Exodus 21:18
in Exodus 21If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist, and he does not die but is confined to bed,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And if men contend, and one smite the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keep his bed;
KJV
And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
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This verse in Exodus 21
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
If men are quarreling and one strikes the other with a stone or a fist
on Exodus 21:18-19
This is the first injury in the book of the covenant settled by payment. Once the injured man can “walk around outside with his staff”, the striker pays for his lost work and sees him “completely healed”.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
This servant must not be an Israelite, but a Gentile slave, as the negroes to our planters; and it is supposed that he smite him with a rod, and not with any thing that was likely to give a mortal wound; yet, if he died under his hand, he should be punished for his cruelty, at the discretion of the judges, upon consideration of circumstances,
quarantine:duplicate (2026-07-29) — dup:2 scholars / 2 anchors
And if men strive together,....
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְכִֽי־ | vekhi- | and if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יְרִיבֻ֣ן | yerivun | they will quarrel ! | H7378 → | 67 times |
| אֲנָשִׁ֔ים | ʾanashim | men | H582 → | 566 times |
| וְהִכָּה־ | vehikah- | and he will strike | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אִישׁ֙ | ʾish | anyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| רֵעֵ֔הוּ | reehu | neighbor his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| בְּאֶ֖בֶן | beeven | with a stone | H68 → | 273 times |
| א֣וֹ | ʾo | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| בְאֶגְרֹ֑ף | veegrof | with a fist | H106 → | |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יָמ֖וּת | yamut | he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וְנָפַ֥ל | venafal | and he will fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| לְמִשְׁכָּֽב׃ | lemishkav | to a bed | H4904 → |
וְכִֽי־and if
vekhi-H3588 →4482 times
יְרִיבֻ֣ןthey will quarrel !
yerivunH7378 →67 times
אֲנָשִׁ֔יםmen
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
וְהִכָּה־and he will strike
vehikah-H5221 →499 times
אִישׁ֙anyone
ʾishH376 →1663 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
רֵעֵ֔הוּneighbor his
reehuH7453 →188 times
בְּאֶ֖בֶןwith a stone
beevenH68 →273 times
א֣וֹor
ʾoH176 →321 times
בְאֶגְרֹ֑ףwith a fist
veegrofH106 →
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
יָמ֖וּתhe will die
yamutH4191 →839 times
וְנָפַ֥לand he will fall
venafalH5307 →435 times
לְמִשְׁכָּֽב׃to a bed
lemishkavH4904 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 21:22If men who are fighting strike a pregnant woman and her child is born prematurely, but there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband demands and as the…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 22:18–19
Then the elders of that city shall take the man and punish him.
- Exodus 21:30
If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him.
- Deuteronomy 22:18–19
Through
Exodus 2:13The next day Moses went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you attacking your companion?”
it leads to
- Acts 7:26–28
The next day he came upon two Israelites who were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’
- Acts 7:26–28
Through
Exodus 21:20If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 19:21
You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
- Proverbs 29:19
A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.
- Genesis 4:24
If Cain is avenged sevenfold, then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
- Numbers 35:30–33
If 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…
- Exodus 21:26–27
If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
- Deuteronomy 19:21
Where this verse is studied
About Exodus
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.