If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
Parallel translations
- WEB If it is torn in pieces, let him bring it for evidence. He shall not make good that which was torn.
- BSB If the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.
- NKJV If it is torn to pieces by a beast, then he shall bring it as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
- NASB If it is all torn to pieces, have him bring it as evidence; he shall not be compelled to make restitution for what has been torn to pieces.
- NLT If it was torn to pieces by a wild animal, the remains of the carcass must be shown as evidence, and no compensation will be required.
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
If a wild animal tore the entrusted beast, the remains serve as evidence and no restitution is owed. Honest evidence clears the keeper of an unavoidable loss.
Overview
By bringing the carcass as proof, the keeper demonstrates the loss was beyond his control, exempting him from payment. The law rewards honesty and distinguishes misfortune from negligence. This concern for truthful evidence reflects God's justice, which judges according to truth and never falsely condemns.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Nah 2:12The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
- Ezek 4:14Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.
- Amos 3:12Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.
- Mic 5:8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
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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 22:13 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.