Bible Strands
Exodus 22:14
If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present, he must make full restitution.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God issues this statute to Israel through Moses at Sinai as part of the covenant's civil codes. The command addresses a borrower who takes a neighbor's animal and faces liability when the owner is absent.
The words — יִשְׁאַ֥ל (yish'al) means "he will ask" or borrow, and נִשְׁבַּר (nishbar) means "it will be maimed" or injured. These terms establish the precise conditions that trigger financial obligation.
The thread — The requirement to compensate for lost or damaged property runs through Exodus 21:34 and Leviticus 24:18, while Deuteronomy 23:19 limits interest on borrowed goods. These passages collectively structure economic accountability within the community.
Why it lands — The text mandates full payment when an entrusted animal is injured or dies without the owner's knowledge. It requires the borrower to bear the loss rather than shifting it to the absent owner.
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
King James Version
And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 23:19 Do not charge your brother interest on money, food, or any other type of loan.
- Exodus 21:34 the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he must pay its owner, and the dead animal will be his.
- Leviticus 24:18 Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life.
- Deuteronomy 15:2 This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.
- Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
- Exodus 22:11 an oath before the LORD shall be made between the parties to determine whether or not the man has taken his neighbor’s property. The owner must accept the oath and require no restitution.
- Psalms 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.
- Matthew 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
- Nehemiah 5:4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.