Exodus 21:34

34 The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal.

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 But if the ox gores a slave, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s owner thirty silver coins, and the ox must be stoned.

33 “Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it.

34 The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal.

35 “If someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between them. They must also divide the dead animal.

36 But if the ox had a reputation for goring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must pay full compensation—a live ox for the dead one—but he may keep the dead ox.