21:28 1 “If an ox 2 gores a man or a woman so that either dies, 3 then the ox must surely 4 be stoned and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be acquitted.
1 sn The point that this section of the laws makes is that one must ensure the safety of others by controlling the circumstances.
2 tn Traditionally “ox,” but “bull” would also be suitable. The term may refer to one of any variety of large cattle.
3 tn Heb “and he dies”; KJV “that they die”; NAB, NASB “to death.”
4 tn The text uses סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל (saqol yissaqel), a Qal infinitive absolute with a Niphal imperfect. The infinitive intensifies the imperfect, which here has an obligatory nuance or is a future of instruction.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the owner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 sn A shekel was a unit for measure by means of a scale. Both the weight and the value of a shekel of silver are hard to determine. “Though there is no certainty, the shekel is said to weigh about 11,5 grams” (C. Houtman, Exodus, 3:181). Over four hundred years earlier, Joseph was sold into Egypt for 20 shekels. The free Israelite citizen was worth about 50 shekels (Lev 27:3f.).
7 sn See further B. S. Jackson, “The Goring Ox Again [Ex. 21,28-36],” JJP 18 (1974): 55-94.