-36 continues the theme of liability by addressing animal-caused death, negligent ownership, pit hazards, and livestock restitution. It prepares for Exodus 22:1-15, where restitution laws continue for theft, property damage, safekeeping, and borrowing.
In an agrarian world where oxen were economically valuable and physically powerful, animal-related injuries and property damage required public standards. These laws regulate liability where livestock, household economy, bodily safety, and neighbor relations intersect.
Case Laws for Covenant Justice, Human Dignity, and Restitution
The LORD gives Israel concrete case laws so that redeemed life will be marked by justice, protection of life, restraint of power, restitution for harm, and accountability for negligence.