If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's striking here is that the law mandates the same penalty for the ox—being stoned—whether it harms a free person or a slave. This underscores that while the monetary compensation differs, the value God places on a life, regardless of social standing, is consistent and demands justice. The fixed sum of thirty shekels also highlights how this law foreshadows the price of betrayal for Jesus himself.
If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This passage comes after laws addressing accidental death caused by an animal to a free person, establishing a penalty of a life for a life. Now, the focus shifts to slaves, with specific instructions for when an ox gores a male or female slave. The owner must pay the slave's master a set compensation of thirty shekels of silver, and the goring ox is still to be stoned, revealing a value placed on the slave's life, though less than that of a free person.
In our modern world, the idea of 'property' doesn't usually have a human face. But in ancient Israel, the law had to navigate a complex reality where people could be enslaved.
Exodus 21:32 addresses the tragic event of an ox goring a slave. The law here distinguishes between the penalty for harming a free person and a slave.
A Different Calculation
While harming a free person would involve a more personal reckoning (as seen in previous verses), the death of a slave resulted in a fixed monetary payment to the slave's 'master.' This payment was set at thirty shekels of silver. This amount represented the average market value of a slave at the time.
The 'Chattel' Concept
This demonstrates how slaves were legally viewed, not as individuals with inherent rights equal to free citizens, but as valuable property or 'chattel.' The compensation was for the economic loss to the owner, reflecting the societal structure of the time.
Thirty shekels might seem like a small sum today, but this amount carries a profound, and even prophetic, significance.
While the law acknowledges the societal reality of slavery by setting a monetary value on a lost slave's life, it doesn't diminish the inherent gravity of death. The ox that caused the death was still to be stoned, signifying that such violence was unacceptable.
A Fixed Price
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The thirty shekels was a standard price, regardless of the slave's individual worth. This could mean that a highly skilled or valuable slave might be lost for less than their true personal value. However, it also meant that even the lowest-valued slave represented this significant sum.
Echoes of Betrayal
This specific amount, thirty pieces of silver, echoes most powerfully in the New Testament when Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for the same sum (Matthew 27:3). The commentators noted this, seeing a tragic irony that the price placed on a slave's life in the Old Testament became the price of the Son of God.
Understand the original words
ebed · Hebrew Noun
In the ancient Near Eastern context, a slave was often considered property or a person of lower social status. However, biblical law protects the life of the slave, requiring compensation for their death, which reflects the inherent value of human life created in the image of God even within a hierarchical society.
sheqel · Hebrew Noun
A standard unit of weight, often used as a monetary value in ancient Israel. In this context, it serves as a fixed financial penalty for the loss of human life, equalizing the value of the slave's life in the eyes of the law.
saqal · Hebrew Verb
To put to death by throwing stones, usually as a judicial penalty for serious crimes or uncleanness. Stoning served as a community act of judgment to purge evil or liability from the camp of Israel.
This passage directly connects the thirty pieces of silver to Judas' betrayal of Jesus, highlighting the profound significance and low valuation of this amount in a spiritual context.
Zechariah 11:12Zechariah prophesies receiving thirty pieces of silver for his own shepherding of Israel, a price explicitly stated as insignificant and foreshadowing the betrayal of God's people.
Genesis 37:28This verse shows Joseph being sold for twenty pieces of silver, providing a comparison that illustrates the price of a slave in earlier biblical history and hinting at the devaluation of human life.
Leviticus 27:3This passage sets the value of a male adult at fifty shekels, allowing for a comparison to the thirty shekels for a slave and revealing the differing worth assigned to individuals based on status.
pulpitExodus 21:32: "If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned."
Verse 32. - If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant. Hitherto, the case of free persons only has been considered. But the accident might have happened to a slave. Where this was the case, the death of the ox was still made indispensable, and thus far the same sacredness was made to attach to the life of the slave and of the freeman.…
clarkeExodus 21:32: "If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned."
Thirty shekels - Each worth about three shillings English; see Genesis 20:16 ; Genesis 23:15 . So, counting the shekel at its utmost value, the life of a slave was valued at four pounds ten shillings. And at this price these same vile people valued the life of our blessed Lord; see Zechariah 11:12 , Zechariah 11:13 ; Matthew 26:15 . And in ret…
What's striking here is that the law mandates the same penalty for the ox—being stoned—whether it harms a free person or a slave. This underscores that while the monetary compensation differs, the value God places on a life, regardless of social standing, is consistent and demands justice. The fixed sum of thirty shekels also highlights how this law foreshadows the price of betrayal for Jesus himself.
This passage comes after laws addressing accidental death caused by an animal to a free person, establishing a penalty of a life for a life. Now, the focus shifts to slaves, with specific instructions for when an ox gores a male or female slave. The owner must pay the slave's master a set compensation of thirty shekels of silver, and the goring ox is still to be stoned, revealing a value placed on the slave's life, though less than that of a free person.
This passage comes after laws addressing accidental death caused by an animal to a free person, establishing a penalty of a life for a life. Now, the focus shifts to slaves, with specific instructions for when an ox gores a male or female slave. The owner must pay the slave's master a set compensation of thirty shekels of silver, and the goring ox is still to be stoned, revealing a value placed on the slave's life, though less than that of a free person.
"If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned." — What's striking here is that the law mandates the same penalty for the ox—being stoned—whether it harms a free person or a slave. This underscores that while the monetary compensation differs, the va…
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Last reviewed October 2026