Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Exodus 21:31 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 31. 31Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The wording “Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him” at 21:31 supplies evidence for the unit's movement and its effect on the people named there.
A goring ox and what the owner knew
This verse is one part of that explanation in Exodus 21:28–36. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Exodus 21:28–36
Read Exodus 21:31 with 21:28–36. The wording “Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him” at 21:31 supplies evidence for the unit's movement and its effect on the people named there. The whole unit shows: An ox that kills exposes distinctions between unknown and known danger, ransom, the lower valuation of enslaved victims, pits, and restitution between animals.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within Exodus 19–24's covenant movement from rescued identity and mountain preparation through the Ten Words, case law, public assent, blood, meal, and mediated access, this unit makes the following contribution: An ox that kills exposes distinctions between unknown and known danger, ransom, the lower valuation of enslaved victims, pits, and restitution between animals. At 21:31, the wording “Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him” makes this verse's contribution precise. The wording “Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him” at 21:31 supplies evidence for the unit's movement and its effect on the people named there.
What Remains True
Because Exodus 21:31 contributes “Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him” to “Dangerous Animals Create Owner Accountability,” its proportionate enduring truth is: Concrete cases train a community to connect actions with responsibility, restitution, evidence, power, and the lives affected by judgment.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Exodus 21:28–36 — Dangerous Animals Create Owner AccountabilitySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: Exodus 21:28–36, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Exodus
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, names, speech, law, ritual vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Exod.xml, words and morphology for 21:28–36
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Exodus with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
eBible.org distribution of the NET Bible, PDF generated 2026-08-12
Supports: Unit-bounded Hebrew, syntax, lexical, textual, name, measure, legal, ritual, and older-English notes; silence is not evidence.
Exact location: NET Bible Exodus PDF, complete 127-page PDF, translation and verse-attached translator notes for 21:28–36
Open source ↗