Exodus 22 · Verse 13

Exodus 22:13

If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.
Exodus 22:13, King James Version

Exodus 22:13 in other translations

BSBIf the animal was torn to pieces, he shall bring it as evidence; he need not make restitution for the torn carcass.
WEBIf it is torn in pieces, let him bring it for evidence. He shall not make good that which was torn.
ASVIf it be torn in pieces, let him bring it for witness: he shall not make good that which was torn.
YLTif it is certainly torn, he bringeth it in--a witness; the torn thing he doth not repay.
DARBYIf it have been torn in pieces, let him bring it as witness: he shall not make good what was torn.
BBEBut if it has been damaged by a beast, and he is able to make this clear, he will not have to make payment for what was damaged.
WebsterIf it shall be torn in pieces; then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

What does Exodus 22:13 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 If it be torn in pieces - let him bring it for witness - Rather, Let him bring עד הטרפה ed hatterephah, a testimony or evidence of the torn thing, such as the horns, hoofs, etc. This is still a law in some countries among graziers: if a horse, cow, sheep, or goat, entrusted to them, be lost, and the keeper asserts it was devoured by dogs, etc., the law obliges him to produce the horns and hoofs, because on these the owner's mark is generally found. If these can be produced, the keeper is acquitted by the law. The ear is often the place marked, but this is not absolutely required, because a ravenous beast may eat the ear as well as any other part, but he cannot eat the horns or the hoofs. It seems however that in after times two of the legs and the ear were required as evidences to acquit the shepherd of all guilt. See Amo 3:12.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Exodus 22:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אִם\־'im-<if>H518
טָרֹ֥ףta.Rofcertainly [if] <to tear>H2963
יִטָּרֵ֖ףyi.ta.Refit will be torn in piecesH2963
יְבִאֵ֣הוּye.vi.'E.huhe will bring itH935
עֵ֑ד'EdevidenceH5707
הַטְּרֵפָ֖הha.te.re.Fahthe torn animalH2966
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יְשַׁלֵּֽם\׃\ \פye.sha.Lemhe will make restitutionH7999

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 22:13

  • Micah 5:8

    And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

  • Ezekiel 4:14

    Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

  • Amos 3:12

    Thus saith the Lord; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch.

  • Nahum 2:12

    The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
torn in pieces.
Eze 4:14; Am 3:12; Mic 5:8; Na 2:12
let him bring it for witness.Or, rather, "Let him bring" {aid hatteraiphah,} an evidence of the thing torn, such as the horns, hoofs, etc.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 22:12

    And if it be stolen from him, he shall make restitution unto the owner thereof.

  • Exodus 22:13

    If it be torn in pieces, then let him bring it for witness, and he shall not make good that which was torn.

  • Exodus 22:14

    And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good.

Read all of Exodus 22

Exodus 22:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y si le hubiere sido arrebatado por fiera, traerle ha testimonio, y no pagará lo arrebatado.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et si un homme a emprunté une bête à son prochain, et qu’elle se fasse une fracture, ou qu’elle meure, et que son maître n’ait pas été avec elle, il fera certainement compensation.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wenn es aber zerrissen worden ist, so soll er es als Zeugnis bringen; er soll das Zerrissene nicht erstatten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		si comestum a bestia, deferat ad eum quod occisum est, et non restituet.