Exodus 22:1

“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — God addresses Israel through Moses, establishing civil case law for the covenant community. The statute applies immediately after the Decalogue to regulate property violations in the wilderness camp.

The words — יִגְנֹב (yig.nov) means “he will steal,” and שׁוֹר (Shor) denotes “an ox.” These terms specify intentional taking and high-value livestock that sustained ancient agrarian economies.

The thread — The restitution principle appears in 2 Samuel 12:6, where David demands fourfold payment for a stolen lamb. It also surfaces in Proverbs 6:31 regarding sevenfold repayment and in Luke 19:8 where Zacchaeus pledges to restore cheated amounts.

Why it lands — The text mandates financial compensation that exceeds the original loss to penalize theft and restore community order. It requires readers to treat property violations as serious breaches of covenant justice, not minor offenses.

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.

The Hebrew words

כִּ֤יkiif יִגְנֹֽב־yig.nov-he will steal אִישׁ֙'ishanyone שׁ֣וֹרShoran ox אוֹ־'ov-or שֶׂ֔הSeha sheep וּטְבָח֖וֹu./te.va.Ch/oand/ he will slaughter/ it א֣וֹ'oor מְכָר֑וֹme.kha.R/ohe has sold/ it חֲמִשָּׁ֣הcha.mi.Shahfive בָקָ֗רva.Karcattle יְשַׁלֵּם֙ye.sha.Lemhe will repay תַּ֣חַתTa.chatin place of הַשּׁ֔וֹרha./Shorthe/ ox וְאַרְבַּע־ve./'ar.ba'-and/ four צֹ֖אןtzonsheep תַּ֥חַתTa.chatin place of הַשֶּֽׂה׃ha./Sehthe/ sheep

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 12:6 Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”
Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
Proverbs 6:31 Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.
Numbers 5:7 and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.
Leviticus 6:1 And the LORD said to Moses,
Proverbs 14:4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.