Exodus 21:17

17 Whosoever shall steal one of the children of Israel, and prevail over him and sell him, and he be found with him, let him certainly die.

Exodus 21:17 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:17

And he that curseth his father, or his mother
Though he does not smite them with his hand, or with any instrument in it, yet if he smites them with his tongue, reviles and reproaches them, speaks evil of them, wishes dreadful imprecations upon them, curses them by the name explained, as the Targum of Jonathan calls it, by the name Jehovah, wishing the Lord would curse them, or that his curse might light upon them, see ( Proverbs 20:20 ) ( 30:17 ) ,

shall surely be put to death;
or be killed with casting stones on him, as the Targum of Jonathan, or with stoning; so Jarchi, who observes, that wherever it is said, "his blood be upon him", it is meant of stoning, as it is of the man that curses his father or his mother, ( Leviticus 20:9 ) which was after this manner, the place of stoning was two cubits high, to which the malefactor with his hands bound was brought; from whence one of the witnesses against him cast him down headlong, of which, if he did not die, then they took up stones and cast on him, and if he died not through them, then all Israel came and stoned him; that is, the multitude upon the spot: this verse in the Septuagint version follows ( Exodus 21:15 ) , with which it agrees, both respecting the same persons.

Exodus 21:17 In-Context

15 Whoever smites his father or his mother, let him be certainly put to death.

16 He that reviles his father or his mother shall surely die.

17 Whosoever shall steal one of the children of Israel, and prevail over him and sell him, and he be found with him, let him certainly die.

18 And if two men revile each other and smite the one the other with a stone or his fist, and he die not, but be laid upon his bed;

19 if the man arise and walk abroad on his staff, he that smote him shall be clear; only he shall pay for his loss of time, and for his healing.