Exodus 21:31

Exo 21:31 Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.

Ver. 31. A son or a daughter.] A little one, and in his minority, as Puerilitas est periculorum pelagus.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

31. The same law is to hold good, if the person who has been killed is (as we should say) a minor, of either sex.

this judgement] The decision embodied in the preceding laws (vv. 28–30). Cf. on v. 1.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter,.... A little son or daughter, and both Israelites, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra; this is observed, because only a man or woman are made mention of in Exo 21:29 persons grown up; and lest it should be thought that only adult persons were intended, this is added, to show that the same regard is had to little ones as to grown persons, should they suffer by an ox in like manner as men and women may. The Targum of Jonathan restrains this to a son or daughter of an Israelite; but the life of everyone, of whatsoever nation, is equally provided for, and guarded against by the original law of God:

according to this judgment shall it be done unto him; to the owner of the ox that has gored a child, male or female; that is, he shall be put to death, if he has been warned of the practice of his ox for three days past, and has took no care to keep him in; or he shall pay the ransom of his life, as it has been laid by the court, with the consent of the relations of the children.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

A son or a daughter; names signifying their tender age, in respect of the man or woman, Exo 21:29. And this is added, lest the foregoing sense should be restrained to their parents, whose lives were more precious, and therefore their loss greater.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whether he have gored a son or a daughter. If the sufferer were a child, the value of the life, and therefore the amount of the fine, would be less.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

has gored

"has injured with its horns"

thirty shekels of silver

"330 grams of silver." A shekel weighed eleven grams. (See: Biblical Money)

the ox must be stoned

This can be stated in active form. AT: "you must kill the ox by stoning it" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

decree

silver

stone

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

או בן ינח WHETHER HE HAVE THRUST A SON — a son who is a minor;

או בת יגח OR HAVE THRUST A DAUGHTER, who is a minor. Since it states, (v. 29) “and hath put to death a man or a woman”, one might think that the owner is liable only for the death of adult persons, Scripture therefore states, “whether he have thrust a son etc.” to make him liable for the death of minors equally as for that of adults (Mekhilta).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

O’ (OR) HE HAVE GORED A SON, OR HAVE GORED A DAUGHTER ACCORDING TO THIS JUDGMENT SHALL IT BE DONE UNTO HIM. Scripture uses the word o (‘or’ he have gored a son), because it adds to a phrase mentioned above, the meaning of the whole phrase thus being: “and he hath put to death a man or a woman, or he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, one ordinance shall be for them.” Some scholars say that the word o comes in the place of im (if). Similarly: ‘o’ (if) it be the carcass of an unclean beast; ‘o’ (if) I had dealt falsely against mine own life; ‘o’ (if) it be known that the ox was wont to gore. There are many such cases, in the opinion of these scholars. But all these proofs are false witnesses; you will understand them all in their context.According to our Rabbis, Scripture had to detail the ordinance [in the case of an ox goring] minors, because it found it necessary to say above, And if an ox gore a man or a woman, — in order to teach us that in all laws of the Torah concerning damages G-d has treated woman equally to man — thus I might have thought that one is only liable in the case of a grown man or woman; therefore Scripture says, or he have gored a son, to make him liable for the death of minors as for that of adults. The same method was followed by Scripture in the verse, And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death, as Rashi explained there. (above Verse 12), I know only about a man. How do I know that the same applies to a woman and to a minor? Scripture therefore says, kol nefesh adam (and he that smiteth ‘any man’) — [literally: ‘the soul of any human being’]” (Rashi, Leviticus 24:17).In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, [the ordinance concerning an ox goring minors is stated] because an ox that kills a grown-up person is extremely vicious, as a bear robbed of her cubs in the wilderness, thus if warning hath been given to its owner, and he hath not kept it in, he has committed a grave transgression, and deserves to be liable to death or to pay a ransom [for the redemption of his life]; but an ox that kills minors is not so vicious, for most oxen are not afraid of them, and one might therefore think that their owners are not liable [to the same punishment], therefore Scripture states that according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.