Exodus 21:36

Study note

Setting — The Lord delivers this judicial ruling to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness, immediately following the statute on two oxen fighting in Exodus 21:35. The passage addresses community leaders and landowners responsible for livestock management.

The words — The Hebrew נוֹדַע (no.Da') translates literally as "it is known," establishing the legal requirement of prior notice. The term נַגָּח (na.Gach) describes a specific goring habit that shifts liability from accident to negligence.

The thread — This liability framework extends to Exodus 21:35, where unknown animals trigger shared loss, and appears in Leviticus 24:17-21 regarding proportional restitution. The principle of known danger requiring restraint recurs in Deuteronomy 19:21 and Matthew 18:7.

Why it lands — The text demands owners compensate fully when they ignore a known risk, transferring the dead animal to their possession as part of the penalty. Readers must recognize that negligence incurs greater cost than mere accident.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.