But the one who takes the life of an animal shall make restitution, life for life.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life.
- KJV And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.
- BSB Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life.
- NKJV Whoever kills an animal shall make it good, animal for animal.
- NLT “Anyone who kills another person’s animal must pay for it in full—a live animal for the animal that was killed.
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
Killing another person's animal required full restitution, life for life. Property loss demanded fair compensation.
Overview
Here the law distinguishes the value of an animal from that of a human being: an animal's death required repayment, not the death of the offender. This proportionate justice protected neighbors from loss while preserving the unique sanctity of human life. It reflects God's concern for fairness and the protection of others' property.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Lev 24:21He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death.
- Exod 21:34–36the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
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Christ at the center
Every sacrifice, every priest, and every day of atonement points beyond itself to the one perfect offering and the great High Priest who, by his own blood, makes the unclean holy once for all.
How Leviticus 24:18 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
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