If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
Parallel translations
- WEB “If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
- KJV And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
- ESV “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.
- NKJV “And if a man beats his male or female servant with a rod, so that he dies under his hand, he shall surely be punished.
- NASB “And if someone strikes his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies at his hand, he shall be punished.
- NLT “If a man beats his male or female slave with a club and the slave dies as a result, the owner must be punished.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A master who fatally beats his servant with a rod must be punished. Even servants are persons under God's protection, not mere property to be killed.
Overview
Unlike surrounding cultures, Israel's law held masters accountable for a servant's death, affirming the servant's humanity and dignity. This restrains cruelty and asserts that all people answer to God's justice. It foreshadows the gospel truth that in Christ there is neither slave nor free, all being one before God (Galatians 3:28).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 29:19A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.
- Deut 19:21You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
- Gen 4:24If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
- Isa 58:3–4“Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers.
- Num 35:19The avenger of blood is to put the murderer to death; when he finds him, he is to kill him.
- Gen 4:15“Not so!” replied the LORD. “If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold.” And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
- Rom 13:4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.
- Num 35:30–33If anyone kills a person, the murderer is to be put to death on the testimony of the witnesses. But no one is to be put to death based on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Exod 21:26–27If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
- Gen 9:6Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 21:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.