Exodus 21:34

34 the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead [animal] will be for him.

Exodus 21:34 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:34

The owner of the pit shall make it good
Repair the loss of the ox or ass:

and give the money unto the owner of them:
the price of them, what they are worth: the Targum of Jonathan is,

``the owner of the pit shall pay the silver, he shall return to its owner the price of the ox or ass:''

and the dead beast shall be his;
either the owner of the pit; who pays the full value for the ox or ass killed, which seems but reasonable; or

``the injured person as Jarchi, for he says, they reckon or estimate the carcass, and he takes it for the price;''

that is, for part of the price it is valued at.

Exodus 21:34 In-Context

32 If the ox gores a male slave or a female slave, he will give thirty shekels of silver to his master, and the ox will be stoned.

33 " 'If a man opens a pit or if a man digs a pit and he does not cover it and an ox or a donkey falls into it,

34 the owner of the pit will pay restitution; he will pay silver to its owner, but the dead [animal] will be for him.

35 And if a man's ox injures the ox of his neighbor and it dies, they will sell the living ox and divide the {money}, and they will also divide the dead [one].

36 Or if it was known that it was a goring ox {before} and its owner did not restrain it, he will surely make restitution, an ox in place of the ox, and the dead [one] will be for him.

Footnotes

• [a] Or "will belong to him"