Exodus 21:27

27 "And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave *, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.

Exodus 21:27 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 21:27

And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his
maidservant's tooth
Give them such a slap on the face, or a blow on the mouth, as to strike out one of their teeth; this also the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi restrain to a Canaanitish servant or maid;

he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake;
both him and her, the servant and the maid; this, though of lesser consequence than the loss of an eye, was punished in the same manner with the loss of the servant man or maid, to make masters careful how they abused their servants in any degree. And though only these parts are expressed, yet Jarchi and Aben Ezra observe, that all other principal members of the body, which they reckon to be twenty four, are included, as the fingers, toes

Exodus 21:27 In-Context

25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
26 "If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave , and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye.
27 "And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave , he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
28 "If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall surely be stoned and its flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall go unpunished.
29 "If, however, an ox was previously in the habit of goring and its owner has been warned, yet he does not confine it and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned and its owner also shall be put to death.

Footnotes 1

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