Exodus 22:2
New International Version
“If a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is not guilty of bloodshed;

New Living Translation
“If a thief is caught in the act of breaking into a house and is struck and killed in the process, the person who killed the thief is not guilty of murder.

English Standard Version
If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him,

Berean Standard Bible
If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.

King James Bible
If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

New King James Version
If the thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.

New American Standard Bible
If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no guilt for bloodshed on his account.

NASB 1995
“If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

NASB 1977
“If the thief is caught while breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

Legacy Standard Bible
“If the thief is caught while breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no bloodguiltiness on his account.

Amplified Bible
“If a thief is caught breaking in [after dark] and is struck [by the owner] so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him.

Christian Standard Bible
If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed.

American Standard Version
If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And if a thief will be found breaking in and he is wounded and dies, there is no vengeance for him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if the thief be found in the breach made by himself and be smitten and die, there shall not be blood shed for him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If a thief be found breaking open a house or undermining it, and be wounded so as to die: he that slew him shall not be guilty of blood.

English Revised Version
If the thief be found breaking in, and be smitten that he die, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder.

International Standard Version
"If a thief is found while breaking into a house, and is struck down and dies, it is not a capital crime in that case,

JPS Tanakh 1917
If a thief be found breaking in, and be smitten so that he dieth, there shall be no bloodguiltiness for him.

Literal Standard Version
If in the breaking through, the thief is found, and he has been struck and has died, there is no blood for him;

Majority Standard Bible
If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed.

New American Bible
[If a thief is caught in the act of housebreaking and beaten to death, there is no bloodguilt involved.

NET Bible
"If a thief is caught breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there will be no blood guilt for him.

New Revised Standard Version
When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is found alive in the thief’s possession, the thief shall pay double.

New Heart English Bible
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.

Webster's Bible Translation
If a thief shall be found breaking through, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

World English Bible
If the thief is found breaking in, and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt of bloodshed for him.

Young's Literal Translation
'If in the breaking through, the thief is found, and he hath been smitten, and hath died, there is no blood for him;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Property Laws
1“If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters or sells it, he must repay five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. 2If a thief is caught breaking in and is beaten to death, no one shall be guilty of bloodshed. 3But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft.…

Cross References
Matthew 6:19
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 24:43
But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.

1 Peter 4:15
Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.

Job 24:16
In the dark they dig through houses; by day they shut themselves in, never to experience the light.

Jeremiah 2:34
Moreover, your skirts are stained with the blood of the innocent poor, though you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things


Treasury of Scripture

If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.

breaking

Job 24:14
The murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief.

Job 30:5
They were driven forth from among men, (they cried after them as after a thief;)

Hosea 7:1
When I would have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was discovered, and the wickedness of Samaria: for they commit falsehood; and the thief cometh in, and the troop of robbers spoileth without.

no blood

Numbers 35:27
And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood:

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Account Act Alive Ass Beast Blood Bloodguiltiness Blood-Guiltiness Bloodshed Blow Breaking Caught Caused Death Defender Die Died Dies Dieth Double Encountered Forcing Found Guilt Guilty House Owner Ox Pay Possession Shed Sheep Smitten ss ss Stolen Struck Thief Way Whether
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Account Act Alive Ass Beast Blood Bloodguiltiness Blood-Guiltiness Bloodshed Blow Breaking Caught Caused Death Defender Die Died Dies Dieth Double Encountered Forcing Found Guilt Guilty House Owner Ox Pay Possession Shed Sheep Smitten ss ss Stolen Struck Thief Way Whether
Exodus 22
1. Of Theft
5. Of damage
7. Of trespasses
14. Of borrowing
16. Of fornication
18. Of witchcraft
19. Of bestiality
20. Of idolatry
21. Of strangers, widows, and fatherless
25. Of usury
26. Of pledges
28. Of reverence to magistrates
29. Of the first fruits
31. Of torn flesh














(2) If a thief be found breaking up.--Rather, breaking in: i.e., making forcible entry into a dwelling-house. Most codes agree with the Mosaic in allowing the inmates of the house to resist such an attempt if made at night, and to shed the blood of the burglar, if necessary. He may be considered as having dissolved the "social compact," and converted himself from a fellow-citizen into a public enemy. A murderous intent on his part may be suspected.

Verse 2. - If a thief be found breaking up. Rather, "Breaking in" - i.e., making forcible entry into a house. The ordinary mode of "breaking in" seems to have been by a breach in the wall. Hence the word here used, which is derived from khathar, "to dig." There shall no blood be shed for him. Rather, "the blood-feud shall not lie upon him" - i.e., the avenger of blood shall not be entitled to proceed against his slayer. The principle here laid down has had the sanction of Solon, of the Roman law, and of the law of England. It rests upon the probability that those who break into a house by night bare a murderous intent, or at least have the design, if occasion arise, to commit murder.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

a thief
הַגַּנָּ֖ב (hag·gan·nāḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1590: A stealer

is caught
יִמָּצֵ֥א (yim·mā·ṣê)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

breaking in
בַּמַּחְתֶּ֛רֶת (bam·maḥ·te·reṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4290: A burglary, unexpected examination

and is beaten
וְהֻכָּ֣ה (wə·huk·kāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hofal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

to death,
וָמֵ֑ת (wā·mêṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill

no one
אֵ֥ין (’ên)
Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

shall be guilty of bloodshed.
דָּמִֽים׃ (dā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed


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OT Law: Exodus 22:2 If the thief is found breaking (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 22:1
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