Exodus 21:18

18 " 'And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but {he is confined to bed},

Exodus 21:18 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:18

And if men strive together
Quarrel and fight, and wrestle with and box one another:

and one smite another with a stone;
which lying near him he might take up, and in his passion throw it at his antagonist:

or with his fist;
with his double fist, as we express it, with his hand closed, that it might come with the greater force, and give the greater blow:

and he die not, but keepeth his bed;
does not die with the blow of the stone or fist, yet receives so much damage by it that he is obliged to take to his bed; or, as the Targum of Jerusalem paraphrases it, is cast on the bed sick; or, as the Targum of Jonathan, falls into a disease, as a fever, or the like, through the force of the blow, so that he is confined to his room and to his bed.

Exodus 21:18 In-Context

16 " 'And {whoever kidnaps someone} and sells him, or he is found in his possession, he will surely be put to death.

17 " 'And one who curses his father or his mother will surely be put to death.

18 " 'And if men quarrel and a man strikes his neighbor with a stone or with a fist and he does not die, but {he is confined to bed},

19 if he stands and walks about in the outside on his staff, the striker will be unpunished; he will only pay for his inactivity {toward his full recovery}."

20 And if a man strikes his male slave or his female slave with the rod and he dies under his hand, he will surely be avenged.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "he falls to bed"