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But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and it has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
Verse Takeaways
1
Responsibility for Negligence
Commentators emphasize that this law addresses not a simple accident, but "guilty negligence." The owner is held responsible for murder because they were formally warned about their animal's dangerous nature ("it hath been testified to its owner") and failed to take precautions. This establishes a powerful principle of being accountable for harms we could have foreseen and prevented.
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Book Overview
Exodus
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5
18th Century
Presbyterian
The animal was slain as a tribute to the sanctity of human life (compare the marginal references and Genesis 4:11). It was stoned, and its flesh wa…
19th Century
Anglican
His owner also shall be put to death. —It seems clear that under this law the representatives of the slain person might h…
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
But if the ox were wont to push with his horns in time past, etc.] Or "from or before yesterday, to the third" …
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The cases mentioned here give rules of justice that were applicable then and are still in use for deciding similar matters. These laws teach us tha…
